Ethics of Trash Talking in Soccer

Abstract

This study investigated trash talk among soccer players, focusing on whether it actually disturbed playing performance and whether the ability to ignore such trash talk was an asset to the game. The ``Laws of the Game'' of soccer stipulate that any player who uses ``oŠensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures'' should be dismissed from the ˆeld. Therefore, any penalty imposed on players for such behavior can be interpreted as sanctions for prohibited act. Furthermore, any game in which oŠensive or insulting remark are used was considered by reference to Kawatani's opinion about excellence and ``failed athletic contest''. When a referee penalizes a player appropriately for such behavior, it is suggested that the game has not ``failed''. On the other hand, as such behavior is often di‹cult for a referee to notice, an appropriate penalty is sometimes not administered. Therefore, it is suggested that an oŠensive or insulting remark is an act that indirectly destroys the ethos of a game. I conclude that the ability to ignore trash talk is not an asset to the game in principle, but that such ability is practically necessary.