Who the muckin bell are you (Verbal Abuse from Spectators)

Member Name: utero

Product:	Verbal Abuse from Spectators
Date:	15/10/05 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gets out the frustration

Disadvantages: Some take it too far

As a spectator of football I’m often exposed to the verbal abuse that comes from people in the crowd towards things on the pitch. Personally it doesn’t bother me; it’s all part and parcel of the game. Being at a sports event does strange things to people, many seem to build up the week’s frustrations and vent them in the open air.

In recent weeks there has been debate on Norwich City message boards about booing the team. I’m pretty much on the fence with it. If people want to do in order to voice their disapproval then they every right to do so. Even more so at football games nowadays. If you pay £45 to see a concert then you’re expecting a good show and you generally get it. Now clubs are asking supporters to stump up £25-50 per ticket and that doesn’t even guarantee you a good entertaining game. If you don’t like the lacklustre fare on offer then boo. It comes with expectations, if your team is playing say Chelsea and their players cost 10 times your squad then you can only hope you’ll see honest effort. This season I’ve seen some average performances from a team who should be doing better and I sympathise with the boos that have rang out as the ref blows his whistle.

To be perfectly honest football would be a fairly dull affair if it weren’t for the verbal sparring that goes on between fans of opposing teams. The same goes for players. Traditionally every set of supporters will have a list of players who they hate. This may be due to their affiliation with a local rival, or they may have left the club on unsavoury terms. Some of the language I’ve heard hurled at former Ipswich players borders on madness but you just let it go. It’s something that has gone on through the ages right back to the Romans and their gladiators.

But sometimes the line get’s crossed. There is no room in any walk of life for racial abuse or anything that goes over the boundaries known as ‘banter’. Abusing a player for the colour of his skin is completely out of order. Thankfully I think this problem isn’t as big as it used to be. Anyone now heard giving this kind of abuse is now banned and rightly so. It happened to a Norwich fan in recent years and they’re now not allowed in the ground. The punishment meant that he missed the premiership campaign and I’m sure he’s now regretting every word he said.

Football is a way of venting your troubles away within ninety minutes. For most of us, the need to spout verbal abuse stays in the stadium. Those who can’t keep it in one place lack the necessary social skills.

So long may the chants of ******** ****** ****** and ****** ***** ****** continue, so long as the tongue is firmly in the cheek.

Summary: A long running tradition of the sporting event and long may it continue