What your parents taught you: “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Sports stars’ response: Are you f…ing kidding me!?
A “professional” is expected to abide by predetermined rules, standards, and etiquette as written, communicated, and shared throughout an organization. You would think that basic standards of mutual respect, kindness, and general positivity are expected when professionals interact with one another and with people outside the organization. But think again.
In the fast-paced, high-energy environment of professional sports, it can become relatively easy for athletes to get too caught up in the moment, particularly when responding to otherwise mundane interview questions with an animated and emotional expression level.
Similar to most other professions, standards during interviews are expected to be universally understood and upheld in professional sports. Each season, teams undergo training on addressing the media, rules for social media conduct, and responding to controversial issues and personal questions professionally and calmly. Intent? Don’t stir the pot. The takeaway is the hope that the core values of player, team, and league will be projected when speaking on a public forum, especially on national television.
So, it is baffling that players often discard a professional standard during postgame interviews, sometimes offering up an “F-bomb.”
“Did we just hear that?” asked my 12-year-old son during an interview with future NBA lottery pick Zach Edey immediately following Purdue’s victory over Tennessee in the Elite 8 last March. His question was in response to a CBS reporter asking the 7’ 4” Center: “What was your mentality in this game?” Edey crouched down to the microphone and responded, “ We’re f….’ n winners, man, it’s what we do!!”
While we were impressed with Edey’s performance in the tournament up to that point, I wasn’t sure what to make of his comment, including why he would respond as he did, representing a Big Ten university. I understand the elation and overwhelming sense of accomplishment that Edey undoubtedly felt at that moment. I was just slightly disappointed that he didn’t articulate that feeling without profanity or, in effect, an “F-bomb.”
While I don’t know if F-bombs of that sort are on the rise, my take is that they are. As a kid, my Mom used to cover our ears if we were seated at a game when drunken fans couldn’t stop swearing. Years before Vince Vaughn coined the phrase “earmuffs” in the comedy classic Old School so that he could swear and curse in front of his kids, my Mom would warn the offenders during their tsunami of offensive, rage-fueled “F, S, and A words.” Of course, it was nothing that we hadn’t heard in the schoolyard on any given day, but it was still disturbing and gross when an adult launched swear words at a game within earshot of us.
Look, I get it, and ultimately, there is nothing I or anyone can do to prevent an athlete from launching a curse word during a postgame interview. The NBA and the NFL issue some fines, likely copied and enforced by the other major sports. From my perspective, it would seem like a $5000 fine would effectively act as a deterrent and incentive to keep it cool and professional when responding to interview questions. That is just a tiny drop in an average pro player’s salary. Still, it would seem that it should be enough of an inconvenience that it would not be happening as often as it seems to be currently.
Just recently, following the LA Dodgers NLCS victory over the San Diego Padres, Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal asked utility man extraordinaire Kike Hernandez, “What makes this Dodgers team so special?” Hernandez paused for a second, asking Rosenthal if they were live. Rosenthal confirmed they were, and then Hernandez answered, “The fact that we don’t give an f….” That one was perplexing, as he seemed to take the time to make sure the audience heard and appreciated the context of his profanity.
Well, athletes seem left to respond in any animated and profane way they choose. Perhaps that is the new normal; if so, I digress and will try to no longer respond to these animated tirades. But I still find it kinda funny that professional sports, as I know it, has emerged as the only profession where cursing on national TV is now seemingly becoming overlooked.
Maybe it’s a status thing. Edey’s comments certainly didn’t impact him, as he later became the 9th pick in the draft and signed a huge 4-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. Similarly, Kike is a hero in LA, and nobody will ever hold it against him if he lets an f-bomb fly on TV.
Yesterday, I watched a CFL football game and heard Toronto Argonauts backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle sum up his team’s victory, which led the Argos to the championship Grey Cup. Arbuckle was asked about the 3rd quarter injury to first-string quarterback Chad Kelly (nephew of Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly), which will allow Arbuckle to start and have a chance to lead his team to a CFL Championship. When asked about his thoughts with Kelly down and the likelihood of him starting, Arbuckle selflessly proclaimed, “Chad (Kelly)….is our f’…n man.”
SMH. It’s everywhere, folks.
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Sources: General Observations, interviews from CBS Sports (TikTok), interviews from Fox Sports, and NFL Players Code of Conduct and Rules Compliance
