Dreamer wrote:
You come across as a reasoned poster but here I think you are taking an unbalanced view because it’s your mate. Lots of fans swear but not at a volume that can be heard in Tommy Holmes.
People have reacted to loud swearing in this way at Cougar Park for years, surely your mate knows this or does 20 years give him dispensation? Will he get a bag of free rotten tomatoes to throw for 30 years support, and a set of stocks for 50? I’m being stupid now, but you can see my point.
We do have a kind of structure to it.
1. You can't say "Gerrum on side Ref" until your second game at Cougar Park.
2. You can't say "Forrrrrrrrrrward" until you've not missed a home game in 6 months or watched 2 successive Leeds Whinos games on Sky.
3. No one is allowed to make the V for Victory sign and shout " Two! Two! Two!" for a kickable penalty in the first half unless you're Obeone.
4. You can't say "There's two teams ref" until you're in your third season.
5. Saying the word Br*dford or B*lls in any context, including if they're getting beat by 90 points, is forbidden, Dulls or B*llsh***ers must be used ideally the latter.
6. Finally you can't say "Give him a bucket" until you been coming for 10 years.
We don't have anything that covers swearing
Dreamer wrote:
It seems like you are excusing your mates behaviour based on how “good” a supporter you think he is, whilst not accepting the same mitigation for someone who shouts back at him. Don’t you think that everyone was frustrated with the team’s performance? Maybe they were frustrated by your mate’s constant high volume chelping.
What if others have supported the club for more years than him, put more money into the club, were more loyal, had a bigger shop that sold better burgers etc…etc – does it give them more rights?
Absolutely not. As I posted previously I can't defend the use of the F-Word in the context of the Family Sport mantra the RFL have decided to force upon us, only offer mitigation. Likewise I can accept the same mitigation for someone telling somebody to go and support someone else however daft I think it maybe to say it.
I remember when I was a lad (and it makes me feel far too old saying that given I was asked for ID in Sainsbury's last week) attitudes were so much more liberal to what you could and couldn't say at a game. I used to love it because it was the only place I was allowed to swear and not get a bollocking off my dad, it still is to be honest
. We'd go back in to school and talk about that chant about the referee and who Joe Grima had battered and whether or not we'd washed our hand after Carlton Farrell had given us a high five whilst running down the edge of the pitch.
What i'm getting at is whilst society in general is becoming more liberal Rugby League has become more prudish and in my opinion to it's detriment. Of course there are lines that shouldn't be crossed, racism, sectarianism, bigotry, homophobia, use of the C-Word, hooliganism and other biff that's not confined to the 34 men playing. You've got to admit it was so much better down at Cougar Park 15 years ago.
so to speak so I can't justify the use the F word in the context of the "Rugby League is a family game" mantra that we have now, all I can say is that in mitigation for the lad, he'd just seen his team bomb a 12 point lead and was frustrated at a really poor effort from the team that he'd paid good hard earned money for him to support. I admit that I myself let a few choice words rip myself up at Whitehaven earlier in the season, it's very easily done in the heat of the moment. If anything it shows how much somebody cares or can be passionate about the club.
