TUPELO, Miss. — You know, refs don't always make the right calls. I've criticized my fair share of officials. But why does it seem that most fans always blame the officials.

I guess it's the easy way out. Sometimes, it could actually be the thing holding your team back, but often times its actually the team you're rooting for. Shocking, isn't it?

Rather than encourage their team, most fans sit around and complain about the officials or talk about how the other team is cheating and getting away with it.

There are different levels of this fan ignorance though. Some fans actually cheer when their team makes a shot, some fans just clap and then get right back on the refs. Some fans even complain when the shot went down. "YOU EVER SEEN A FOUL, REF?"

Guess what, fans, you're not going to change the game by yelling at the refs. If anything, yelling at the refs at the top of your lungs in a near-empty arena might make them a little less apt to give your team a call or two.

The way fans make a difference is by going nuts for your team. That gives the players a little more of a lift than some 50-year old screaming about rules they don't even fully understand.

Of course, I could just be bitter because for the majority of this Henderson State-Valdosta State game I've been having to search for earmuffs so my ears don't start bleeding.