Asshole.
Hide the children, I'm about to say it again.
You suck, asshole.
Shocking, right?
According to MLS it is. Over the past few months MLS has gone out of its way to rid the league of the menace of the word asshole. Clearly, the biggest issue facing the league -- hell, American society -- is the word asshole.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Forget that this is a league that actively markets supporter's culture (the inference of flares, smoke and general naughtiness is front and centre on MLSsoccer.com and in league materials). Forget, too, that no one at MLS HQ seems all that bothered by "puta", a Spanish word dripping in homophobic suggestion, or, even maricon.
You can put the latter through Google Translate as I'd rather not have that word written on CSN. No, asshole is the issue. Apparently it doesn't play well with the TV partners. It might offend someone flipping by. Damn hooligans.
It's an insane waste of everyone's time. Rather than attacking real issues that actually matter -- including issues of crowd behaviour that actually is offensive (see above) -- the league is going to war with its biggest supporters over a (sort of) dirty word for our bums.
Seriously?
Look, the chant is dumb and incredibly dull. Yes, stadiums have the right to enforce whatever rules they deem worthy. Clearly, MLS fans should aspire to so something greater than calling the opposing keeper an asshole (before turning and giggling like a naughty schoolboy/girl I'd imagine). But, this "debate" needs to stop. MLS needs to understand that it can't try and take advantage of the images of supporter's culture and at the same time control the behaviour of those same supporters.
By all means work with supporter's groups (as equal partners) to try and move away from the chant, but spare us the moral revisionism and threats.
Asshole. It's barely even swearing.