It’s one of everyone’s favorite reoccurring topics: complaining about people throwing paper airplanes from the stands while waiting for the Einstein matches to start. A quick search shows at least three such threads from last year alone.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136877&highlight=paper+airplane

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136936&highlight=paper+airplane

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136918&highlight=paper+airplane

I also found a thread discussing a blog post following the 2014 Championship where Frank asks everyone to consider the impression we leave as a community by littering the dome with thousands of sheets of paper that someone has to clean up.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129277&highlight=paper+airplane

The regularity of these threads indicates that people voicing their concerns after the fact, then waiting a year and hoping things will change is not working. I’m hoping that by having this discussion before Championship the community can do something to address these concerns, rather than just continuing to beat a dead horse.

My personal take:

I recognize that throwing paper airplanes can be an enjoyable way to pass the time between when you have to claim a seat around the Einstein fields and when the matches actually start. I recognize that some people consider this a tradition that is part of the Championship experience. (I can remember sitting in the stands in 2003 and watching a few stray paper airplanes make their way down from the upper levels, so it has been done to some extent for as long as Championship has been in a dome.)

I did not attend Championship last year, but based on my experience in 2014 I think that it has gotten out of hand. At the very least, I think that people who feel compelled to throw paper airplanes should take some responsibility for cleaning them up. Ultimately, I would not miss this practice if it went away entirely.