Foul Language - Other Games and Sports

In a previous column, I briefly discussed the controversial "F-Bomb" rule, which assesses a player a penalty for using the F-word. I believe the rule is a good steppingstone to cleaning up the image of poker and will help steer future rules in a direction that will be accepted by all players. Several of my colleagues have written about this same issue in the past, so I didn't expect to get much of a response from readers. I was wrong.



The responses I received via e-mail were mixed; some were in support of a rule to clean up the language, and some were not. A few of the comments I received against the rule follow (in italics):



"This is a game for adults who must be 21 or older. If somebody gets excited and says, "f—- yeah" because he hit his turn card, oh well."



Poker is a game for adults, and we should act like adults. Poker is a recreational release for the majority of players, and "a day at the office" for others. Playing poker for enjoyment should not have to include listening to someone cuss when he gets rivered, and the office is definitely no place for vulgar language.



"In no way should the words spoken by a player be a factor in deciding the winner of an event involving a large sum of money that was put up by the players themselves."



I completely disagree. If a player cannot control his emotions by simply not uttering any obscenities, that player should be penalized. If players want to use obscenities when they play poker, they can do so in the comfort of their own homes while playing online, where they can cuss at the dog. And speaking of the Internet, almost every online poker room Xs out obscenities that are typed into the chat box. They do this because players don't want to have to read it, just as they don't want to hear it from the person sitting next to them.



In my previous column, I made the following comment: "Sure, every sport and game that has a public audience has players who get out of line, but most of them also have penalties for doing just that. Poker should be no exception."



Several readers took exception to this comment by pointing out that I was wrong. One reader stated, "You really must be joking. I have been to enough basketball, football, baseball, and hockey games to know that there are plenty of "F-Bombs" being dropped by the players, with no reprisal from the referees or even the governing bodies of all these sports leagues."


Since others also made similar comments, I searched the Internet for rules that pertain to profanity in other games and sports. Keep in mind that none of these rules were taken from official rulebooks; they are a result of my searching the Internet and finding references.



Those games/sports that most resemble poker are golf, tennis and pool, which are individual competitions. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has a rule that prohibits "Visible or audible profanity or obscenity". Penalties start at the first offense (point lost) and include a forfeited match for the third offense.



The American Poolplayers Association (APA) states, "No loud, abusive, or profane language will be tolerated." Penalties start with an opponent being given ball-in-hand, and progress to disqualification.



The United States Professional Pool Players Association (UPA) describes the consequences of profanity: "A participant's behavior, both in and out of competition, affects the image of our game and the potential for all touring professionals to earn a living through sanctioned competition. To that end, vulgarity, profanity, conceding and/or forfeiting games or matches will not be tolerated. A player may be assessed a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in ejection from a tournament and fine, and further penalties may be imposed."



The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) states that the following actions are regarded as violating the Player Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated:



"Blatant profanity or any profanity directed at rules officials, other competitors, spectators, sponsors, staff, volunteers or others. Any violation reported to the PGA staff will be brought to the attention of the PGA Tournament Committee and/or the PGA Board of Directors, who will determine the penalty to be imposed. The penalty will be determined by the offense, but might include fines and/or suspensions."



Three of the four major sports (I couldn't locate anything for the NFL) address profanity to some extent:



National Hockey League (NHL)
A minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be imposed on any player who uses obscene, profane, or abusive language to any person.



Major League Baseball (MLB)

Any umpire, or the commissioner, may eject any player for serious profanity.



National Basketball Association (NBA)

A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics, such as use of profanity, and cursing at or blasphemy of an official, and shall not be considered the only causes for imposing technical fouls. Running tirades, and continuous criticism or griping may be sufficient causes to assess a technical. Excessive misconduct shall result in ejection from the game.



In reality, it appears that the bigger sports have even more stringent rules than poker. Why are these rules not always enforced? That's simple; it's because referees and umpires don't see all infractions, just as floorpeople in poker don't see all infractions.



I even found a rule similar to the current rule in poker:

Am Com Sports is an association that provides umpires to softball leagues. It has a rule in place that states: "Any team member using the F-word will be ejected without the benefit of a warning."



Even the Street Basketball League has specific penalties for profanity. A first offense receives a warning and a third offense results in a technical foul and expulsion from the game.



A precedent has been set concerning foul language in poker; it won't be tolerated. The rule currently in place is a first step to cleaning up foul language. If players accept the rule and adhere to it, there will be no need to add more words or stricter penalties. If this rule doesn't work, a broader rule that penalizes a player for anything a floorperson deems offensive will probably be put into place.



Here's a final note: Although the current rule addresses one specific word, that doesn't mean that a player can use other offensive words with no repercussions. Almost all rulebooks specifically state that a floorperson has the ability to give the same penalty for any profanity. The F-word rule has been singled out as a way to bring attention to the process of cleaning up foul language in poker. It also happens to be the most offensive word.

Michael O'Malley is the poker room manager for PartyPoker.com and can be reached at [email protected]. His website is updated regularly at http://www.rzitup.com/.