My initial thought about this guide to politically correct soccer viewing in Liverpool, England is just wait until this comes to the United States.
Really, I can not believe that this is happening. Essentially the cutting off the testicles of the soccer fan to intimidate the other team, verbally, a time honored sports tradition.
So, here are some of the phrases that will get a reprimand at Anfield:
"Don't be a woman"
"Play like a girl"
"Man up"
"That's gay"
According to the article, there are more explicit words and or phrases that will be no-nos in the stands.
Gee, should the fans dress in tuxedos as well? Only clap and never, ever, jeer the other team?
I know that English soccer fans are, well I will be kind (overly kind) and say they are colorful. But take the drinking and hooliganism out of it and they are like any other sports fans in the world. Do they get over the top? Hell yes. I get over the top sometimes when I am watching my favorite team in action live at the stadium or arena.
But what is being done here is over the top.
There are risks to going to a sporting event.
In baseball, there is the real risk of being hit by a foul ball or a flying bat.
In hockey, there is the real risk of being hit by a flying puck.
The list goes on and on.
Part of this PCing of sports is trying to make sporting events more family-friendly. And while I am all for that, the reality is that taunting the other team in the strongest of words is all part of the fan experience.
I remember a long time ago reading a book on the history of the World Series. In the book was a photo from the very first one. What was striking is that it was overwhelmingly male. All the men were dressed up. Yet what I remember was why women were by and large absent. Because of the "earthiness" of the language. Eventually, women showed up to sporting events and became participants. Think that they don't taunt the other team? Go to a women's sporting event and trust me, they can make the drunken sailor blush for days.
Understand this as well. When the families are attending sporting events, usually at least one of the kids is a participant in said sport. So they already know the drill.
Except if they are in a PC league.
What is that you may ask?
It is a league in which they do not keep stats, no score is kept and everyone plays. Even kids that have no reason being there.
It is like watching lobotomized sports participants that probably wished they were someplace else.
PC kids sports leagues take out everything and especially the natural competitiveness that sports allows them to have. Yes, sportsmanship is important. Doing crappy and even illegal plays is not cool nor should it be ever tolerated. But competitiveness, it can not nor should not be confined.
What is happening today, and it has crept into sports, is the left-wing view of trying to change the basics of human nature.
Kill one's competitive drive. Make one feel bad for being better than someone else. Equalize everything and if not, do it any way.
And now, we are seeing it in the worst way with trying to ruin the fan's ability to be a part of the competition by taunting the other team.
Now in defense of one aspect of this PCing of the Liverpool soccer fans is racial abuse. Apparently, this does tend to be a problem and yes, I am all for trying to curb racial slurs at non-English or British Isle players.
But this, this is far more sweeping than trying to eliminate racial slurs.
It goes to the heart of the competitive nature of sports. And trust me my friends, this will be coming to the United States and sooner than you think.
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