Sulking San Fran fans say ‘quiet down’

SAN FRANCISCO – Should fans be penalized for cheering too loudly?

That’s what one fan is proposing after Sunday’s Seahawks-49er’s game.

In a letter to the editor, Judy Spelman and Rich Schiller write the Seahawks and the 12th man participated in unsportsmanlike conduct because of their noise. They believe it “creates as big an advantage over an opponent as any performance enhancing drugs.”

Keep in mind that at the game the 12th man attempted to, and succeeded, in breaking the world noise record -- twice. The first was during the first quarter, with 131.9 decibels, and then in the third quarter when the noise reached 136.6 decibels.

The two Californians offered several proposals. The first would have Seahawks players and management ask fans to stop being so noisy. The second would have the NFL implement a new rule where a visiting team can stop the game when the fan noise is louder than a predetermined decibel level. If that rule is broken during more than three games, there would be no home games played at the offending field for the rest of the season.

Centurylink Field has a reputation for giving local teams a home field advantage. According to an archived ESPN article, visiting teams at Centurylink Field have committed 107 false start penalties. The most talked about game was in 2005 against the New York Giants, where the visiting team committed 11 false starts.