Univisión’s Policy on the P**o Chant
Posted on January 6, 2013 12:18 am
There is one distinct staple of Mexican football, something that you will not hear anywhere else in Latin America unless the aztecas happen to be playing there. You can catch it at practically every match in the Liga MX, at every national team game and even in the World Cup (oftentimes during the opener of the last finals in South Africa). And Univisión, the largest Spanish-language television network in the US, is clamping down on it…kind of.
While most people in my country are tuning in to the NFL Playoffs, I looked forward to Matchday 1 of the Liga MX 2013 Clausura, the first competitive action in our region for the calendar year. Today, Univisión showed Club América’s debut against Monterrey at 6:00 p.m. EST, while sister channel Telefutura (soon to become Unimás) showed Pachuca-Atlante two hours later, and further fixtures were carried on Univisión Deportes Network (UDN) and UDN2. As expected, every time the visiting goalkeeper took a goal kick, or took long enough for the crowd to draw its collective breath before putting the ball back in play, the typical shout rang out from the stands:
“Puto!”
The word puta unambiguously refers to a prostitute or whore, and the insult hijo de puta (hint: hijo=son) is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world, so much so that David Beckham once got ejected from a Real Madrid game for practicing his castellano with an assistant referee. The connotations of its masculine counterpart, however, are subjective; I, having never been to Mexico, am ill-suited to speak with authority about their particular lexicon. I can only say in general that the term literally means “male prostitute”, and can be used in the same manner as when one rapper calls another a bitch, or more casually as an adjective (like “damn” in English), or with a more homophobic intent.
What confuses me, then, is that the crowd shouts of “Puto!” could be heard loud and clear during the América match on Univisión, but were censored on Telefutura’s Pachuca-Atlante broadcast. Without pointing to exact instances, I remember the same sort of inconsistent policy applied to Liga MX matches during the 2012 Apertura. Here, I am left with more questions than answers: if there is something objectionable about the chant, why censor it in some games and not others? Does the difference lie in the TV time slot? Do the Univisión networks face FCC fines for letting the chant slide? And if so, what do we make of Telemundo’s complete lack of censorship (I have never heard it cut out of the game audio)?
…yes, I’m going to end with a series of questions. I would feel somewhat guilty, except that Ives Galarcep has made a habit of it.
i hate that it’s censored. another reason to hate Univision.
Yup. Do the other networks censore it? No.
Not even english telecasts censore the bull-shit and ref you suck (what exactly, penis?) chants on soccer, basketball and hockey telecasts.
Saying PUTO is not the same as saying “bitch” or “damn” like the author suggests, it’s on the same level as fuck, f—-t, shit, etc.. you’ll never hear it actually being said on an actual TV broadcast, this trend started several years ago, and I think it depends on the producer of each broadcast as to whether or not they censor it, the commentators never acknowledge it, and it’s basically pretty bizarre to non-mexicans.
I can tell you my blood BOILS whenever my country plays against Mexico and they do that chant. It’s the exact same as the entire stadium screaming ‘F—-T!’ on each goal-kick, who in the world can stand that?
They even have the nerve to do it in other countries’ stadiums when they’re playing away, fucking pricks, they’re lucky they don’t get beat up or spark a riot.
Note from editor: you know the drill.
- Paul Calixte
(Quickly – “puto” is a derogtory term for any homosexual folk. Think of it as the OTHER F word.)
(The mexican-spanish equivalent of the ACTUAL F word varies according to context, and it usually just comes down to “pinche” and some contextualized and suited version of the word “verga”. Literally translated meaning “dick”.)
Type in the “other F-word” on wordreference.com and you get “mar—-”, which is unequivocally homophobic.
For instance, among some barras in Latin America one hears the unfortunate chant, “El que no salta es un p— mar—-” (“whoever doesn’t jump is a f—ing f—–”).
Sinonyms.
Also, slang.
its actually a philipino dish. Mexicans like philipino food.
btw its stupid for univision to censor the chant. it is a staple of futbol just like the mexican wave.
fack you univision
This is a really foolish argument. Segregation was a “staple” of culture in the U.S. South – should the federal government have allowed it to stand on those grounds? (I admit that my analogy is not perfect, as Univision is of course a private company and not a government – but I think it illustrates the point that arguing for anything on the grounds that it is a “staple” shows a lack of critical thinking.)
Your analogy being imperfect is the understatement of the century.
Horrible and ridiculous analogy. The chant is fun, and is already being copied up here with the YSA nonsense.
I think that Univision networks’ censorship of it just varies from producer to producer. Personal preference depending on who’s in charge at the time.
Would you explain why my analogy is ridiculous?
I believe some MLS supporter groups have been asked to keep their more colorful chants to a minimum for games broadcast on network TV, but apparently the request doesn’t apply to, “You Suck A**hole” after goal kicks.
Oh, and please don’t follow el gordo’s lead.
Beautiful Culture! Calling someone a F– is acceptable behavior?
While FIFA and footballers are trying to get rid of Racism, Prejudice and violence. These people here defend it!
pathetic and it goes to show just how low society can get.
…
Sure its their football staple just like
having Gun shootouts in the middle of football games.
And You are Mr. paul. Not only will you not find
this derogatory word chanted anywhere else in latin america but also the World.
Note from editor: the comment itself is mostly acceptable, but I made the decision to censor the reference to the “other” F-word, as well as cut out a sentence that made an inflammatory reference to nationality, as per the standard I previously applied here.
- Paul Calixte
Misinformation and comical exageration at play, ladies and gentlemen.
Ok, clarification on the P word.
“Puto” is a derogatory term for homosexuals, but that’s not the way it’s used in this case. It can also mean “coward”. It obviously comes from the same source (as in: he doesn’t have balls) but nobody really thinks of a gay guy when calling someone “puto” in a sporting context.
Thank you for clarifying – I don’t think that your clarification was meant to be discriminatory or homophobic at all.
However, I also think one cannot deny the homophobic undertones of the term if it can also mean coward. The implication of the term’s meanings coming from “the same source” is that homosexuals, like cowards, are incomplete or lacking in some way.
Again, I’m not accusing you of homophobia; it’s the term that I’m taking exception with. I don’t think the soccer supporters who shout “p—” are necessarily bigots either; I still think the term they’re using is unacceptable.
This discussion reminds me of the passage in Of Mice and Men where Candy calls Crookes a “n—–” and then immediately calls him a “hell of a nice guy.” Candy doesn’t mean anything awful by calling Crookes that awful word; he just accepts it uncritically. That’s the problem with using the word “p—,” even without homophobic intent – it’s a hurtful word.
I never said otherwise, I just wanted to explain what does it mean for the Mexican fans and why is it used.
martin is correct, Puto is definitely okay to be said on national television. puto al que no le guste
I don’t know who you’re hanging out with Martin.
Here in San Diego, “Puto” has one meaning.
says the gringo lulz
I’m referring to the way it’s used in Mexico, not necessarily by Mexicans in the US. It’s been ages since I’ve been in California and have no clue what the implications there are.
I dont think I’ve ever used puto in the context of f****t. There are other words for that term which vary by country. The closest translation I can think of for puto is b***h. The literal meaning as mentioned is male whore.
I think the censorship can be due to the fact that the word is not as offensive in Mexico as it is in other countries. To give you an example, cabron is a term used very mildly in Mexico. However it is my understanding that it is very offensive in the Carribean. Likewise, pendejo is seen as offensive here but for South Americans it is alot more mild.
In Argentina Puto is primarily used as an derogatory way of calling somebody a male homosexual. It’s also commonly used as one might use f*kin’ in the US. No ganan un puto partido = “they can’t win a f*kin’ game”. Both “puto” and “puta” are commonly used as “f*kin’*, but -at least in Argentina- “puto” is never used for male prostitutes, in the same way “puta” is used for female prostitutes (or alternatively for loose women, like the english term sluts).
In the context discussed above “puto” is meant as a homophobic insult. And it’s certainly not unique to Mexico.
Over here, If you were trying to insult a gay man, you would not call him puto. In mexico, the term for f****t would be Joto or Maricon.
The word is offensive, but I dont think Mexicans use it in a homophobic nature. Its like when Argentines and Chileans use pendejo to refer to a child or childhood.
I have the definitive cultural translation.. in this case puto = pussy but it is still homophobic in the sense that there is an underlying cultural paradigm that guys who like having sex with other males are pussies, effeminate etc.,
Both the ‘p-’ chant and the YSA chant are stupid and ugly. Not worth getting too bothered about, but if Univision chooses to keep it off their broadcast, bully for them.
So why chant it all? Are they calling the opposing player that name? Or, anyone who takes a goal kick?
I sometimes start understand people like Adam Carolla, our world is becoming so fucking bland and souless, the empowered soccer mom mentality finds a way to sneak into every part of our culture and crusade against some topic or issue that they deem “unnacceptable”…look for the Bull shit chant heard at the Ravens stadium today get banned soon because please “somebody think of the children! ohhh”
Yes, of course, because bigotry is “spicy” and “soulful.” Let’s bring back watermelon and fried chicken jokes, too, and pinching secretaries’ bottoms – those would still be funny if some “empowered soccer mom” hadn’t complained!
I’m not sure if it’s amusing or annoying when talentless hacks like Adam Corolla (if it’s loud, it must be funny!) complain about how “touchy” everyone is.
By the way, the “bull—-” chant is not quite the same – it’s just classless and tacky, not bigoted.
Neither is this chant. It is NOT bigoted, get over it. There is a gay community in Mexico too, it’s no big deal. They’re not calling him a homosexual, they’re calling him a bitch. Like “You lil bitch”. Or “Why you gotta be a bitch about it?”. Or “That dude’s a straight up bitch.”
All the sensitive Nancies over this, are what the chant says.
If the same term means “b—-” and “homosexual,” then one can argue that it is a bigoted term because it makes a connection between a negative term (“b—-”) and homosexuals. Your argument is similar to using the word “c—k” (slur for Asians that rhymes with “clink”) and then claiming that it’s not racist because it can also mean “a nick or a scratch.”
I am not saying that people who chant “p—” are consciously homophobic – but the chant itself is. It is important, I think, to think critically about the effect of our words – the effect is often quite different from our intention.
The difference is that c***k is universally known as a deragatory term. It is used by racists against people of asian descent. It is also common for people to use the word c***k against asians in a demeaning manner.
Puto on the other hand is not the deragatory term one would use against a homosexual(in Mexico atleast). The word for that would be j**o. In Mexico, j**o is universally known and accepted as a homophobic slur. If the crowd was chanting j**o at the opposing goalie, you can bet that there would be fines and bans.
Im starting to wonder how old some of my fellow mexicans are because puto is very definitely used as a homophobic slur, or if they’re just a bunch of pochos. “Ese wey is putito,” is a phrase ive constantly heard in mexico and it refers to a f—-t. I think everyone is just arguing technicalities because they’re completely misdirecting yr argument MWeller77.
That being said, yelling “Puto” as a way of deriving someone because of the implications that homosexuality has on males in our macho-dominated cultures is something I have thought about and feel comfortable about. Like someone else said, this is a stadium not a tea room.
And i agree about Corolla, shitty taste for a bunch of plebes
They’re not being bigots..i think the intention in the action should be considerated, but it never does…I thought Speedy Gonzalez wasn’t offensive to me, he’s kinda funny, but the blowhards like you try to brainwash me into thinking its offensive to me and my culture…the BS chant is part of a sporting event atmosphere, it sounded kinda cool actually, but there you go thinking its classless and tacky…its a stadium not a tea room
But I digress, in keeping with the spirit I find your “spicy” adjective racist and hurtful, thats what im feeling in my heart right now..please take it back
Stupidity is stupidity, whether it’s in a stadium or not. Being in a stadium doesn’t give one license to be a jerk, or, to borrow your colorful language, a “blowhard.”
If you had an argument, you wouldn’t resort to making “that’s what I’m feeling in my heart” comments. Homophobia is a real problem, and glossing it over by arguing that “it’s part of the culture of sport” is misguided at best, cowardly at worst.
Sorry if I hurt your feelings again there, champ.
It isnt literally translated. I live in a border town in South Texas and it translates to “f@66ot.” The word is just as bad as any racist remark one can make. I cant believe FIFA and its leaders havent cracked down on this, but in leau of Sepps latest stupid remark, players just need to stay and take it.
Really because I also live in South Texas and it’s only used as an adjective, more akin to “little bitch” more then anything.
Don’t forget dirty….only “gringos” like me can be racist.
Any other culture that spews ignorant insults is merely being “colorful”.
I was always impressed that the one thing I could hear over the Vevuzulas at SA10 was the “puto” chant.
Question Paul, with the different telecasts that seemed to have different policies were they all Univision/US-based announcers, local Mexican announcers, or World Feed non-network referencing announcers? The discrepency could be based on where the final audio was coming from.
The ones to which I referred were shown on US-based Univision and Telefutura (Univision 2, for all intents and purposes).
Regi0, thanks for clarifying. I’m certainly not an expert on Spanish, so I will defer to your explanation. The connotation of “p—” as discussed on this thread still makes me very uncomfortable, though, and makes me think that it’s a word we would be better off not hearing at stadiums and on television.
I agree. I just wanted to clarify on the nature of the word.
It is definitely not a word suited for television as I assume words like b**** would be censored on US television. Mexico tends to have more lax censorship laws compared to our northern neighbor.
I agree with the people who have said it isn’t derrogatory towards gays,I would go further and say that you could probably see gay people chanting it as well in the stadiums. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong just clarifying.
It is a derogatory term, but it has become commonplace in Mexican folklore. I have several gay friends who use it profusely and none of them take offense by that. This said, in a stadium it’s obviously used to insult the rivals and it has homophobic undertones even if in the fans minds it means “coward” not “gay”.
Do the Univisión networks face FCC fines for letting the chant slide?
No Univision does not face any fines from the FCC. Because the FCC can’t fine them for anything. The FCC can only fine network channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, The CW and your local channels). Cable channels are outside of the FCC’s jurisdiction.
As you say, puto means male prostitute and therefore can have a variety of meanings depending on the context. Much like the word bitch which can mean complain, subservient, evil, etc.
Puto can mean a homosexual but it can also mean self-serving or to have sold one’s self to a bad cause. In this case, I would say that calling a referee puto means that he has sold himself.
Note from editor: according to standard, let me extinguish this…
…before things get out of hand.
- Paul Calixte
Here in Mexico even the commentators make jokes about this.. like “Do you hear? They’re screaming for you” or something like that. It’s not big deal and the closest english term is “Bitch”.
I don’t know if in USA they think that is a VERY bad word, but i hear it all the time in movies, tv, songs, etc. and i’ve never read about it being homophobic.
And in european matches I also hear they are doing the same thing, of course they don’t scream “puto”, i guess is something similar in their language. This kind of chants are part of the football.
“TUTO”
you can´t censure tuto, come on is just some fast catchy way to say my team is better that your team.
P and T are explosive consonant, the same beat.
Just say Pluto, many gringo’s thought that the chanting was Pluto, so make them feel nice about being right and use Pluto instead. If they screamed maricon it would definately be homophobic. Puto is basically saying bitch, so yes it has connotations to one’s manhood but not directly refering one meaning homosexual.
PUTOS!!
There’s even a song called “puto” my molotov.
youtu. be /CzEbm7yup7g
It seems reasonable to think that a patriarchal culture obsessed with sports competition would find suitable the use of calling an opponent “puto”. There are machismo and misogyny at work here, too. It has direct parallels in the US, which is also attempting, ever so slowly, to move past its own double-standards and hypocrisies.
Engaging in paranoid, alarmist internet hyperbole is a puto maneuver. Have a beer and chill out.
Oh, and the very bush league attempts such as those by Univision to censor it just make it that much more appealing to the kiddies, since it’s not only obvious what’s being said, but obviously “naughty”. Hide the kids and the yellow spine patrol. Or maybe make a law! Weeeee!!!
The following quoted definition is from Gustavo Arellano’s book “¡Ask a Mexican!” – Chapter One, page 9:
“Puto/puta: The former means ‘f—-t,’ the latter is ‘female whore.’ One of the most popular Mexican-Spanish curse words.”
Source: Arellano, Gustavo. ¡Ask a Mexican!. New York: Scribner – A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2007. Print.
[Note - I don't mind (and totally understand) any needed editing from the moderator regarding this quote. Please feel free to do what needs to be done.]
Note from editor: no problem with the post in general, but the same standard is applied here.
- Paul Calixte
Paul Calixte you’re being very dense as a white man acting like the word “F@###T”(which you won’t allow) is somehow not equivalent to PUTO(which you seem to be cheerfully repeating).
I’m not mexican but I’m latin-american and I can tell you Mexico is the ONLY place where saying that word might somehow be as mild as ‘bitch’, and even then I wouldn’t generalize that. Call a man a PUTO anywhere else and you’ll have problems, say that on TV anywhere and you’ll have problems, it’s not some funny, quirky thing that these guys do, it is very literally the equivalent of screaming “F#@##T” at your goalkeeper.
“…you’re being very dense as a white man…”
Oh, my Haitian parents are going to get a nice surprise the next time I visit.
I am not Mexican and have never lived there, for which reason I cannot definitively state that the word in question is homophobic in their context. And as pointed out, Univision’s policy on it is curiously inconsistent.
Popular Store Items
Popular Posts
Latest from the Forum
About Big Soccer
Copyright © 2011 Big Internet Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Click here for our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Views expressed by the bloggers and users of BigSoccer do not represent the views of Big Internet Group, LLC.