My two cents: The reality here is that there is a huge difference between what happens on the field and what is marketed to the public. MLS is a professional organization that simply can't condone homophobic slurs in today's society. By not punishing a known violation, they are effectively condoning it. That's the way media works. Fine, players say absolutely awful things to each other to get into each others' heads and try to gain an advantage, that's probably never going to change, and there's probably nothing MLS can ever do about that. But what MLS can, and should, control is the image of their organization and the product they put out to the world. That means suspensions/fines for players who get picked up on a live mic. Yeah, it's just a word. Yeah, there are probably thousands of instances that it gets used and nothing happens. But those don't get marketed to the world. When slurs make headlines, MLS has to play a game of arbitrage. That's simply how the sports industry works.
It wouldnt have made headlines unless someone called attention to it which the league did. It's one of those things everyone knows happens and anyone with half a brain would just ignore it and let it go. Have you ever listened closely or watched players lips during in NFL game. I do it all the time and pretty much every word you can think of that you wouldnt be allowed to say in school is said during the games and on camera including slurs. The NFL doesnt do anything about it because it is part of the game.
They would if it was caught on mic. Please let me know of one time the NFL has not fine someone for using that form of language that was caught on mic? That is why the NFL uses a delay. You really should be going after TV for the delay, and not MLS for having their hands tied.
Not sure if they are wearing a mic or not but derogatory words are picked up all the times from players and coaches during games and they arent fined. John Harbaugh was cussing up a storm yesterday and you could catch parts of words as he moved to and from the mic on the side of the field.
I think this is a reprehensible attitude. There's a lot of swearing in sports and I'm fine with that but, to my mind, there are some terms that are completely unacceptable. Furthermore, I think the only reason certain words get used are because the person using them is a genuinely a terrible person or because they're terms that are borderline acceptable in society as a whole. The only way to eliminate the latter is to make sure that those words *aren't* considered acceptable to anyone. There are a lot of words I've used in anger but that certainly isn't one of them. Just ignoring it when it happens is a big reason why it continues to happen.
This is absolutely not a non-issue in the NFL. http://nesn.com/2011/11/nfl-fines-f...ntrol-image-but-punishments-need-consistency/ Or MLB: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162...y-blue-jays-for-homophobic-slur-on-eye-black/ Or NHL: http://www.change.org/petitions/nhl-fine-wayne-simmonds-for-his-homophobic-slur-against-sean-avery
Did you read these? This was a coach swearing at a fan, not a player swearing at another player on the field of play. You can both hear and lip read players doing it in every single NFL game on TV. He wrote it on his eye black where everyone could read it. How is that equal to what Birch did? This is some person creating a petition to get someone fined, not news that someone was actually fined.
It's not an reprehensible attitude, it is reality. You cannot control what people do in the heat of the moment in an intense situation no matter what kind of policing you do. Good people have killed others in the heat of the moment. Good people have hit other people in the heat of the moment. We are people and unfortunately, people do bad and inappropriate things, even the best of people. Pretty much everyone, no matter who they are, are capable of using this language or worse in certain situations. Competing in a sporting event is one of the most intense situations you can be in. Athletes who have made it to a professional level are among the most competitive and driven people on the planet. The question is, where do you draw the line? You can say that derogatory words like the f word and n word are out because they offend certain populations of society. However, pretty much any curse word or threat of violence will offend people also. Words or phrases that most wouldnt consider vulgar could threaten certain populations of society. So where do you draw the line? Do you protect some people and not others?
Here is a good stress test. Go out on the street and call someone a variety of names [sic], or whatever and count the bruises on your face to determine which is worse. I think you know which ones could be life threatening. Do you seriously think that a white NFL player could call someone a N- and not worry about the reprecussions not only on the opponenets but for their own teammates. Calling someone a F- is just as bad. They can say it all they want, as classless as it may be, but those who are not cannot. They are on the same level.
I wasn't looking for apples to apples stories, I was simply showing that using profanity/slurs in other leagues is not the non-issue you make it out to be.
Alright, you've sold me. Let's turn a blind eye to murder and spousal abuse as well. It happens in the heat of the moment and there is nothing we can do about it, so we might as well stop punishing it, just like you believe the league should stop punishing profanity/slurs... People are capable of terrible things. Extremely true. But the part you are for some reason leaving out is that people are still responsible for their actions no matter the circumstances. Whether that be murder, spousal abuse, or using profanity/slurs. It's pretty easy. If you offend someone, you are putting yourself at risk of repercussion. If you offend someone more, you are putting yourself at more risk of repercussion. That's just the way the world works. A random f-bomb on the field... everyone probably turns a blind eye. A direct f-bomb to a fan... that's a much different issue. Any kind of homophobic/racist slur... if that gets picked up you're most likely in trouble. You're talking about insulting a group of people that have been segregated due to circumstances out of their control, don't be surprised when people get offended that you are using offensive words to describe them, even out of context. Look, I have a sailor mouth. There are few words that offend me. and I say ridiculously vile things just for a shock value. But I just stay away from the homophobic/racist slurs. You're not setting yourself up for any favors for when those words leave your mouth. And more and more our society is moving towards cultural sensitivity on those issues. Just take a look at MLS's "Don't Cross the Line" campaign and it's really not surprising that MLS is cracking down on stuff like that.
As a mod note, we all know the words we are discussing here, we don't need to list them out. I am generally not in favor of censoring people, but typing out homophobic slurs, even if in the context of discussion, is not necessary. I edited a few posts and added "[sic]" after the edits. On a side note, I'm not a fan of how edits are shown (i.e. not at all) in this new forum format. Carry on.
That's not a stress test because it is not in the same context. People on the street do not expect to be verbally assaulted. Athletes on the field hear it every game and deal with it and likely fire back. Yes, I think white NFL players do use the n-word.
Those situations are completely different. I am simply talking about trash talk on the field, these situations are not close to that.
Okay, fair enough. I was more focusing on when it leaks out to the media and leagues have to play a little PC cleanup.
Really? Is total condemnation of character and social castigation something that is justified for use of words in the heat of the moment? (Sorry if I have misinterpreted this part of your post). Admittedly, I know basically nothing about the man, but Burch accepts he's done wrong (sorry about the font size): “I apologize for my horrific choice of words last night during our match. This is something that is inconsistent with my family values and because of that I am both disappointed and embarrassed by my level of poor judgment. I take seriously my role as a leader in the community and this is completely regrettable and unacceptable. Character matters and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again.” http://www.opposingviews.com/i/soci...h-suspended-after-using-gay-slurs-during-game
Did you read the rest of the sentence? "or because they're terms that are borderline acceptable in society as a whole". In other words, you use them because you're a bigot *or* because you think of them as not that much worse than any other words. Not much you can do about the former, but treating the words as completely inappropriate has an impact on the latter.
OK, lets go another route. Get into an argument with someone at work today. Would you get fired for calling someone an expletive or a slur? Which one would get your employer sued if they turned a blind eye?
I work in an office, of course I would get fired or at least strongly reprimanded. It's all about setting. If I worked on a construction crew or a blue collar job, it would be much more tolerated.
I see. I misread the use of "borderline acceptable" in that sentence. Absolutely agree. All the moreso when we are talking about public figures. To his credit, I think Burch understands this as well.
Why, is someone less of a human being because they are a blue collar worker? Do they not have the same inherent rights because they are building the homes you sleep in, constructing the things that you buy or perform for you to keep you entertained? Hate has no boundaries, and should not be shrugged off just because it is someone else in a different situation. * the use of the word"you" is ambiguous and not Felixx.
Based on the diversity found on many job sites today, I'm not sure that's an accurate statement. Regular swearing, it's absolutely acceptable. Racist and homophobic insults I don't believe would be, nor should be tolerated.
I am not saying any of those things. Again, it is the reality of the world. I have clearly stated it isnt about right and wrong or acceptable and unacceptable, it is about what happens and will continue to happen. Just because someone uses slurs doesnt equal hate.