MLS Commissioner Garber has returned the language issue to the spotlight.
In an interview with Grant Wahl this week, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has helped reignite the debate over foul language and chants at MLS matches. In the interview he speaks of attending a match at San Jose where Quakes supporters were using foul language directed at the supporters and players of the other team. He was sitting with coach Frank Yallop's wife, who he said felt compelled to apologize to him. He also says that a fan sitting in the vicinity asked him if that was really the behavior that the league wanted to present to his young children. In the wake of this, some clubs, like RSL on their official twitter feed, have announced "zero tolerance" policies toward language at their matches starting next season.
This has been a controversial issue in the past as MLS and some of the clubs have sought to do away with various chants such as the infamous "YSA" (You suck, assh*le), which in itself is the embodiment of a homophobic chant often employed in Mexican and Latin American countries. Oh, and at Chivas USA matches. Supporters groups have sometimes felt singled out, which frustrates them because they are arguably the club's most committed followers and spend a great deal of money on tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc. When people turn up to support a team on the road, it's often these supporter groups who have turned out the money and expense to make the trip.
Now, before I go into my opinion in the issue, and what I think would be a common sense approach to dealing with it, we need to acknowledge a couple of things. First off, a private organization such as MLS or a football club have every right to limit speech on private property. Period. This is not exactly a new issue. Here in Utah, a battle over this issue was fought several years ago about whether the LDS church could limit speech and behavior on the Main Street Plaza, land it had purchased from Salt Lake City. Now, that issue was wrapped up in all kinds of things like pedestrian right of ways and such, but in the end, yes, the LDS church was allowed to regulate speech and behavior on their property. Likewise, MLS and it's clubs have the right to eject someone from a stadium for violating a code of conduct, just like you have the right to ask someone to leave your home if they're engaging in something you find to be objectionable.
Second, we need to understand that what people find offensive various extremely from person to person. There are things that most of us can agree on. Most folks would agree that racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs are not acceptable behavior, especially in public. A good number of folks would also agree that the F word is also not acceptable. However, when you get past that point, the waters start to be muddied somewhat. It gets to the point where having public policing of language starts to become the be all/end all of security and creates a very tense atmosphere in the stands. Some MLS clubs have already had this happen.
So, that being said, how would I suggest the issue be dealt with?
First off, any policy or code must be clear and concise. It should be specific, written down, and published well before next season so that it can be distributed and understood by fans and supporters. This will also give people the chance to ask questions or seek clarification on the policy. The goal would be to have everyone understand EXACTLY what is expected of them when they enter the stadium in 2013. Just a nebulous statement like "we now have a zero tolerance policy" on language is not good enough.
By specifics, I mean we need to see exactly what words are considered to be offensive. Spell them out, don't just say "swearing or cursing." There should be little room for interpretation. The club/league should also note that it can be added to, but again, ample notice should be given for changes or additions to the policy. Also people need to be told that not every word that they might find offensive will be a part of that policy. Do we really want to start throwing supporters out because someone gets offended when someone else tells a ref to "piss off?" Should we be opening people up to sanctions because they yell "damn it" when someone misses a shot at goal? Lets face it folks, at some point your kids are gonna hear swear words, period. Life does not take place inside a church house. I'll also say that for the most part, the language I heard in the hallways of my high school was far worse than anything I've heard at an RSL match in the last three years since I moved back from Florida, and I went to high school right here in the great state of Utah.
Next up, family sections should be encouraged and perhaps expanded. People who are repeatedly offended by things like language should be encouraged to use these sections. If this issue is really as big of a problem as the league is making it out to be, perhaps there needs to be more seats added to these sections. It's also common sense to make sure these sections are not right alongside the supporters sections.
Also, there needs to be a warning system in place and a way to appeal the security and stadium decisions. This should also be written down and published. Again, I don't think the goal of the league is, or should be, to ban supporters for life at a first offense. Language isn't murder, even on private property. Once the code or policy has been violated, the individual in question should be given a chance to correct or amend his or her behavior. Most people will take that chance to heart and the issue will be done. If the behavior continues. perhaps a short term ban is in order. Lifetime bans from stadiums and club events should be the last resort and only used for repeated offenders, extreme situations, or instances of threat or physical violence. Coming out with nebulous and cloudy statements like "we now have a zero tolerance policy" only serves to create a Nanny State in the stands, and isn't really what most people want.
Finally the clubs and the league need to be working directly with the leaders of supporters groups to try and get rid of these chants. This has happened to various degrees and results have been mixed. There should be incentives to get the groups to stop, maybe another meet the team night, or discounted concessions, or something along these lines. I know it's tempting to say that "They should just do this because it's the right thing to do" or "we shouldn't have to reward people for exhibiting the behavior that's expected of them." While both of these statement have the ring of truth to them, it's also true that you catch more flies with honey, so to speak.
On the other hand, the sanctions that the group will be exposed to if cooperation doesn't happen need to be clearly set out as well. Things like flags and bullhorns could be disallowed to start. Tougher sanctions might be to limit tickets for away match organized trips or the loss of any relationship to the club or league. Again, this can't be a "do it or else" type policy with no specifics.
Also, these procedures should somewhat uniform across the league. Why should fans in Salt Lake give up YSA when they watch TV and hear the Spanish form of the chant at Chivas matches or hear about how their team is gonna "take it up the ass" at Red Bulls matches? The same rules should apply to everyone.
In the end, we need to realize that it is just plain impossible to police what comes out of everyone's mouths. The league needs to stop making this a national crisis and to me, the collective American public needs to get over itself. Remember the firestorm when Janet Jackson's breast got exposed for like 2 seconds during the Super Bowl halftime show? Was it ideal? Of course not. Did the sun come up the next morning? Yes. Parents can make teachable moments out of these incidents for kids without playing it up to be a national emergency. News flash: your kids are gonna hear foul language. They're going to run across the occasional exposed breast. However, you know what calls attention to these things for kids? Well, it happens when people make a big deal out of it. While certain standards of behavior should be followed in public, lets stop acting like it's a big issue threatening the integrity of MLS. This can be addressed using common sense solutions and we don't need to try to kill the proverbial ant with an atomic bomb.
In the end, the goal is try to encourage an environment where everyone can go out and enjoy a match. However, that often comes down to people taking personal responsibility for their own actions and their reactions to the actions of others. It's wrong for a fan to expect that they're going to go to a soccer match and not hear a swear word. Ok well maybe it's not wrong per se, but it's certainly unrealistic. Most people, even those people who swear, are decent people and will respond just fine to being asked to cut it out for 90 minutes or so.
My friend and I are season ticket holders at Real Salt Lake. We have a wonderful family that sits right in front of us. They have for a couple of years. We get along just fine. Sure, while I sometimes swear like a sailor in private, at matches I tone it down out of respect for them. A couple of times I've lost my head, and to their credit they have never once even made a peep about it. Every time the big flag is passed around at halftime, we make sure to pull it down so their kids get to be a part of it too. When we've caught souvenir balls or shirts, we usually give them to the kids, because we like seeing everyone have a good time. That's the way most people are. If everyone will take some personal responsibility and the league would give clear guidelines, "the problem" would be solved.
