Do you allow swearing by your players?

Never allow them to swear at each other, but to me trying to police something that their parents probably allow at home is a losing battle...

As you said, you would never say it TO a player, but have you never used it around a player? To me there is a subtle difference, some communities/individuals would disagree (I am in Utah for crying out loud...) but I have noticed that some of the "best people" have the most foul-mouthed and sneaky/thieving little sh!ts around.

I don't allow it, especially F-bombs. The kid would be punished for that. But most of the time I just say "Watch your language" if it's in the heat of battle or an isolated incident. But if a player seems to have a habit of it, I will address it with him.

If a kid drops a "Sh--" or "As-----" I'll tell him to watch his language, just to let him know to try and clean it up and remember we are at a school. And regardless of your personal feelings about foul language (which has been discussed here ad-nauseum) ; there are places in situations in life where certain language is expected, and as a mentor and teacher I should help to teach them to understand and be successful in these situations.

One I've heard a lot lately is "F@G", I've put a stop to this real quick. I've told the kids that I can put up with most foul language slip up except for "racist terms and foul words that start with 'F'."

Whether or not you agree I think its a good place to draw a line, especially in our litigious society.

The older I get, the more I realize that it is important to set an example for the kids. I don't think I want a team of guys running around and dropping the "F bomb" or saying "GD" is what I want. So I am much more aware of what I say. Certainly, I am not perfect nor is our team. If it becomes excessive then, I'll make a kid do 10 push ups or something like that. If start slipping myself a little bit, then the kids will let me know and I'll do push ups or gassers or something like that.

We give our players the "don't be A-holes," speech in regard to this. Don't swear at us coaches, and don't swear if there are youth practices going on around us/be adults, etc. We pretty much let them say whatever they want. If that occurs in one of the situations we outlined where it isn't OK, the whole team has extra conditioning. We're very lenient, but bring the hammer down when our few exception rules are broken.

I tell our players that I understand that cussing is normal in their everyday lives but if they go to their job and use that language, they will get into some trouble if not lose their job. We do push ups if they cuss and they do more for GD. I the HC will do push ups if I cuss. I try not to but it has slipped and I understand that.

Heat of the of the battle it doesn't bother me, but I try to reign it in. I try to behave myself, not always easy but I never cuss at a kid or call them names.

I can only hold others to standards that I hold myself to personally. I curse way too much to chastise my players for cursing. There are obviously times where they cross the line and they know it.

We don't "allow it" or enforce punishment for when it happens. Unless a parent complains. .

I'm of the belief that there are no 'bad' words. Only bad intentions, anyone can make any word a bad word..it's all in how you use it.

Sent from my VS980 4G using proboards

We are in the same boat as Send_The_House. Neither our players, nor our coaches are allowed to use profanity in the fieldhouse, on the field, or anywhere else they might be expicitly representing our program.

I think it's unrealistic to demand no swearing when you are together as a team in a high-stress environment. If you let one slip that's one thing, but if you're kids are cussing up a storm in social situations, in the hallways, in class, etc where they are representing your program in front of "outsiders", admin, faculty, that needs to be dealt with IMO.

It's realistic to expect them to find another word to use at the time. I used to have a problem with language and I found other words to use that help me to vent frustrations. God bless America does well for me when I get mad and nobody is going to get onto me for saying it. I was raised by an old school coach and we didn't cuss. Any cuss word was 50 pushups on the spot. F bomb was 200. If a kid was hurt and he cussed there was some leniency. But if a kid cusses each time he gets mad I don't believe that's acceptable. We have plenty of kids who do that where I'm at and they know if they are heard they will do pushups. If our supt. is on the sideline and a kid cusses like a sailor he will wonder why we are letting that go on. And then he will wonder whether or not we are fit to do our job. I believe we are helping to them to become young men, and not cussing is something that is lost on the current generation. Not saying I'm right, just what I believe.

Great story from this season:

We are playing AT our 2nd biggest rivals' place. This is #2 vs #3 in the state in a game that always gets VERY HEATED. Our superintendent notices someone on our sideline midway through the game that he doesn't know. This man has two children with him, and they all have sideline passes. The superintendent strikes up a conversation with him. The man tells him that he is a local pastor in the town we are visiting, and he never misses a home game. My superintendent then asks why he chose to stand on the visiting sideline. Priceless response coming... The man says "There's no way I could let my children stand on the home sideline with all of the things our players and coaches say, but I knew they could stand by your team without me having to worry at all about what they would hear." For me, this just reinforced the things that we do with our kids. Teach character. Teach right and wrong. Teach your young men to be classy at all times. It does make a difference. It certainly let our superintendent walk taller that night (not to mention we reeled off 31 unanswered points to win after being down 17-0 . Ask our superintendent what he will do for our program when we represent our school district like this.  

I love that story.

If it's not ok in front of other people than why is it ok when you are together? It sets a double standard.