Linguistc hygiene on the football field(?)

Thu Aug 7 15:08:16 UTC 2008

NFL news analysis: Roger Goodell's new fan conduct policy a bad joke
By Patrick Patterson | August 6th, 2008

It was announced that Roger Goodell has issued a new "Fan Code of
Conduct," that is supposed to remove that which detracts from the game
day experience. The problem is that this "new" policy is vague, at
times redundant, and taken to the extreme could turn the experience of
watching the Kansas City Chiefs face the Oakland Raiders into watching
Phil Mickleson face Tiger Woods at the Master's. There are times when
bad behavior is taken to an extreme, but that is actually covered
under current laws, but instead of letting law enforcement do its job,
Goodell has to project the image that he is "cleaning up the league."

Goodell spent his first year as commissioner dealing with the off the
field issues of the players, including the epic implosion of Michael
Vick. Now that he has the players conduct *cough* in check *cough*, he
has now turned that on the fans. As it stands now, the NFL has
probably the highest attendance rate of all sports in the US, so the
question becomes is what is the point? The best thing to do, would be
to make sure that the on-site security did their job, and go from
there.

The Rules:

* No behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal

Lets take a look at these three statements wrapped up in a simple sentence.

Unruly

According to dictionary.com:

un·ru·ly–adjective, not submissive or conforming to rule;
ungovernable; turbulent; intractable; refractory; lawless:

Not submissive or conforming to rule? Isn't part of going to a
sporting event the chance to be loud and proud for your favorite team?
When the announcers talk about the home field advantage, part of that
is the crowd getting unruly to disorient the other team.

Disruptive

According to dictionary.com:

dis*rup*tive-adjective, causing, tending to cause, or caused by
disruption; disrupting:

A huge part of home field advantage is being able to disrupt the other
team through noise. How many times does the fan noise force the other
team to either false start or have to waste a precious time out? Under
this policy, that very action could cause the stadium to be vacated
and the majority of the fans banned from returning. They were being
disruptive, by disrupting the opposing team. Maybe the goal is for NFL
fans to be as Harris Barton once described San Francisco 49er fans,
"cardboard cutouts."

Illegal

Why was this even necessary? If an action is ILLEGAL, it is against
the LAW, which happens to be a much higher authority than any NFL
code. Maybe having their anti-trust exemption gives the NFL the
feeling that they are somehow above the law. Regardless, people who
commit illegal acts at a football game, should be arrested and dealt
with by the appropriate authorities. (Those authorities don't answer
to Roger Goodell.)

* Drunkenness and alcohol impairment that result in irresponsible behavior

Drunkenness and irresponsible behavior seem to be joined at the hip.
Anyone who has had the "No one is ugly at closing time" experience can
attest to this fact. The fact that being drunk in public is actually
covered by the illegal clause referenced above seems to be irrelevant,
as there is a crime on the books called "Public Intoxication," which
can result in fines, jail time, and AA meetings. The "Irresponsible
Behavior" clause, on the other hand is sufficiently vague to cover
anything from feeling up the hot sixteen year old three seats over to
ramming your car into a freeway support on the way home.

Which is the actual cause for action from the NFL the intoxication or
the irresponsible behavior? This becomes a slippery slope, as it could
lead to breathalysers at all the ticket stops. (Now that would really
cut down on the fun of tailgating.) If its the irresponsible behavior,
then that needs to be better defined. I guess if you feel up the hot
sixteen year old, but aren't drunk, then this cause does not apply.

* Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures

WHAT?!?!?! This is the NFL, not golf. sometimes the language can get
out of hand at a game, but that is the nature of the beast. There is a
close game with a hated rival, and the quarterback is driving the
team, only needing a field goal. Then Daunte Culpepper threw an
interception. The Raider Nation ain't going to be saying "Oh Sugar"
like a bunch of little old ladies. An NFL game is a passion play, and
foul language is an expression of a release of passion. (Thats why
they don't say "Oh fudge me" in porno.)

Perhaps, the fans should protest by simultaneously flipping the
officials the bird every time they throw a yellow hankie on the field.
Well, the Raider Nation does that along with colorful language,
anyway. It wouldn't be a trip to Arrowhead for the Raiders if they
didn't get the colorful descriptions of their family tree. It is as
much a part of the game as the referee's whistle.

* Interference with the progress of the game, including throwing
objects on the field

Much like disruptive, this one could turn the crowd at Mile High (I'm
a traditionalist, it should always be called Mile High.) into the
gallery on the fourth green at Augusta. A big role of the fans is to
again be loud to INTERFERE with the snap count and cause the
opposition to false start. (Like Barry Sims ever needed help.)
Apparently, that is now a no no. Throwing objects on to the field, or
running on the field have been against the law for a long time, so
that part seems redundant.

* Failing to follow instructions from stadium personnel

This one just seems obvious. The stadium personnel are there to ensure
order and the protection of fans and players. Why this needs to be
restated is beyond me.

* Verbal or physical harassment of fans from the opposing team.

I wear Silver and Black everywhere I go. One of the things that I
really want to do at some point is to go into Mile High for a
Bronco-Raider Game and into ArrowHead for a Chief-Raider game in full
Raider regalia. I full expect the rival fans to talk their smack, just
as they would get in Oakland. That is a part of the game day
experience. Anyone who walks into the Oakland Coliseum in a bright
orange John Elway throwback jersey, will get smack talked.

Physical harassment, on the other hand, is better known as assault and
battery and is a crime that should be punished. this is again
redundant with the other aspects mentioned above.
http://mvn.com/outsider/2008/08/06/nfl-news-analysis-roger-goodells-new-fan-conduct-policy-a-bad-joke/

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