Booing is an act of showing for someone or something, generally in response to an entertainer, by loudly yelling boo! and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. People may also make hand signs at the entertainer, such as the thumbs down sign. If spectators particularly dislike the performance they may also accompany booing by throwing objects on stage. Players booed for their performance felt booing "spooked" or "bothered" them or their teammates, and that it "affected their performance". Nick Swisher stated "It hurts. Sometimes I’m a sensitive guy and some of the things people say, they get under your skin a little bit." Ledley King stated, "It just frustrates me when the crowd boo England, who is that going to help? It just heaps more pressure on the players and gives us even less of a chance of scoring". However, the counterargument goes that the combination of booing and applause help keep the quality of public performance high, by emotionally rewarding the good and punishing the bad. Booing is not always a judgement of performance, but can be an expression of disapproval of a third party. Sometimes this is even encouraged, such as at The Game Awards 2015, when the audiencebooed in disapproval at the announcement that Konami legally barred Hideo Kojima from making an appearance. Host Geoff Keighley agreed with the sentiment, saying, "it’s disappointing and it’s inconceivable to me that an artist like Hideo would not be allowed to come here and celebrate with his peers and his fellow teammates."
Sports
In sports, booing by fans is quite common. They may boo particularly-hated players on the opposing team, or any opposing player when there is an intense rivalry between the teams. Unsportsmanlike behavior is also booed, such as intentionally hitting home team batters in baseball or diving in association football or basketball. Booing of referees or umpires after an unpopular ruling is also common. Booing of expelled players after receiving a second yellow card or a direct red card is also common for many reasons. In professional sports, one's own home team, players or coach may be booed due to a poor performance or season.
Examples
Adam Goodes who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League was repeatedly and loudly booed by opposition fans during the 2015 AFL season at most of the matches whenever he touched the ball. During a match against Carlton, during the AFL's annual Indigenous Round, after he kicked a goal, he celebrated the goal by provoking the Carlton fans by performing an Aboriginal war dance in which he mimed throwing a spear in their direction. Afterwards, Goodes claimed that the dance was based on the one he learned from the under-16s Indigenous team the Flying Boomerangs, and that it was intended as an expression of indigenous pride during Indigenous Round, not with the intention of offending and intimidating the crowd. The booing escalated after the war dance.
Brazilian motor racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi was booed when, after winning the 1993 Indianapolis 500, he chose to drink orange juice instead of the milk traditionally drunk by winners of the race. Fittipaldi had made the move in order to promote the Brazilian citrus industry.
During professional wrestling matches, most heels traditionally receive boos from the audience as the villain. The ability to infuriate audiences and draw "heat" is considered an essential skill for heel performers.
In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, booing is officially not permitted; states: "Members must not disturb a Member who is speaking by hissing, chanting, clapping, booing, exclamations or other interruption." Nevertheless, jeering and heckling are somewhat common during Prime Minister's Questions.
Popular culture
Although rare, in the performing arts, opera remains one of the arts where booing remains, if not common, customary as merited. In orchestral music, booing is usually restricted to the premiere of a new work. Rarer still is for motion pictures to be booed at their openings, and this is usually confined to film festivals when the production team is present. In traditional British pantomime, "the villain will generally include some abuse of the audience to stimulate hissing and booing" while the fairy and other protagonists are cheered.
Narrative
The film The Princess Bride uses booing to show shame. Princess Buttercup dreams of her wedding with Humperdinck when an elderly woman interrupts: The book Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science says this scene might be better labeled "Buttercup Unconsciously Booing Herself".
