A roar from the crowd. The fight song blaring from the marching band. A chorus of cheers from the young fans in the stands.

These are sounds that we associate with intercollegiate athletics competition -- sounds that we love to hear. As student-athletes, we thrive on energy from the fans. When we compete at home, the effect that a large and loud crowd has on the game is immeasurable. We want our fans to give us strength and fire while taking away the fight from the opposing team. It's often said in fact that the greatest fans are "crazy and fanatical," creating a "hostile environment" for visitors.

But because of recent outbreaks of fan violence before, during and after games, as well as postgame celebratory riots and other irresponsible behavior, the question becomes, "What is too crazy, too fanatical and too hostile?" Athletics departments across the country are faced with the challenge of ensuring that the raucous home advantage is protected while also maintaining order and a safe environment for spectators, coaches and student-athletes.

While safe athletics environments always have been a priority, institutions and administrators have made it clear that there is now a heightened awareness of the issue. A sportsmanship/fan behavior summit in February brought together athletics administrators, community leaders, law enforcement, coaches, students, media and others to explore best practices in controlling behavior on and off the field.

One of the key issues at the summit was determining what type of environment should be cultivated. Interestingly, while most of the administrators in attendance sought to clamp down on behavior, the student-athletes there were worried that the clamps might be too tight.

We want fans to be crazy and loud -- and, yes, to create that "hostile environment." We recognize the need for administrators to address the issue from the standpoint of safety and responsible behavior. Yet we fear that in addressing the problem, the pendulum will swing too far in the other direction. Student-athletes don't want the fans to feel stifled in their efforts to cheer the home team or shout at the visiting team. We fear that in trying to curb irresponsible behavior, schools may be sending the message to fans that they should be more reserved at events.

When we play at home, we want the fans to make it difficult for our opponents. And when we play on the road, we welcome and look forward to the challenge of playing in front of that "hostile" crowd.

Ultimately, we should focus on promoting responsible fan behavior rather than creating polite fans. Student-athletes have tough skins -- we can handle most heckling. Any efforts to curb verbal assaults should be influenced by a desire to shield families and young fans from inappropriate language, not to protect athletes' feelings. In fact, the only "protection" we should be concerned about is the physical protection all fans and athletes need as a matter of course. We do need to takes steps to make sure the visiting players are not physically harmed. And we do need to take steps to stop the postgame riots or other unacceptable altercations.

Student-athletes are eager to help address this issue. We are willing and ready to model the type of sportsmanship and behavior that we want our fans to display.

But we also want the fans to love cheering us play as much as we love hearing them cheer.