At the weekend Manchester United were trailing 2-0 to relegation threatened West Ham at half time. Within the space of 14 minutes Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick to ensure that the Red Devils maintained top spot in the league, but instead of his three goals making him news on the back page, his rant at a Sky Sports TV camera which was broadcasting live to the nation ensured he was making front pages for all the wrong reasons.
After scoring the third goal from the penalty spot Rooney screamed some not so pleasant words directly into the camera. The nation exploded into a complete moral meltdown, with Radio 5 Live inundated (apparently) with complaints, although why people felt the need to phone the BBC when Rooney was swearing on Sky is beyond me.
I can see why some might be offended. In fact some people reading this might presume that as a woman I would be offended myself. You don't really want to be sitting watching the football with your children/mother/granny/vicar* and have a Shrek impersonator scream obscenities in their faces now do you?
*delete where appropriate
However, what has the lad done really? Think about it for a moment. He's playing in an important game, his team has come from 2-0 down to take the lead, he has been abused for nearly 70 minutes by West Ham fans, he's frustrated with the form he has shown this season. He has just scored a damn important goal for the team we all love to hate (and believe me I hate Manchester United as much as anyone). He has a camera shoved in his face and he shouts some words that some might not feel necessary to use.
Without being derogatory to young Wayne, he is not the most intelligent and articulate young man. He was brought up on one of the toughest estates in Liverpool. People mock him for what he is, a rich charva. But the lad doesn't pretend to be anything he's not. He's a millionaire, but strip away the money he's made from football and he's the young lad who would probably be labouring on a building site, or hanging around the Job Centre had he not been given his footballing ability.
Wayne's reaction showed me that the lad has felt under pressure in a season where he probably feels himself that he's under-performed. His swearing was not very pleasant but for me the more distasteful thing about the whole event was how men, who probably have no problem questioning the parentage of the referee, or calling their local rivals worse than muck, came over with a huge case of the vapours when Rooney swore. I've heard much, much, much worse come from supporters, not just as individuals, but as groups of fans chanting. For me chantings about the Munich air disaster and Hillsborough are far more offensive than one charva saying "fuck" to a TV camera.
I've heard several people say that Wayne Rooney is a role model, but hang on one minute, who made Rooney a role model? I'm sure he didn't set himself up as a role model, and as a parent I can think of many examples of people I would prefer my children to see as role models before Wayne Rooney or just about any footballer to be honest. I'm also quite sure that children hear worse than what Rooney said in their everyday lives. I know that I have heard some sentences and words coming from children (not my own I might add) that would make a stripper blush. Where do these children hear these words? Usually from parents and peers I would hazard a guess. Parents have a responsibility to bring children up to know what is acceptable and what isn't and children who witnessed Wayne Rooney's rant on saturday but who have parents who explain that it's not polite to scream obscenities in people's faces will not suddenly go out screaming and cursing at others just because Rooney did it.
Really in this life there are far worse things happening than a bloke who has an uncanny resemblance to a green ogre with a scottish accent swearing on the telly. I know when I go to the football there is the likelihood that I will swear at some point. If I have had a stressful week, the match is a great opportunity for me to vent those frustrations. If any of you are offended by the thought of me swearing I would apologise but to be honest I really don't give a fu.......
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