Callum wrote:Things like this will kill the atmosphere and kill the game. There's a reason for family stands, use them. I stood behind the goals because I wanted to be a part of and add to the atmosphere not stand there and say please don't swear. I bet if I had said that 10 years ago I'd get a not so friendly message of where to go.
...and thirty years ago, if you saw a coloured player you could make monkey noises and throw bananas on to the pitch. To my long lasting shame, I remember 'joining in' with some 'older lads' & adults making monkey noises every time a coloured lad got the ball. I was about thirteen and believed that anything we did that '
put him off' his game was acceptable. I'm pleased to say that I realised very quickly that this was far from acceptable behaviour and didn't repeat it, but I still feel embarrassed writing about it thirty years later. Things move on and sometimes progress is for the better.
I have 'let rip' on more than one occasion and to an extent, I agree with you that 'the atmosphere' is a big part of the attraction at football. After a stressful week at work 'letting rip' at football is a real cathartic release. But... if that release spoils someone else's enjoyment, is it still 'my right'? As I've grown older (not necessarily maturer) I've pretty much stopped swearing at football (
I was never a prolific swearer anyway... except on here ). That is largely out of respect to other people who don't like it. It used to be acceptable, it is '
becoming' unacceptable. In another twenty years you may well look back at the days when you called another human being a "w
hatever" just because he was on a football pitch with embarrassment.