Is swearing a part of the game?

The furore over Wayne Rooney’s expletive-ridden outburst this weekend has reignited the debate about whether swearing has a role in sport and more precisely, the way to deal with it to ensure sport can be enjoyed by everyone. 

As an ice-hockey referee I am often on the receiving end of abusive language and so last night as I watched the football highlights I listened with interest as the pundits discussed the best way to eradicate swearing in football. The suggestion was that referees need to clamp down on swearing and that if implemented, this would result in two to three weeks of players being sent off left, right and centre – but the message would soon get through that swearing was no longer part of the game. As a referee – and, some might say, cynic – I am not sure that this approach would work. At the very least, it would take some very tough referees who didn’t mind taking a lot of criticism for a few months. 

A few years ago the English Ice Hockey Association tried to enforce a ‘zero tolerance’ stance on all penalties and infractions, and it learnt a few important lessons. Firstly, if this approach was to work it needed to be enforced consistently by all officials. Given that officials are all human (it is true), it is fair to say that the thresholds for abuse they hold are different. On a personal level I expect that in the heat of the moment players will be frustrated and they may swear. I often have to make the distinction between personal abuse and a frustrated outburst. Secondly, from a paying fan’s perspective I would not be pleased if the star player got sent off due to a frustrated outburst – surely there is a difference between swearing at an official, swearing at yourself due to frustration and swearing in earshot of fans and children. Any rule would need to be applied in a way which took into account the circumstances, rather than a strict liability approach. Finally, if this type of approach were to be enforced then its success would be dependent on team owners, managers and coaches. Some of the best-mannered teams in ice hockey are those whose the coach and manager have the respect of their players. They have set codes of conduct and if players break those codes then they are fined or penalised in terms of playing in future games.  

National governing bodies can impose sanctions, referees can award penalties, but ultimately if the player’s coach condones and supports the player then the fine or penalty won’t exert the influence needed over the player, and the player will continue to act in the same way. The real challenge for sport, if it wants to eradicate swearing, is to ensure that all the stakeholders to work together. 

Joy Tottman
International ice hockey referee and Compliance Officer at the Sport and Recreation Alliance

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