bad language in public

[jamo]

While you might pay to go to a game sit there enjoy it quitely, others pay to go to a game to go be loud and obnoxious. You both payed the same ticket price who is in the right? Do you have a right to peace and civlity at a game? Its not guaranteed on the ticket.

Actually, most places that I've been to do stipulate on the ticket (or they go on the jumbo-tron before the game and announce) that if anyone is acting loud and obnoxious to call security and have them removed. That's exactly why the security in the OP had the ability to remove the people.

[shades9323]

You have pretty low expectations of someone else's child, I wonder why.

What low expectations are those?

[BostonSully]

Actually, most places that I've been to do stipulate on the ticket (or they go on the jumbo-tron before the game and announce) that if anyone is acting loud and obnoxious to call security and have them removed. That's exactly why the security in the OP had the ability to remove the people.

Oh yeah im not questioning what the OP did. Another poster suggested starting conflict I just was saying thats a bad idea. But also that you shouldn't be surprised by this stuff happening at a college football game.

[Shindig]

I think you handled it correctly.

I try to watch my language around women and children, and I don't go out of my way to swear in general. When I'm aware that I'm swearing around people I don't know too well, I'll typically apologize.

[stealthduffer]

Handled very well. I'm certainly no saint but keep my bad language to the office, golf course (and sometimes when watching my teams on TV!). But NOT in general public. And certainly not around children. I coached youth soccer for 10+ years and you learn how to bite your tongue. The kids behind you were way out of line but well done by not being confrontational. Only would have led to a bad situation all the way around.

[Fat Slice]

My buddy and I were at a bar watching a Cal game and saw another one of MY buddies there with his two little boys. We invited them over and were all watching the game together. My (first) buddy yells at the TV "Goddamit! Catch the ball!" My other buddy asks him to please not swear around his kids, and he says "oops, sorry, no problem." A few beers later something else bad for Cal happened and the friend with his kids yells "JESUS F@(#* CHRIST!!!!"

We snickered.

[limoric]

Oh yeah im not questioning what the OP did. Another poster suggested starting conflict I just was saying thats a bad idea. But also that you shouldn't be surprised by this stuff happening at a college football game.

Boy, you sure do flip flop a lot. Yes I was the one who said people should call others out on their bad behavior, right, wrong or otherwise. But I never once said that a person should cause conflict, not once; If asking someone to not swear in front of children and they decide to become violent, well then security will certainly take care of this situation, If other stand-up people don't do it first. what kind of message is sent to society, especially young impressionable minds, when no action is taken. No there is zero expectation of drunken swearing college kids when I go to sporting events and of the several dozen I've attended, I've only witnesses one ejection...

[sean_miller]

Oh yeah im not questioning what the OP did. Another poster suggested starting conflict I just was saying thats a bad idea. But also that you shouldn't be surprised by this stuff happening at a college football game.

I get what you were saying. The OP shouldn't have necessarily been shocked by the behaviour, but that doesn't mean he has to accept it either. By choosing to inform security and have something done about it, the problem was solved and he didn't put himself in a dangerous position. Based on the behaviour of the rowdy characters in the OP's story, he might have been beaten up before security could respond. What would that have proved?

Security is there for a reason. Even if the confrontation (and that's exactly what it is) doesn't erupt into violence, it taints the experience.

[zeg]

My buddy and I were at a bar watching a Cal game and saw another one of MY buddies there with his two little boys. We invited them over and were all watching the game together. My (first) buddy yells at the TV "Goddamit! Catch the ball!" My other buddy asks him to please not swear around his kids, and he says "oops, sorry, no problem." A few beers later something else bad for Cal happened and the friend with his kids yells "JESUS F@(#* CHRIST!!!!"

I think this is a good example of the difference between acceptable and unacceptable (or maybe tolerable and intolerable) behavior. Letting a few choice words fly, even as a parent looking out for your kids, is something that's probably going to happen at least once. That is, assuming you're someone who uses profanity when not being observed, it seems some people don't do this habitually. Your (first) buddy did the right thing to stop cursing, and the fact that the parent screwed up later after asking him to stop is a great punchline but not much more. Had he gotten pissy and offended about it, that'd be different, but just asking people to try to be aware that there's someone who doesn't need to hear the language isn't that terrible a request.

In the OP's case, it's not a problem that the guys were cursing, and from his demeanor in the thread it sounds like the OP wouldn't have minded terribly if they'd let a few slip after he asked them to stop. The problem was being jerks about it when asked to tone it down. Had they simply been the slightest bit considerate about it, the story would have ended better for everyone.

[BostonSully]

Boy, you sure do flip flop a lot. Yes I was the one who said people should call others out on their bad behavior, right, wrong or otherwise. But I never once said that a person should cause conflict, not once; If asking someone to not swear in front of children and they decide to become violent, well then security will certainly take care of this situation, If other stand-up people don't do it first. what kind of message is sent to society, especially young impressionable minds, when no action is taken. No there is zero expectation of drunken swearing college kids when I go to sporting events and of the several dozen I've attended, I've only witnesses one ejection...

Actually you did... "Here's some food for thought, If we don't expect people to behave improperly and call them on it when they do"

I get it your a jerk who needs to be right who is also a Machida fanboi. Not going to respond to you anymore I cant stand the "holier than thou" posters on internet forums. Here was my point If its really bothering you, you can do as the OP and get the cops involved. But I would suggest against starting conflict with rowdy drunk 20 year olds particularly if with your kids terrible idea. So you fail because I never flipflopped.

[Sweetswing]

You got a bunch of lads chucked out for having fun at a game, if they were not physically bothering you you had no business getting them thrown out. However the lads do sound like ass holes, your lucky it didn't turn nasty for your self and your grand kid.
People go to games to let off steam and enjoy them selves.
If you want your grandkids to be spared from hearing bad language " buy them some ear muffs"
What ever happened to freedom of speech????

[goblue107501]

Admittedly, I am 'that guy' when I go to a game. However, if I saw someone in the vicinity with kids or was asked to stop by anyone, I would have no problem cleaning it up. I have kids myself and wouldn't want them to be hearing the stuff I say at a game so I wouldn't want other people's kids hear it either.

The guys should have stopped and it was handled the proper way.

[sean_miller]

What ever happened to freedom of speech????

It ended when you read rules on the back of your ticket stub, handed the gate attendant the ticket, then walked through the turnstile.

[Sweetswing]

It ended when you read rules on the back of your ticket stub, handed the gate attendant the ticket, then walked through the turnstile.

Jesus it must suck to live there.

[Shindig]

Jesus it must suck to live there.

You have freedom of speech, but you don't have the right to use it to illegitimately hurt another's business. Sports are, ultimately, family events, and the owners and operators of sports stadiums have the right to eject people who strongly detract from this. If the behavior exhibited by the folks in this story were routinely permitted at these events, it would have a very real negative effect on ticket sales.

People mis-understand what we mean by free speech all the time. It doesn't mean you can say whatever you want without consequence.

[Sweetswing]

Ok thanks for that Shindig, still you can't raise your kids in a bubble, his granddaughter is 12 , chances are she has heard all the bad language before, words can't hurt her, but the actions of the op confronting a bunch of drunk idiots could very well have hurt him as well as his grandkid .
You go to a game , your going to encounter loud drunk excited people who usually use bad language.

[zeg]

Ok thanks for that Shindig, still you can't raise your kids in a bubble, his granddaughter is 12 , chances are she has heard all the bad language before, words can't hurt her, but the actions of the op confronting a bunch of drunk idiots could very well have hurt him as well as his grandkid .

The OP didn't have them thrown out for using some bad language and being excited, he did so because when he asked them to tone it down they acted like ignorant •••••••s. If they'd been the least bit cordial about it and made any effort whatsoever to tone down the language, even if they let a few slip, there'd probably have been no issue. Heck, even if you're not going to tone it down, acting like a jerk when the request is made is inexcusable. If you can't have fun at a game while having a touch of consideration for those about you, you should be watching it at home.

And Shindig is right, there is no free speech issue here. It's not a speech issue, it's a behavior issue, and it's crystal clear who was in the wrong here. It wasn't the OP.

[Sweetswing]

There is an old but true saying, and it goes" never try to reason with a drunken person".
The op put himself and his grand kid in danger by confronting the ass holes, he should have got security to ask them to tone it down from the very start, chances of that working seem better to me.
I am the type of person who would probably do what the op did in the first place, but never if I had a kid with me.
Remember not everyone in the world is going to agree with your views on bad behaviour and language, jeasus some people just don't know any different.
A little more tolerance may be.