Signs banned at UVa games

[jimsumner]

I wonder how they'll deal with those inevitable "fire Groh" signs.

[whereinthehellami]

SIR, but the dontfirealgroh site is pretty creative and funny.

[rasputin]

Well, you can begin by reading the First Amendment. The First Amendment explicitly prevents Congress from infringing upon free speech, although the Supreme Court has interpreted it broadly to encompass other government entities.

Just because UVA is mostly funded by state taxes does not mean that it is the government. Think about it...is it a First Amendment issue when your local public elementary school bans short skirts or tube tops? Or when a teacher tells students to stop talking or passing notes in class? Or when George Steinbrenner tells one of the Yankees to shave their beard? No. The underlying concept is valid...that UVA is limiting free expression. But it's not really violating someone's constitutional rights, since a person doesn't "have a right to free speech" per se...only a right to not have speech abridged by Congress (and by implication, other parts of the government).

If someone wants to stand outside the stadium with a sign that says "Duke sucks!" then they can still do it, but they don't have a protected right to go into the stadium with it. Signs can block the view of the court/field for other fans, cause arguments, and reflect poorly upon the school itself. I don't find it all that controversial to prohibit signs at sporting events, unless they were banning only specific messages. If a school can prohibit bringing glass bottles into a stadium, why not signs?

I think it's a little ridiculous to ban all signs at sporting events (but not unconstitutional).

There certainly can be First Amendment implications to what students wear. Ask Mary Beth Tinker. Public schools can insist on modest clothing, not because the First Amendment isn't implicated, but because of the legitimacy and viewpoint neutrality of the state's interest.

[grannyduke]

http://http://sports.espn.go.com/esp...ory?id=3624017

[DukePA]

Signs have been verboten in Cameron for years, at least in the student section. Yes, people smuggled them in anyway.

I openly brought 2 signs into the graduate student section during the '06 Maryland game with no problem: Spear the Turtle and Turtles Don't Dance. Not very nice of me, but what can I say except the Devil made me do it