Alert: Burch (Sea) Suspended for Remainder of Playoffs

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by KCbus, Nov 10, 2012.

  1. KCbus

    KCbus Moderator
    Staff Member

    United States
    Nov 26, 2000
    Reynoldsburg, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  2. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Interesting note that this suspension came from Garber, not the DC.
     
  3. KCbus

    KCbus Moderator
    Staff Member

    United States
    Nov 26, 2000
    Reynoldsburg, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Consistent with what Clark got. They didn't really have a choice.
     
  4. cthomer5000

    cthomer5000 Member+

    Apr 23, 2007
    Raleigh NC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Of all teams that should be acutely aware of the consequences for this, it's Seatltle. The Colin Clark incident was against them.

    Good from the league. One of the few areas where MLS stands above other leagues in this country. We shouldn't tolerate this bullshit.
     
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  5. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Only uh-oh if Gonzalez is still injured... If he isn't Sounders should be able to move on without skipping a beat because Gonzi is our starter and Burch was the back-up. If Gonzo is injured, then the left side is a giant question mark... Perhaps Evans cab add another position to his list this year.. So far he has RM, CM, LM, RB, and CB. Last season he played FW as well.

    As far as the suspension goes, he definitely earned it. Calling anyone that deserves needs to be killed with fire...
     
  6. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    I'm pretty certain comments like Burch's happen in every game, Burch just happened to have the cameras on him when he said them.

    I'm not saying Burch should get a pass or that it makes it right that others say similar things, just that players talk shit and a lot of it is insensitive and politically incorrect.
     
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  7. Jough

    Jough Member+

    Jul 30, 2007
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ughhhh.... seriously?

    I've asked my grandmother to leave my house for using language like Burch used. Any one, anywhere, who says anything like Burch said, should recieve the exact same treatment, cameras on them or not.

    These guys are professional athletes. "Professional" comes first. End of story.
     
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  8. miked9

    miked9 Member+

    May 4, 2000
    Philadelphia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Agreed 100%. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the relative intolerance of homophobia, racism, even sexism in our stadiums compared to other places around the world is one of the things that makes me proudest to be an American soccer fan.
     
  9. RapidStorm

    RapidStorm Member+

    Jan 30, 2005
    Denver, CO
    I don't want to speak for Sandon, but my impression from reading his post is that he wasn't trying to excuse the behavior. Just stating a fact that this behavior is a more widespread problem.

    Personally, I'm behind the league trying to stamp out this kind of behavior...but I can't wrap my head around how these awful word choices are so much more suspend-able than some of the cynical/violent actions that occur while playing the game.
     
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  10. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It should be, but, in reality, I'm sure that and worse is being said on the field in a good number of games... One of Montreal's CBs accused Lenhart of saying something inexcusable and given his reputation, I'm sure that wasn't his first time...
     
  11. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is a good point IMO. I have no problem with slapping him with 3 games for this, but its hard to see the type of violent actions that get 1 or 2 games in comparison.
     
  12. Jough

    Jough Member+

    Jul 30, 2007
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, I don't mean to call out another BigSoccer poster and apologize if it came off that way. But the league is exactly right in this case, and I can firmly say that I'd rather see Kansas City field a lineup of middleschool kids than anyone who would throw out that kind of insult, even in the heat of the moment.
     
  13. KCbus

    KCbus Moderator
    Staff Member

    United States
    Nov 26, 2000
    Reynoldsburg, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Apples, meet oranges.
     
  14. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe so, but the end result from both is juice so they end up being compared.
     
  15. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    Just so we're clear, I'm neither defending Burch's comments or disagreeing with his suspension.

    I was merely pointing out that comments like this happen multiple times a game and the only reason Burch was punished was the camera happened to focus on him at the instant he spoke his mind.
     
  16. RapidStorm

    RapidStorm Member+

    Jan 30, 2005
    Denver, CO
    No argument here. It just sits weird with me, probably because of how the line is drawn (not just with MLS, but all sports) of what is "part of the game" and what isn't. Bigger discussion that probably doesn't have to happen here, especially since the league is in the right for sitting Burch.
     
  17. terrier

    terrier Member

    May 31, 2011
    Netherlands
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
  18. Sounders78

    Sounders78 Member+

    Apr 20, 2009
    Olympia
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Because while a cynical/violent action might hurt one player (which is not good), the word choice can hurt thousands upon thousands of people. When you use derogatory words you are sending a message to a group of people that they are less than. When players use the words, impressionable fans feel freer in using the words, and so on. The end result is we have a very high rate of bullying directed at gay youth, which leads to very high rates of gay teen suicides.

    When words are used to denigrate, more than a single player is affected. When you crack down on derogatory language, you are sending out a message that bullying, denigrating a group of people is not socially acceptable.

    I, for one, am pleased the league has changed its tune from the start of this year and has a no tolerance policy.

    [Edit: I am not saying that Burch saying it will on its own inherently lead to teen suicides. I am saying it is part of the cycle of denigrating/bullying a group of people that leads to damaged self-esteem which does contribute to the high rate of teen suicides. As such, it is important to go to the root of the problem, which includes derogatory language intended to denigrate.]
     
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  19. Oobers

    Oobers Member+

    Oct 17, 2011
    Boise
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Wha....That is one doozy of a slippery slope argument.
     
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  20. ImaPuppy

    ImaPuppy Member+

    Aug 10, 2009
    Using too many parentheses
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    American Samoa
    Let's all pat ourselves on the back for agreeing with this decision. I'm pleased!

    Warning: this next part is going to...rustle some jimmies, for lack of a better phrase. If you're easily offended, please don't read it and pretend the above has been written with no sarcastic overtones:

    If one day aliens are to come to earth and learn about our society, this is one aspect I think they will be confused about. Some sounds that come out of our mouths that have a historically negative connotation are fine, while others are not...and there is seemingly no discerning between the two groups though there should be a very defined line? If you reflect, and I mean really reflect on the science of language and how it was developed, I feel comfortable saying our society would be much better served disregarding all "bad" language as "bad" for no concrete reasoning. Why can I say shit, and not f*** on these boards? Why can I refer to someone as a bastard, and not what Burch said, when trying to "put someone down" although they clearly don't fit in that demographic (or maybe they do?) Bastards have suffered throughout the course of history as well, and I'm sure children have been teased in school about it over the years...yet we've done nothing about it to place this particular word in a special category backed by interest groups (Bastards for a Bastard-Free America, anyone?)

    Its gotten so out of hand, and this goes beyond political correctness, it goes far deeper into sociology. We believe that being a progressive society means standing up for everyone. I would like to think that being progressive means putting everyone on a level playing field in the simplest way manageable...and that would be to take no offense to slang, no matter the group.

    Maybe that's abstract and I'll come off as a kook, but I think that's the way evolution will eventually carry us. Everyone will be offended by everything and policing it will simply be too much work. We're only offended because it is what we've been told is right. We've been told that if we're not offended by a group of sounds placed in a particular order, that we're cold, bad people. That, to me, is a little bit...off.

    I hope one day we're able to dig ourselves out of it, but I suppose we never will.

    ********.

    /rant
     
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  21. Fanatical Monk

    Fanatical Monk Member+

    Jun 14, 2011
    Fantasyland
    This episode is just more evidence that douchebag is both the safest and yet somehow most effective insult. It aslo has the added benefit that it isn't going to get you fined, fired or on the wrong side of an overly aggressive "rights" movement.
     
  22. ImaPuppy

    ImaPuppy Member+

    Aug 10, 2009
    Using too many parentheses
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    American Samoa
    As a douchebag, I resent that.

    :D
     
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  23. cthomer5000

    cthomer5000 Member+

    Apr 23, 2007
    Raleigh NC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Great post. I was going to write up something similar but you nailed my sentiment. Something like this actually *is* worse than a dangerous slide tackle IMHO, for the reasons you outlined.
     
  24. profiled

    profiled Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 7, 2000
    slightly north of a mile high
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Is this the inverse of the "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" argument?
     
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  25. OleGunnar20

    OleGunnar20 Member+

    Dec 7, 2009
    Club:
    Manchester United FC

    i think there is some truth to this. it is odd that humans chose some language to be offended by and other language not to be offended by, and we probably would be better off if we just all agreed to not be offended by any language. as an abstract that might make sense.

    unfortunately language isn't only abstract ... language is used to convey inner thoughts, beliefs, desires, attitudes, etc ... and language is used to spur and direct actions.

    it would also be easier to simply take no offence to any language if everything were on an equal footing. for instance i am sure Mitt Romney isn't offended by being called a oligarch or a cracker because he simply takes his car elevator to his mansion and laughs at the speaker from atop his piles of corporately raided cash.

    it is another thing for an individual who isn't in such an elevated societal position to divorce the abstract language from the inner sentiments it is expressing or the actions it is extolling (either directly or indirectly). especially when that individual is living in a society where they are considered inferiour and lesser due to the language label that others have placed on them.
     
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