I went to the KP 2 weeks ago to watch us play Manchester United. As you would expect it was a fantastic experience. I'm no longer a season ticket holder due to distance but am a gold member so will be attending a handful of matches.
As a former season ticket holder from 2000 to 2011 (including the dark league 1 days), I know what to expect from football games, even in the family sections. Usually a lot of shouting and frustration at the ref and of course the players when things arent going our way.
At the United game though, what struck me was the foul abuse children as young as 7 and 8 were hurling at both the Leicester players and the officials in the first half when things werent going well. A 10 year old sitting with his mum behind me screamed out "Nugent you're a piece of sh.it". As we were sitting on the first row in B Block of the West Stand, the players can hear this.
His mum just awkwardly laughed, but this is learned behaviour. Parents calling officials the C word in front of their kids, calling our players "f...ing useless". The kids of course grow up believing this is acceptable behaviour which really bothers me.
My question is - what can be done to change attitudes in football to both respect your own players and even the officials in the game? Should clubs impose any kind of clampdown on abusive behaviour from people who pay money just to scream swear words?
Of course you cant babysit people or control their behaviour, but is the future going to be where the quieter people who just want to watch a match stay at home and the KP and other grounds are full of people who just want to use football as a way to vent their frustration at their own lives?
What are we teaching our kids?
posted on 4/10/14
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posted on 4/10/14
Vulpes It's funny you mention patience too. The last time I was home, I was shocked by a radio segment I was listening to, where drivers were complaining about lollipop ladies (or whatever they're called these days) because they were allowing kids to cross instead of making them wait until there's a larger group.
Have things really got to the stage where we can't wait 30 seconds for kids to cross a road safely? Shocking!
posted on 4/10/14
Too many r soles about.
posted on 4/10/14
I'm sorry arro but many of the societies who have contributed to British culture are much more polite and family orientated than our own society. Its modern society in general not a lack of traditional British values which leads to this lack of respect. The Thatcher era instilled the idea that it was all about me and what can I get from society which came really from American cultural hegemony where the self is number one. It has little to do with British values being diluted
posted on 4/10/14
Also for anyone who is interested I spoke about this on 606
posted on 4/10/14
^ Joseph, is it, on the point of abuse of the medical staff?
posted on 5/10/14
Would agree with chesham on a lot of those points. Thatcher of course seems to be the default scapegoat for everything that's wrong in the UK but it is true that attitudes changed tremendously during her time
Ironically she was a big believer in family spirit, community and British values but the world was changing before she got into office. The 60s changed everything and for me this was the start of the 'screw you' generation and when things started to go wrong.
I think we are too far gone now and that leads me to believe that the only way things can change is if people in authority get stricter. So for eg football grounds having a zero tolerance on all kinds of abuse from fans and enforcing it when it's heard
posted on 5/10/14
Yeah that was me, also its Jozef not that it really matters
posted on 5/10/14
Also I'm not blaming it on Thatcher specifically more on the way society sort of changed during her time a little bit due to her but also just due to the way the world has changed especially with the rise of America as the world superpower and there very me me me culture
posted on 5/10/14
Can't blame Thatcher been gone a long time.
Its the X factor generation of entitlement, instant fame and gratification.
I can swear because its my right i can boo because its my right. Everyone knows their rights but not there responsibilities to others