this is a plee from one coach to others. if it is possible, take your players to a world cup qualifying game if you are within a 4-5 hours of the venue. get the word out there and do our part to expose our players to better soccer and more importantly american soccer at its highest level. september 4(don't know time yet) at foxboro stadium about 40 minutes south of boston. hope to see everyone there
When one makes "pleas" project a good image and learn to spell "plea", lol, unless you were trying to spell Pele <snicker>.
Maybe but... Yea, but don't sit near Sam's Army. I was with them and they were chanting 'pus*y* every time the Salvadoran keeper got hurt. Or "you suck... and swallow... as*hole" every time he took a goal kick. The idiot behind me was screaming at the top of his lungs at the keeper (during one of his 38 injuries), "f*** you, you c*cksucking b*stard c*nt." I love the singing and the decent chants but there's no way I'd want my 11-13 year olds near those guys. I'm sure sh** or d*mn wouldn't make them flinch but they don't need to hear some moron screeching, "f*** you, you c*cksucking b*stard c*nt."
Re: Maybe but... We take our two little girls into the Sam's Army section or Section 8 all the time. They hear those words in other places. They love the atmosphere, the drums and the passion. Our 28 month old walks around the house chanting USA!! USA!! I don't think the kids will be harmed by the experience.
Re: Maybe but... I love all the positives you mention. However, there's a significant difference between you and me. If you want to take your own children into that section knowing full well they're going to hear that crap, that's your decision as a parent for your children. I'm glad your 28 month old chants "USA USA" rather than "pu*sy." As a coach, however, I don't want 20 angry moms or 1 athletic director calling me bitching that the kids were saying, "Hey mom, those guys were chanting 'f*** you, you c*cksucking b*stard c*nt.'" I know my kids don't have virgin ears (or mouthes) but ''f*** you, you c*cksucking b*stard c*nt' and some of the other stuff was a little bit harsher than your pedestrian 'sh**' or goddammit. Just because they hear it elsewhere doesn't mean it won't diminish the experience. My friend's wife has heard stuff like that elsewhere but she insisted on moving to another section after the first game. I put up with it but was a little annoyed. It made us all look like idiots.
I agree whole heartadly that you should not bring your children near that section unless you are okay with the language they will hear....... you know why? Because soccer is NOT just a little kids' sport anymore and I for one do not want YOU whining and bitching about my abusive language. The fans from El Salvador and elsewhere throw bags of urine at our players and chant "Osama Osama" during our national anthem.......************ them and their goalkeepers who fake injury. If you do not feel the same as me, go somewhere else... National team games are not the mall, a family restaurant, or a G rated Disney film. They are warfare "Light", an extension of the passions we all feel about our own country and the loathing we sometimes feel for others. The stadiums are quite big these days so you and any sensative kids or adults should have no problems finding arrangements suitable, just don't look down your nose at me because quite frankly I think everyone in the stadium should be yelling and jeering at jerks like the El Salvadorans.
First, I'll b*tch if I bloody well feel like it. And if someone's making an a** out of themselves, I'll say so. If you want to glorify idiocy, if you want to say 'it's ok to be a moron so long as you're wearing red,' you're free to do so but I'll be d*mned if I do. Get over it! [And it doesn't take 3 brain cells to wonder the point of screaming obscenities at a guy who doesn't even speak your language] Somehow I managed to chant, sing, cheer my team and jeer the ref and the other team without embarassing myself. Dozens of other people in the section managed to do the same. It's not impossible. But mainly, I was responding to the original plea for coaches to take their kids to the game. I was saying: if a coach does this, he or she should consider where they're sitting and the age of their kids.
Oh, and allow me to quote from the Sam's Army website: "10. Any certain behavior that Sam's Army does not tolerate? Racist and violent behavior will not be tolerated at any time. We consider ourselves ambassadors of our country and of the sport itself. We expect this at home and abroad. We pride ourselves on our good behavior and sharing that experience with an opposing fan."
Sit and spin brian, you said a grown woman couldn't take it. I said that is just fine, but Sams Army and the fans around them relish the role of loud and obnoxious soccer fan and I am a bit tired of hearing how horrible we are when we DO NOT use racist remarks, (well I don't at least and have never heard them from anyone else except opposing fans), or hurl urine bags on the field...... El Salvadorans do those things brian not us. My point, which you so conviently decided to pass by, was not that you are a sissy for not wanting to participate, but that you called our behavior idiocy. Again you reiterate your point that we are morons and idiots for yelling "You Suck @sshole!" on goalkicks and other FUN things we do to ammuse each other and irritate the opposing team. You wanna call names, I am simply asking you to keep your stuck up ass somewhere else if it bothers you so much..... just as you were councilling others to do with kids. Once more I restate, I agree that kids are not a good addition to the crowd if you don't want them to hear such language, but where I depart from your wise, sagely remarks is when you start talking down those of us who do get carried away in the passions of the game. You made your point well about the kids and your responsability to their parents, then you moved in for the kill with your remarks about us and how your companion couldn't take it anymore........ FINE! BYE! SEE-YA! DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YA IN THE BUTT! EXERCISE YOUR FREE WILL AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! Is that simple enough for ya? You don't like us, go somewhere else, but don't talk down to us. We are not nearly as bad as every other CONCACAF countries fans as a whole, and never will be. I happen to be proud of the fact that we can even gather together enough rowdies at a game to be heard!
See any of that brian, no? Neither did I. As for loud, obnoxious abusive language? No, I don't see any mention of that here, do you? Guess we must be okay then.
As every other pro-sports venue where anyone gives a damn. Soccer is still a relative 'family friendly' enviroment. You can take that for what it's worth and enjoy it outside of the one part of the stadium where the fans are trying to emulate how people give their support to their teams everywhere else across the soccer world, and in a vast majority of the American pro sports world.
Personally, I have no problem with swearing. However, to make a film comparison, football is pretty much a G-rated event - there are no restrictions on children attending or sitting in certain areas. despite this, we're effectively talking about High-Level Coarse Language on a consistent basis. I think people who intend to engage in that sort of conduct should at least consider the people who are there before doing something that - in any other unrestricted public environment - would clearly be unacceptable, and in some cases even criminal. Not everybody is comfortable with continuous, loud, hardcore verbal abuse. Leaving aside the whole debate about what is/isn't acceptable language, that is simply one of the silliest statements I've ever read.
Yada yada yada. I said someone screaming "Fu*k you you c*cksucking p*ssy b*stard" at a guy who doesn't even speak English is idiocy and I stand by it. Don't like it? Deal. No, we don't throw urine bags at the other team (though you'd probably settle for us doing it but only less often than the other guys). But considering the singing and chanting and great atmosphere otherwise generated, I guarantee my experience would not have been lessened one bit if the drunk idiot behind me hadn't screamed repeatedly at the top of his lungs, "Fu*k you you c*cksucking p*ssy b*stard" at some guy who doesn't even speak English. Oh and WRITING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS DOESN'T MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT ANY MORE PERSUASIVE!!!!
Maybe if we could ever get the whole stadium to sing and chant, the kids could get the experience of a great atmosphere all while leaving the proponents of the "p*ssy c*cksucking b*stard" chants to their own section.