Homophobic Soccer Chant Shut Down by Chicago Fire GM

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - Fans cheering on the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park are every bit as passionate at the ones who support professional Chicago sports teams at Soldier Field, the United Center, Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field.

But behind that passion is a dark cloud that continues to plague the game.

A homophobic chant used primarily by the sport’s Mexican fans has been around for decades.

¡PUTO! is used by groups of fans to taunt the opposing team’s goalie. It’s often heard during penalty kicks and tense moments when the game is on the line. It has been heard during the World Cup, at international friendlies and has made its way over to the United States at Major League Soccer venues throughout the country.

“I can’t remember a time in soccer when I did not hear that chant,” said first-year Chicago Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez, who has been involved with MLS since its inception in 1996 and part of competitive soccer for even longer.

“It may not be heard in every stadium in every league, but it has been prevalent in the sport.”

The ¡PUTO! chant is considered homophobic. Its meaning is something to the effect of “male prostitute,” “gigolo” or “man whore,” according to LatinoRebels.com. It’s a counterpart to “puta,” which is a Mexican slang term for a female prostitute.

Rodriguez has always known the use of the term is wrong.

“Personally I have always been offended by it and always felt it was inappropriate,” he said.

But during a recent Fire home game against the New York Red Bulls, he decided it was time to take a public stand.

Chicago Tribune columnist and avid Fire fan John Kass describes Rodriguez taking the field before the match and warning fans that if they were heard chanting the phrase, they would be kicked out.

“Rodriguez looked up into the stands and announced that any fan found to be using the infamous anti-gay Mexican soccer chant would be booted out of the stadium,” wrote Kass, who applauded Rodriguez and the Fire for standing up “for honor and principle and against behavior common to a core fan group that buys tickets.”

"An inappropriate and offensive chant has been used by some of our fans," Rodriguez told thousands of Fire fans at Toyota Park that night. "It is unbecoming and certainly not reflective of the great city that we live in, and the best fans in major league soccer.

"Please be advised that if the chant continues and you are found to be participating, you are subject to removal. If you are near fans using offensive language, please advise stadium security so we can handle that as well."

It was a perfect time for Rodriguez to make the declaration. It was "Pride" night at the stadium and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus had just exited the field after singing the national anthem.

But it was also about time, too. Rodriguez told Patch MLS has attempted to address the issue at the local level, “relying on the individual teams to execute the plan.”

While that worked to a certain degree, he was disappointed when the chant seemed to resurrect itself when the United States was host to the Copa America international tournament earlier this year.

“That’s when we felt it would be a good time to eliminate it and let people know we are taking more of a definitive stance against it,” Rodriguez said.

While Rodriguez says it was only “a small number” of fans taking part in the chant at Fire games, that number decreased to zero after his statement was made.

“We had a fantastic crowd with no issue along those lines at all,” he said, applauding the fans’ reaction “in the tradition of great Chicago sports fans.”

Rodriguez, of course, understands the passion and devotion that comes with being a soccer fan. It’s not too different from the passion and devotion that comes with being a Chicago sports fan.

“We all have to recognize the difference between an emotional reaction to a play and something that is planned,” he said. “We do not want to remove the emotional reaction that are evoked in the sport, but we hope all fans will realize that it’s never ok to be hurtful, profane, racist or sexist at any time.”

Still, he prefers that the announcement he made not be necessary.

“I’d prefer fans to understand the harmful, hurtful nature of such chants and be able to choose more positive and supportive ways to express the love of their team. To find something that benefits their home team, but not something that degrades anyone else.”

Photo: Chicago Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez addresses fans prior to the start of a game against the New York Red Bulls at Toyota Park. Chicago Fire photo.