Hey i had to make a new thread so that the post scores thread wouldn't get swallowed by this issue. Once i figure how to put the other posts on this issue on here i will but for now, let's continue the conversation here. Back to the topic.............
We've had that happen on our games. 90% of our team is hispanic, and most of the bashing is done by fans, either students or even some adults. Heck i've had one instance happen where a fan yelled the n word at one of our players a few years back. The home team should be able to handle that, whether it be the coaches, AD or the refs warning the crowd, because that will cause trouble on the field.
I think that there are some very biased calls against Hispanics being called. I see it all the time and it's very unjust!
If it starts getting real bad have the School Resorce Officer aka Police Man step in. I have seen them present at many a games and I assume they are they for crowd control via district policy.
Let's not get off topic here guys...I agree that any verbal fan abuse towards a players in not warranted nor acceptable. However, let me assure you that the High School referrees are not singling out Hispanics. The refs are having alot of difficulties this year. Just see the other threads on this board. To say Hispanics are being called more than others is way off base because from what I have witnessed this year the refs have a difficult time interpreting the rules and communicating their calls during a game.
Now to have only one school resource officer present at a public high school game, he better have a pretty good radio. We have city police prescence at all of our games for everyone's security.
Agreed. Refs have enough trouble already, and i personally have yet to experience any "favoritism" because of race alone.
I have seen more issues with refs related to bias towards teams and/or players vs ethnic. Also, fans and parents can control a great deal of this by saying something to the idiots making the comment.
The problem last night was both on the field and in the stands - - -
Maybe I am wrong, but I have just learned to ignore the fools in the stands when they try to pull for their team by berating and belittling the other team's players. Although - I do have major problems when there is talk between the stands and officials. Last night, the officials were talking back and forth with fans, which in my opinion is a "Never Do!"
Again, I may be considered wrong, but I know as a former athlete (high school and college) the level of trash talking that goes on, and I have had to learn to ignore and just play the game.
The BIG problem was the Anglo players who were on the field using abusive and vulgar language (although it was in Spanish). If we are going to red card English d's and h's - then we must also red card f's even if spoken in another language.
The Palmetto player who hit another player in retaliation was red carded. Yet - no other player from Easley, nor the coach who ran onto the field was even yellow carded in this instance.
I like when the fans get involved and "heckle" players. It adds more excitement and more emotion. BUT, when the fans began cussing and saying racist remarks at players, it has gone way too far. The school resource officer usually will, or should, step in.
The berating of players on the field is something I feel truly needs to be addressed. Fandom in several areas of the state has turned away from rooting for the home team and against the away team and toward a contest of which mob can be the biggest group of jerks. Students and parents alike (and this is certainly not all parents by any stretch of the imagination) make it a point to attempt to degrade and humiliate those on the field via taunting, shots at player sexual identity, use of racial and ethnic slurs, use of profanity toward players, and even threats of "meeting after the game." I find this kind of behavior disgusting and inexcusable.
Further, it elevates the pitch of emotion on the field. We all know the game is a highly strung situation; teams often thrive off the combative nature of soccer. It is undoubtedly intensified by the age of the players- I know of no adolescent who isn't, at times, swung by their emotions to commit acts thoughtlessly. To say that players should be disciplined enough not to give in is the correct way to approach any hostile situation, but teen-aged kids are what they are.
I feel that the culture of hostility- that I must punish and degrade my foe at the expense of all sense of dignity- is beneath the dignity of the game in our state.
There was an interesting interview on the radio today with the SCHSL head of football officials. Don't remember his name. The comment that caught my attention was that a referree should never interact with the fans. When a ref starts that they have already lost.
I wish someone would look at the soccer refs because more often than not I have witnessed them prolonging a discussion/arguement/disagreement/judgement call.
How ya'll got time to be berating players on the field? I spend all my time berating the ref's - sure don't have time to turn my attention to the players !
SoccerFanMan:
We ran into the same thing last year with out two Hispanic/American players, one of whom is a preacher's daughter and the other who is simply one of the kindest, nicest kids you would ever meet. At an away game, the players yelled, "Kill the Mexicans!" from the bench at them. One of them cried the entire game. Might add that the Tigers won for their first win against that team ever. [Don't check records, don't "search" to find out who this was; it doesn't matter. It was not one of the respected, fine programs we play often].
End of story: This year, as their first-year coach, I told them that the 3 goal-rule, etc. were out against this team. No limits, no restrictions, teach-a-lesson time. My players, led by these two young women, said "Nope, coach. Respect and Class never stop. Rules apply to everyone. Respect yourself and you never do what was done to us."
Coaches always get more out of this than players, especially when you realize that your players are better people than you are.
There is no room for racism in soccer, in life, in families, and it is up to us and our future coaches/current players to make a difference.
We love those who love soccer, period.
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Retired, Old, and Happy
Where is the responsibility on the parents who raised these little bigots? I'd be far less upset if my son "lost it" and punched or shoved someone than I would be if he "lost it" and used an ethnic slur. It seems to me that the latter is indicative of a deeper "problem."
Could not agree more, HappyDaddy.
Happydaddy,
While most would agree with your comment including myself because I think I raised respectful kids..I have seen good parents raise lousy kids and lousy parents that end up with good kids..During that game they are surrounded by their peers..
All of you need to go to a Mexican soccer Game .The filth that comes out of thier mouths is unreal. They yell every bad word in the book.Stop kissing one side of the problem.Call it both ways.I have also been to High School games and heard OTM's and Mexican,s call white players ,Gringo's,Whores ,.[censored],s in Spainish. Go to a Mexican Natinal game every time the goalie kicks the ball they all yell [censored].Wake up And listen to the filth.
"bricks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"
Go to any professional game for that matter and you will hear some crazy nasty stuff, not just Mexico bud.And im pretty sure hispanics arent the only non-english kids playing soccer in this state. But we're talking about high school here. Go to Spain and you'll hear some of the most racial stuff you can imagine. But we're talking about high school. Now do some spanish kids say things too?? of course, im all for some trash talking amongst PLAYERS, but not insults or racial slurs from the fans, and that is the issue at hand.
I'm with Nemco.
Achmed much rather be called a "cracker" than be punched in nose.
If you can't speak Spanish, how do you know what they are calling you?
Players in all sports talk trash you expect that. You do not expect a person in the press box to lean out of it and yell racial slurs and other abusive language.
BTW
Is calling a group of people "Bigots" a racial slur?
Achmed must ask the "deep" questions.
I used to play when people didn't trash talk either in games, in school very often, or at home. I admit it was a long time ago.
Children are like Parrot,s they repeat what they hear.At home at school on the soccer field.If you hear bad words enough you will think it,s ok to use them.
Two seasons ago, my foreign exchange student played soccer for his local high school. We had the unfortunate experience of playing against Easley at Easley. Somehow, Easley's team and fans were aware that there was an exchange student and his country of origin (Germany). My exchange SON, was called "Nazi" by fans and players alike. The Hispanics were also called many deragatory remarks, and there were those select adults (one faculty member included) that found this type of heckling quite hilarious.
I'm proud to say that our team kept it together, as they are quite used to the slurs and language that gets tossed their way (and I'm sure they aren't always angels themselves). I moved to sit with the students being so rude, and let them know quietly that the exchange student belonged to me, and if they didn't stop, I would let whatever school official was in attendance know. All things said, not much was done at the game concerning the behavior of the students. I later wrote an email to Easley's school principal and outlined the situation to her. She assured me this was an isolated incident and she would handle it.
It saddens me to see that this still happens, and continues at Easley despite one parent's complaints.
Quote:
BTW
Is calling a group of people "Bigots" a racial slur?
No.
When I was younger and played basketball (at a high level) trash talking was rampant but I never did it...didn't want to give the opponent any more motivation and I usually got in the last word with my play. I always loved shutting up the trash talker with my play.
My son went to a HS basketball camp this summer (as a 6th grader) and the counselors were teaching trash talking and getting on the players who weren't doing it. The head coach (a respect5ed one I'm sure) said he wasn't aware of what was going on.
heckling is part of all sports probably even in curling and fencing. ugliness has no place in sports yet it caused france to lose the world cup to the ugly italians. would anyone in italy give back the cup because their player was obviously talkling below the line? as our society becomes more polarized and we forget that we are a melting pot it will only get worse. when we stop admiring our neighbors who endured amazing hardships to get to this country and refer to them as illegals and..., we have lost our focus as a nation. at the same time, if players on the field allow their play to be effected by trash talking from players or fans, it will only get worse. players need to be deaf and dumb while on the field and let their feet do their talking. as denzel washington said in remember the titans to his defense, "shut them up" with your play. the way to stop this ugliness is to never allow it to make u react like zidane did. a soft answer turns away wrath. talk with your feet and smile in the face of adversity and make them pay for their words with your play. as some one else said in another setting, never let them c u sweat. before games we alwyas talk about talking with our feet, for as we all have been taught, actions speak louder than words, so talk with your actions and leave the foolish talk to the fools on the pitch and in the stands. nuff said
This is mainly a question but what can be done about parents who verbally abuse an opposing team's player? I was present during the Gilbert at Barnwell game tonight and it was a very intense game. Officiating was questionable many times but the game was fun to watch. After the game, a Gilbert fan yelled out a certain player's number and said, "You SUCK!!!" Gilbert's keeper did very well but also tried to instigate something with another Barnwell player. Is there anything that can keep these kids and fans from being able to do this freely without consequence?
one thing i might add is that a lot of the time hispanic players are just as bad at cursing in spanish as english players are in english.
soccer 08, i've heard your players say a few curse words in spanish when they miss a goal. it may not be directed at another player, but that's besides the point. no cursing should be allowed at all.
but the big problem is that officials don't know the spanish curse words. i say teach them all a lot of words so that the spanish ones can be dealt with as well!
I remember talking with my son about this when he was playing HS soccer. A couple of the AAAA schools had student fans with reputations for going over the line, and it was sometimes directed at him. As a player he always thought it was funny, and sometimes motivational, but never personal so long as it came from the students. He actually liked it when opponents students tried to razz him, it meant he was playing well. He gave them points for original put downs, and ignored the common everyday cuss words as too being too easy. In general, he always enjoyed student fans no matter what was said since he knew they were just trying to get in his head.
As for parents who crossed the line, he claimed it was easy to pick out their kids on the field, as it was usually the kid who was either cringing so bad or so lacking in skill in the first place that they likely were a vunerable point of attack. He felt that obnoxious parents hurt their own team more than they distracted the opponent. So maybe the other parents who want to see their kids succeed should be the ones discouraging this behavior.
Quote:
soccer 08, i've heard your players say a few curse words in spanish when they miss a goal. it may not be directed at another player, but that's besides the point. no cursing should be allowed at all.
but the big problem is that officials don't know the spanish curse words. i say teach them all a lot of words so that the spanish ones can be dealt with as well!
I agree wholeheartedly - and I certainly know the language of some of our guys as well. (How do you think those who fail Spanish know these words - lol!) My point is in total agreement with yours. If cursing is a point of emphasis in the league this year among officials - then it ought to be emphasized in either language. I know some will say ignorant things like, "when in US then speak English." The fact remains that in the sport of soccer in the US, there are many Hispanic players who use the language to an advantage to those who do not know it. And unfortunately, there are equally many Anglos who use the language as derogatory and demeaning. I do not think either should be allowed.
I would say, as you, teach the officials - - - but we seem to have hard enough time teaching them proper throw in's and off-sides (uh, oh, I promised myself I would not enter that forum - lol!)
I have a German kid and she is really nice.
i had the honor of playing with two portuguese kids. Most refs should know the spanish cuss words since there are so many spanish players in the state. One thing i am seeing, well down here in the lowcountry/beaufort area, is that we have a few number of spanish refs now, which i think is really good.
thank you for understanding coach!
