Political Correctness gone mad??

[winty]

I was listening to the Carlton-Brisbane game on 3AW last night, and Dwayne Russell was saying that they're going to start ejecting patrons at the Gabba who go over the top in abusing the umpires. He then went on to say that he agreed with it, and that the umpires should not be abused by fans as they are essentially in their workplace.

Since when are people immune from abuse in the workplace? I'm sure most people who deal with customers in their day to day duties have probably been abused at some stage by some customer who believe they have been dudded by something in the past. It's just a part of human nature. You feel cheated, you abuse the person who slighted you. Simple as that.

If this banning of abusing the umpires catches on and is introduced Australia wide, it would just be another death knell in what was once a great sport. How many people go to the footy and use abusing the umpires as a release of all the stress that's accumulated during the week?

The only real way I can see to stop people abusing the umpires is to re-write the rules so all the grey areas are either eliminated or minimised, and then maybe every rule will be adjudicated in a consistent manner and then I think supporters wouldn't have anything to be critical about.

 

[Father Jack]

Good luck to them on enforcing that.

 

[estibador]

What's next? Evicting fans who boo or abuse opposition players? It's their workplace too after all.

 

[giantroo]

Every time braindwayne talks, someone has to stick a fat penis in his mouth. Maybe if they do he'll start thinking before talking.

 

[- PC -]

So we will see empty stadiums?

 

[estibador]

So we will see empty stadiums?

It'll be like Melbourne at home to Freo every week.

 

[peternorth]

because its a workplace should we all dress appropriately as well? everyone suit up!

 

[giantroo]

Its also in todays Herald sun

Footy moots 'white maggot' ban

By Adrian Tame and Anthony Black
April 29, 2007 01:00am

AFL Umpires Association chief Bill Deller has called for spectators who use the time-honoured sledge at any AFL match to be thrown out.

The Gabba has ruled fans who yell the age-old term at Brisbane Lions' games will be evicted instantly.

Mr Deller said the ban should be introduced across Australia.

"It's not fun and it's not tradition. It's pathetic and I would welcome a ban on its use across the country," Mr Deller said this week.

The Gabba's surprise move is part of a zero tolerance approach to crowd behaviour at the stadium.

Officials have told Brisbane Lions member Garry Edwards, 58, that fans will be evicted if they use the term.

But the ban has prompted widespread anger.

Well-known Collingwood supporter Joffa Corfe described Gabba officials as "the Gestapo" and said the term should not be compared with use of foul language.

And the Salvation Army has backed him.

Fans at every ground in the country have used the words "white maggot" to describe umpires for generations.

But Mr Deller will have none of it.

"It's not affectionate. It's abuse, plain and simple, and it's bad for both the recruitment and retention of umpires," he said.

Mr Corfe disagreed.

"Calling an umpire a white maggot is as Australian as having a barbecue," he said.

"They'll need to start giving away Band-Aids at the gate so we can stick them over our gobs."

Mr Corfe said he was evicted from the Gabba two years ago for the offence of standing up.

"I've had my run-in with the Gestapo at the Gabba. A four-foot-nothing usher had me thrown out by Queensland police for standing up and supporting one of our boys in the goal square," he said.

"So this doesn't surprise me, but it would be a tragedy if it spread round the country.

"These people are catering for the theatregoer, not the footy fan.

"The problem with umpires nowadays is that they think the game is about them. It's not."

The Salvation Army is opposed to any move to make the ban national.

Spokesman Major Brad Halse said: "Sometimes political correctness runs mad in this country and there is over sanitisation in a lot of areas and this is one of them.

"I think it's extraordinary.

"The AFL should concentrate on outlawing obscene language, not a term like 'white maggot'."

A spokesman for Telstra Dome refused to comment on the issue, referring the Sunday Herald Sun to the ground's website, which includes the following: "Patrons must refrain from using foul or abusive language and from making racial or threatening remarks or gestures."

Two MCG spokesmen failed to respond to several requests for comment.

 

[campbell]

Bought about by the AFL umpires association, Bill Deller was quoted. Can not yell white maggot.

How about green maggott.


AFL gone mad, the umpire are not accountable to the public, and now they are doing this.

You gotta be gagging mw.

 

[The Mongrel Punt]

With all this garbage, it is really turning me off footy. It's not the game that sucks at the moment (Carlton vs Brisbane last night was brilliant!) but the administering of the game that is turning me away.

Wake up, AFL.

 

[ManWithNoName]

AFL Matches-The umpire's time to shine.

This is ****ing pathetic. If they do a good job we won't abuse them, pretty simple for mine.

 

[Smell The Glove]

Thats bullshit. Go out into any suburban football league, and hear us umpires out there call ourselves white maggots. This is pathetic.

 

[campbell]

But people are still going to abuse the opposition players.

TYpical knee jerk AFL. A joke.


Especially at the Gabba, crowds are down, Broncos are reigning champions.

NRL would be laughing yet again at our weak administration.

 

[Sir_Adrian84]

With all this garbage, it is really turning me off footy. It's not the game that sucks at the moment (Carlton vs Brisbane last night was brilliant!) but the administering of the game that is turning me away.

Wake up, AFL.

it puts me off society
it isn't just AFL, cricket, soccer are similar
only NRL allow people to do as they please

 

[bushie]

I will be at Subiaco today, and I will call every umpire a white maggot on numerous occasions.

If I am evicted for this time honoured practice, I will take out as many security Gestapo as possible before my eviction.

So can someone please come and bail me out of East Perth Lockup this evening??

 

[estibador]

So can someone please come and bail me out of East Perth Lockup this evening??

Say hi to Kerr for me while you're there.

 

[bushie]

Say hi to Kerr for me while you're there.

What's the point?

He would be too smashed to get a coherent reply out of, and all he would want to do is fight!!

 

[Father Jack]

I have sort of been thrown out of the Gabba before, in the sense that I got my mate thrown out, and he looked a bit upset (Essendon supporter you see, they get like that) so I thought I had better do the honourable thing and go to. that was during the half time break when i threw his giant inflatable hand over the boundary fence and he jumped over to get it back. But I digress.

I reckon the umpires association know this won't work, but they are trying it anyway so that they can say that they tried when they get sued by one of the maggots for 'mental distress' a few years down the track.

 

[SunKing]

Absolutely pathetic and a joke that the gabba would allow this. What's even more disturbing is I'm in agreement with joffa

Lions fans should protest by simply not going,that'll wake the idiots up.

 

[campbell]

My son got thrown out of the Gabba trust last year for wearing a purple wig to the Freo match. Official Freo merchandise.

Dress code apparently, except nothing in the code against it.They admitted they made it up on the morning of the day.



Bunch of dills.

Crowds will drop if this in in our local paper, we are officially a joke.
Is it the Gabba or the AFL.

 

[Chasing the Dream]

Lions fans should protest by simply not going,that'll wake the idiots up.

Joffa was kicked out for continually standing up blocking the view of others behind him. Don''t know that I disagree with that one, we have only ever heard his side of that story.

On the umpire bashing, I think that we should all be issued with a list of "can say" and "can't say" phrases as I would not want to upset anyone.

Last year at the Gabba I was threatened with ejection when Kerr took out Simon Black and I yelled, "You are a germ, Kerr" I was told it was offensive. I should have told the usher that I found him offensive

 

[campbell]

Joffa was kicked out for continually standing up blocking the view of others behind him. Don''t know that I disagree with that one, we have only ever heard his side of that story.

On the umpire bashing, I think that we should all be issued with a list of "can say" and "can't say" phrases as I would not want to upset anyone.

Last year at the Gabba I was threatened with ejection when Kerr took out Simon Black and I yelled, "You are a germ, Kerr" I was told it was offensive. I should have told the usher that I found him offensive

you are a germ is offensive. wow.

Pity they don;t get the germ behind us, he is clueless, and offensive. Abusing even our own players.

 

[Wally G]

I'm completely with you Winty. As one who was ejected from Telstra dome once for apparently "being too loud" (no swearing mind you), it would be a further opportunity for the stiffs to have too much influence. Coudl you just imagine how inconsistently such a rule would be applied?

 

[Sedition]

I thought that this thread was about the 'mexican wave'.

So it is ok to abuse the umpire and be obnoxiously loud but not to do the mexican wave. Makes sense.

There are probably levels of abusing an umpire. Calling an ump a dcik head for a unpopulr decision is one thing - crowding a race and screamin abuse at an ump in their face is another. Some umpire abuse is excessive.

There is also an issue of player and parent behaviour at local level comps. There ain't much point in targeting umpire abuse at the local level if it is free for all at the AFL level.

Just a thought.

 

[ManWithNoName]

I thought that this thread was about the 'mexican wave'.

So it is ok to abuse the umpire and be obnoxiously loud but not to do the mexican wave. Makes sense.

There are probably levels of abusing an umpire. Calling an ump a dcik head for a unpopulr decision is one thing - crowding a race and screamin abuse at an ump in their face is another. Some umpire abuse is excessive.

There is also an issue of player and parent behaviour at local level comps. There ain't much point in targeting umpire abuse at the local level if it is free for all at the AFL level.

Just a thought.

When umpire's stop paying in the back decisions against players who are in front, then maybe I'll stop abusing them.