The ref is making dumb calls, your opponent stomped on your foot, and this overall game has been infuriating– you do not want to be silenced, but now you will be.

Students are finding themselves in some sticky situations when it comes to swearing in their sport.  Senior and soccer player Marc Modomo  was yellow carded for letting a couple words slip. 

“I had the ball and I was dribbling in the box and then the defender slid,” Modomo said.  “So I took the opportunity to do a little dive, I don’t think the ref called it so I went up and started saying some things I probably shouldn’t have.”  

Athletes are starting to question if this is a valid rule. Due to the naturally competitive environment of sports it can be challenging for athletes to think about what they are saying in the heat of frustration. 

 “I don’t think it’s a good rule,” Modomo said. “If you’re frustrated about something in a game, you can’t really control the words you’re saying.” 

Consequences for swearing  range between sports, for instance, “If you swear during a golf match, you have to have 2 strokes added to your score,” junior Ashley Compton said.  “Which isn’t a good thing for golf so you want to avoid it.” 

Tennis, while not generally a problem, also has penalties for harsh language. The tennis section of the Kingco handbook directly explains what will happen when unsportsmanship behavior happens. “Unsportsmanship behavior is subjected to the penalty point system, this includes verbal abuse and inappropriate language.” Players who violate this on the first offense will receive a one point penalty, a second offense would result in a game penalty and if the student were to reach a third offense it would be a match penalty.   

Athletes in track have already been confronted by their coaches over swearing during practice. According to athletes, swearing was starting to be a problem during track. “It’s become pretty bad,” junior Maggie Fisher said. “Every time I turned my head I’d hear at least one person cursing.” 

The debate remains on whether this rule is beneficial or unreasonably harms an athlete’s performance in their sport. “I think  a warning would be better but not a yellow card,” Modomo said.  “I didn’t get any warnings. I just straight up got a yellow card.”