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February 27, 2014
I fully support the NFL’s initiative to clean up it’s language and reform their (ahem) unorthodox workplace. We’ve seen some of the strange and destructive side effects of allowing such a “unique” culture to persist around the game of football. We have a better view of it than ever before thanks to the information age. From Richie Incognito in the professional ranks, all the way down to Steubenville, it’s been an interesting couple of years for the culture of football as it stands trial in a great many courtrooms – both real and of public opinion. Seeing it all up close and personal, the NFL is right to change their ways, but that’s not what I want to talk about. While I support the NFL’s common sense initiative, I’m scared of the way they are proposing to eradicate this language from their game – namely via 15-yard penalties.
I do believe the penalties will work over time. As referees throw flags and players, who can’t keep their mouths under control, cost their teams valuable field position, the NFL will have no problem slowly achieving its goal. My only question is what is the cost for fans of the game trying to watch both in the stadium and at home?
Maybe this is selfish as a fan of the sport, but we should be a little bit selfish, I think. We wouldn’t be able to have these conversations at all if this game wasn’t such a popular mega-billion dollar business that relies on fans’ eyeballs for profits. With that in mind, I think it’s time someone speaks for the fans of the game of football.
Imagine you’re watching a game and in addition to the often mysterious blocks in the back penalties that you can see on replays or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting, we now have flags being tossed for foul language or slurs. The referee touches his mic pack and says, “Unsportsmanlike language… defense… number 55… 15-yard penalty… first down!”
To the viewers, it immediately feels like it’s going to be a gaping hole for mistakes at best, and corruption at worst. Additionally, foul language has nothing to do with determining who the better team of football players is on a given day. We expect flags to keep the playing field even from mostly a pure football standpoint. When it gets into punishing teams with football consequences for non-football-related things, it feels weird. It leads to a credibility gap between the fans and the sport they are trying to love.
Additionally, the language being spoken on the field is almost never heard by viewers either at home or in the stands. “Omaha!” excluded, of course. Penalties for things that fans are capable of seeing make a lot of sense. Penalties for things that fans can’t identify from their vantage point seem arbitrary and random.
There has to be a better way, and the NFL needs to explore other options for their noble venture to raise their workplace environment to more normal standards. If they want to mete out punishments for language, maybe they should use mics and review audio after the game and hand out fines like they do for uniform infractions and touchdown celebrations. There’s got to be a way to punish players for doing the wrong thing while not punishing the fans who are trying to watch a game that seemingly has very little to do with the words spoken on the field when they can’t even hear it.
So good idea NFL. Let’s look harder at the plan of execution.
34 Comments
This is so enormously stupid it should warrant no attention or discussion by the league. But it will be discussed and attended. And something enormously stupid will result.
The first time a game’s result is decided by the f word (and this WILL happen), heads will implode. But I guess imploding heads is what we are all about these days. We are always looking for reasons to implode our heads over meaningless stuff.
I mean, tennis f-ing players are permitted to have profanity-laced tirades – directed at officials, nonetheless! – but not players of the National F-ing Football League. No, we need to curb the horrible conduct tarnishing this ancient game of gentlemen and kings.
This is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist; an answer to an un-asked question.
The “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” penalty already exists. If officials want to use it, nothing is stopping them.
Ah, f#$% it. Let’s go bowling.
And is that Q-bert?
I think the whole thing went down like this:
White Guy 1: Hey, we should probably try to get guys to stop using the N-word.
White Guy 2: Yeah, maybe they’ll stop it if we make it a 15-yard penalty.
All the rest of the White Guys: (I don’t want to be the guy who argues against this completely unenforceable, ill-conceived rule. They might think I’m some sort of racist….)
All the rest of the White Guys: Okay!
A good idea on the surface that gets to be a bad idea on the execution. Officials have enough going on during the game that they do not need to be listening intently on player conversations too. And, if they aren’t, then it will be pure random chance of when this flag is thrown.
I’m not sure it’s even a good idea on the surface. I guarantee the only reason it’s even being considered is because TV crews are picking up words and broadcasting them with their parabolic mics. It creates a bad image – to anyone that’s never been within 100 feet of a football field. Or worksite. Or Hollywood movie. Or college campus. Or elementary school playground.
@!#?@! yeah it is!
Fine enough idea, I guess. But, the practicality of enforcement will make it utter nonsense. Officials have a hard enough time enforcing defenseless receivers, pass interference, and other things that now they need to enfore a language standard? Blargh.
Silly window dressing, nothing short. So the NFL is dealing with its usual litany of player infractions and PR nightmares (i.e. Aaron Hernandez prison riot, Ray Rices of the world are KO’ing girlfriends in elevators (allegedly)), and this is its piss poor attempt to “clean up” player image?? Doesn’t make sense. F bombs have been dropping since televised sporting events.
I’ve got to think the advent of Michael Sam is at play here too–but if they think that preventing dudes from calling each other homosexual slurs on the field within audible reach of the mics is going to contain things, they are sorely mistaken. Those mics are going to be ready to go post game, and there’s no stopping whatever F bombs, slurs, or hate speech the dudes want to spew.
You can try to put lipstick on a pig, but try to keep it on…
The brand new “Poop – you poopmouth with poop out of your mouth” Penalty, brought to you by the NFL.
Sounds like a solution looking for a problem.
It’s already said that a flag could be thrown on every play, this rule will actually extract the “could” in that statement and insert a “will”.
http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Nigga_f4d501_2146029.jpg
Is using the N-word a penalty if a black player uses it?
If a tree falls in the forest…
I hope if the flag is thrown lets say on 4th down after the play, it will be an “after the down” penalty
Words are dumb. Who decided what words are bad anyways? If I say fudge, and was thinking other thing, am I still wrong since the intent was there? I don’t like people swearing around my kids, and I try my best not to either at home or in the work environment (beers with colleagues is not considered work environment), but come-on. Where does it stop, and furthermore, how is that word distinguishable if ones mouthpiece is in?
at the highest level, anything that breaks down racial boundaries and allows us as a society to work as one is a good thing (so, saying a certain ethnicity can use a word but not another as our society often does is racist IMO because you are using race as a qualifier).
but, yeah, it’s actual reasons for wanting to establish the rule and the way they would be going about enforcing it are not good, which fails in itself.
Well, this takes us down roads of philosophy. I’m not sure that “anything that breaks down racial boundaries and allows us as a society to work as one” is necessarily a good thing. Lots of things might do that, but it does not make them “good” in and of themselves. I think I understand your meaning, and we might be saying the same thing, but it’s not always the right thing to “do something” (assuming something needs to be done) if that particular “something” might actually bring about a worse result.
You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes… like yourselves.
đ
We’d have offsetting penalties on every play. And then they’d have to replay the down. We’d never get to 2nd down.
All I have to say is HUMBUG!
(~100 years ago, humbug was comparable to today’s f-bomb).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4MITVLkKT0 (The link contains foul language and possibly nudity (don’t recall for this episode in particular). You are not a captive audience and may choose to not click on the link if you are offended or simply do not to wish to see/hear either)
Listen… i didn’t watch my buddies die face down in the mud for people to not have the right for their head implode whenver they want.
… and “tennis f-ing players” is not the preferred nonclemanture.
What the hell is “nonclemanture”??
It’s a @#$%ed up way of spelling “nomenclature.”
i type fast…. sometimes… too fast.
you’re #@&$* damn right.
you’re #@&$* damn right.
I’m trying to figure out what the #@&$* in that phrase means. I’m coming up with tons of combinations. All of them are spectacular.
I’m trying to figure out what the #@&$* in that phrase means. I’m coming up with tons of combinations. All of them are spectacular.
actually, Disqus posts the embedded video on the site and WFNY directly states not to link to such things on the boards in the “Before You Comment.” probably best to not post such things.
yes, your understanding of my meaning is correct.
Also, your ‘humbug’ inference is completely false.
Knock down that wall. Knock down that wall. And knock down that fargin wall.
my apologies. will delete my post.
Suggested response to this by the players: Agree that when an offensive player says a “bad” word, a defensive player returns the favor, so the penalties cancel out. And vice versa. Problem solved.