F-Word Busters
Swen Nater

If you walk into any NBA arena, you’ll see several signs that read, “No Smoking.” Why? The number one reason for the statute is, smoke will affect the performance of the players. Not smoking is being considerate of others. It just makes sense. We don’t want to hurt the players. 

Arenas have other rules. Before every NBA game, the announcer says something like, “Throwing an object onto the floor is grounds for immediate expulsion from the arena.”  If you throw even a jelly bean onto floor, you could be thrown out. Why? Because it’s not being considerate of the players. Players can get hurt when they slip on an ice cube, for example. And, they can get hurt if they get hit by an object like a nacho, cellphone, or purse.

Those are rules established by the NBA, in full cooperation with the arena. They are good rules, right? We’ve got to take care of those precious players. They are worth millions to the owners and they must be protected.

Double Standard
But I see a double standard here. If fans are ordered to be considerate of the players, why aren’t players ordered to be considerate of the fans, particularly the most important people in the arena—the children? Why is nothing being done about the increasing number of times players say the F-Word out loud?

I’m not very gifted in reading lips but I don’t have to be to know when an NBA player is saying the F-Word. Most of the time I can’t hear it but the other day, on TV, it was loud and clear. The camera moved in on a player who had just been called for a foul and, right when it was a few feet away, out came that bad word.

“Oh, chill, Swen. With all of the noise going on in a game, no children are going to hear that.”

I beg to differ. Those kids mopping up the floor are four feet away. They idolize the players and many want to be just like them when they grow up. There are children only four feet away from their HD TVs also. Some of them are hearing the F-Word in surround sound.

The NBA, Where Caring Happens
I not only see a double standard, I see hypocrisy. Have you seen the ads the NBA puts out where they show players doing great things for the children of their communities? It’s awesome. I mean they build libraries, fill libraries, dig ditches, and much more. I love it. But isn’t it hypocritical to show you “care” for the children by building a library, where they can discover wonderful words, and then use the F-Word in the arena, right in front of them?

Conclusion
How difficult would it be for the NBA to establish a “No F-Word” rule? I say, it would not be difficult at all to establish one; enforcing one is another story. I mean, what would you do if a player says the F word? Would the referee hand out a yellow card? (Hey, not a bad idea.) The truth is, the rule would never be enforced. Sad for the children, huh? So sad for the children.

Hey! This is the 21st Century. There are more signs than ever, telling us what is prohibited. There are signs that say: No Eating, No Guns, No Drinking, No Parking, No Dogs Allowed, No Cellphone Usage, No Photography Allowed, and No Standing. Maybe someday the NBA will really care about children and hang a sign under the basket that looks like that Ghost Busters sign, except with an F in the middle. That would be cool. But that might upset the players and, we already know, we’ve got to be considerate of those players.