r/sports 1d ago

Rugby Union Rugby player banned for 32 weeks after telling female referee to ‘get your baps out’

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/rugby-player-banned-telling-female-080100080.html
1.8k Upvotes

194 comments sorted by

545

u/Theonlykd Edmonton Oilers 1d ago

I heard an ex pro athlete tell a story one time:

Athlete: hey ref, can you give me a penalty for thinking something?

Ref:….. no.

Athlete: well, I think you’re fucking awful today.

182

u/Leather_Hope6109 1d ago

I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.

Jim Valvano

1.4k

u/slapshots1515 1d ago

When I reffed hockey, we were always told there was a difference between “fuck this” and “fuck you.” You’d give a decent amount of latitude for just complaining about a call until it dragged on, but once it becomes personal it has to end.

Telling a woman ref “show us your boobs”, well…

719

u/Redpin Toronto Raptors 1d ago

So instead of "show us your boobs," "show us those boobs," got it!

342

u/Dweebil 1d ago

Why be specific? Show us boobs.

89

u/sharpshooter999 1d ago

points to Drake and Josh in the stands

23

u/tienzu34 1d ago

Open bobs

11

u/Ishidan01 1d ago

We are trained never to imply ownership.

Always "those boobs". Never "your boobs".

9

u/nosniboD 1d ago

‘I wish I could see some boobs right now’ should be fine right

1

u/marysalad 5h ago

ref: "just look down mate, you're being more of a girl than me"

10

u/HealMeBr0 1d ago

the ol' Captain Falcon

10

u/buffdaddy77 1d ago

“Show me your boobs.” As he launches a spin kick

3

u/jaman715 1d ago

What I always heard as well

1

u/AFarewellToArms 1d ago

( o )( o )

1

u/Prestigious-Yak-4620 1d ago

I read that in a Russian accent.

43

u/karpet_muncher 1d ago

Show us SOME boobs

You're not specifying her boobs

Just any boobs

19

u/FuzzyKaleidoscopes 1d ago

Nah it’s more like “I like boobs” vs “show me your boobs” and honestly I get the difference

3

u/PMmeyourlogininfo 1d ago

Let's see some tits!

9

u/boricimo 1d ago

Don’t talk to coaches that way!

7

u/birdsword 1d ago

"The boobs"

2

u/slapshots1515 1d ago

Lol, I’m not a woman but fair enough!

1

u/waterloograd 1d ago

I prefer "show us your tits" and she can show us her photos of birds

7

u/jacknifetoaswan New York Mets 1d ago

Boobies are birds, too.

1

u/TheRealBillyShakes 1d ago

SOMEbody show us boobs!

0

u/PMmeyourlogininfo 1d ago

Get the tits out

95

u/hndjbsfrjesus 1d ago

Baseball has a similar culture, but it's best to let the coach do the talking so a key player isn't tossed. In the hundreds of games I played or attended, there is a 100% ejection rate if the ref is called a cocksucker. Perhaps that will change with a shift to acceptance of sex positivity. A catcher on the opposing team snuck one past by saying cork smoker because it made the ump laugh.

49

u/Flipz100 1d ago

This is really crazy with Rugby because anyone who isn’t a captain talking with the red can get you a quick yellow card.

17

u/slapshots1515 1d ago

There’s not an official captaincy in baseball in the same way. There are captains, but it’s just a sign of respect. Hockey actually does have the same thing with two assistants and the ref can refuse to talk to anyone who isn’t a captain

8

u/Fluffychipmonk1 1d ago

It’s my goto for rec softball when I got an issue with a call. Can confirm.

3

u/Jasino76 1d ago

Yeah we all saw Bull Durham

1

u/BoosherCacow Cleveland Indians 1d ago

You want me to call you a cocksucker? Pretty please beg!

2

u/FryAnyBeansNecessary 1d ago

Catcher is another name for a bottom in gay slang.

31

u/NormanQuacks345 Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Oh that’s what that means

37

u/pataglop 1d ago

Anyone who played rugby knows NOT to talk to the ref unless your captain calls us and gives you the approval.

It's been drilled into our brains from our first games at 5 or 6 yo.

That dude is an idiot. Punishment is fair.

-16

u/maxperception55 1d ago

Ok and?

 wtf are "baps"!

6

u/Jetztinberlin 1d ago

You could always read the dozens of comments that have already answered that question 🤷🏻‍♀️

14

u/Kthirtyone 1d ago

"Of course it’s company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of [boobs]... always use the indefinite article [some boobs], never your [boobs]."

3

u/ExpiredPilot 1d ago

When I first learned to umpire my boss said the same thing.

Complain about calls all you want from the sideline. Complain about umpires from the parking lot

3

u/axle69 Los Angeles Rams 1d ago

Yep generally in sports complaining is allowed for a bit so long as you dont say "you".

805

u/dbell San Francisco 49ers 1d ago

If you don't think the words "get your baps out" will be coming out of my mouth in the next 48 hours, you crazy.

203

u/DRKAYIGN 1d ago

I'm already trying to find a way I can nonchalantly drop it into a conversation with my husband.

125

u/KennyMoose32 1d ago edited 1d ago

This is a random story but my wife and I have known each other since college. One time we were at a party, pretty low key type of thing.

All of a sudden this girl stands up and says “I’m gonna dump em out” and pulls her shirt down. Her friends quickly went to help her/put her to bed.

However, I have never stopped saying “dump em out” whenever I can to my wife

54

u/asvalken 1d ago

My brother's 5'1" Weed Jesus friend who couch surfed with us for two years just said literally whatever was on his mind.

"Knockers" became "honkers" became "blouse clowns".

So he's high as hell, drunk as fuck, the lights are on but nobody's home kind of wasted, and he looks at brother's girlfriend, and makes a 'come here' motion at her.

"Clown me."

69

u/silver_goats 1d ago

Baps out for the boys

3

u/Trick-Station8742 1d ago

PRE-sent

Charms

16

u/PompeyMagnus1 1d ago

Charles Barkley 'i am not a role model"

10

u/thelochteedge 1d ago

My wife and I binged Dexter: Resurrection yesterday and the phrase “sorry to droop your chub” was said by Neil Patrick Harris and I keep chuckling when I think about it and want to use it regularly now.

1

u/psychadelicbreakfast 1d ago

No one knows what it means, but it gets the people going!

21

u/bogushobo 1d ago

Tits. It means tits.

1

u/campbelljac92 10h ago

Baps are big round bread rolls that could under incredibly poor lighting be mistaken for a tit.

350

u/SPEK2120 1d ago

while watching one of his club’s matches… said that he was “intoxicated” at the time and “had no real explanation for why he shouted the phrase at the match official”.

Even when you’re not on the clock, getting hammered around your employers/colleagues is not a wise decision.

220

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 1d ago

Not defending him but this is an amateur rugby club. He’s basically a frat brother.

74

u/killerfrenchy Montreal Canadiens 1d ago

Ohhhh ok, so it's rugby beer league. This story makes so much mkre sense now. Thanks lol

26

u/Paldasan 1d ago

Oh, you need to be careful there using the word league around the word rugby, because while you might be thinking along the lines of it just being similar to a minor league or a bowling league use there are two similar but different sports that use the word rugby. Rugby Union tends to go by rugby for short and it's 130 year old spin off Rugby League which goes by league for short.
This incident involved Rugby Union and not Rugby League, if you want to specify it being a relatively low profile regional competition you can just call it club rugby. The full time paid professional level competition rugby also played by clubs is more often called by the name of the competition.

2

u/Morningrise12 1d ago

Union > League

3

u/PokemonGoing 1d ago

Union < League

1

u/SleepWouldBeNice Toronto Arrows 23h ago

League is what union players play to warm up

7

u/GoldenSheep95 23h ago

Union forwards are all 20 stone tubs of lard so not sure how that would work

2

u/jeuatreize 22h ago

Funnily enough, no union players could really keep up in a game of league.

4

u/Marksd9 19h ago

And league players would get folded in a scrum and get confused by anything more complex than a spin pass.

3

u/jeuatreize 13h ago

Lol. I love how union has poached how many coaches to go across? While no union coaches could make it in league. If you know anything about both sports you'd know the whole modern game of rugby union shapes in both attack and defence all came from League. There's literally books written on it.

Union is so slow that they try to market it as more strategic which is a lie.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

Ah, the ol' "I was just drunk " excuse for sexual harassment.

I'd hate to imagine his conduct at a club or pub

19

u/JonBoy82 1d ago

TIL…

43

u/PlainJaneGum 1d ago

TIL baps = tits. I love living in the future.

2

u/QuickShort 17h ago

This is pretty old UK slang!

12

u/greenrangerguy 1d ago

..."for the lads" was missed and therefore ban deserved.

114

u/Sensitivevirmin 1d ago edited 1d ago

….can some one explain what this translates to in English please?

Edit: not everyone speaks UK or Aussie Slang

Some people are Canadian and are a breed of dumb onto its self…sorry

223

u/Forward-Answer-4407 1d ago

A bap in the UK is a soft round roll but is also slang for women's breasts.

20

u/Rexkinghon 1d ago

Legit thought it was boobs with an Irish accent 😂

-145

u/Impossible-Shine4660 1d ago edited 1d ago

In the us a bap is a diddy bop nawmean?

Jesus. Guess yall didn’t nawmean

-59

u/futurettt 1d ago

The English are notoriously not cool with free speech

-41

u/KeyDangerous 1d ago

I want downvotes too

In ‘MURICAN, bap is wordplay on cap 🧢 (bloods switch c’s with b’s because bool), which is slang for lying / bullshitting, talking out of your ass - trying to look cool.

74

u/St3voevo 1d ago

Show us ya melons

32

u/Sensitivevirmin 1d ago

Ah ok yeah that would be offensive to say.

Thanks you in Canadian raises glass of Maple syrup

56

u/Justnobodyfqwl 1d ago

Yelling "get your tits out!" at a coworker, in front of cameras, thousands of people, and her parents. 

31

u/americagiveup 1d ago

It’s an amateur rugby match with a handful of spectators.

Not excusable and deserves his ban, but you’ve got the wrong end of the stick thinking there’s thousands of fans and the ref is his coworker.

Rugby also has a big respect the ref culture, it’s a big no no to abuse the ref, never mind sexist abuse

-11

u/ShamanicTribesOnAcid 1d ago edited 1d ago

Rugby also has a big respect the ref culture

holy hell reddit I can only laugh so much

25 D-1 Caps. Refs are f'n clowns. Only got tossed once.

17

u/trippyhop 1d ago

Baps = breasts 

31

u/bo0td 1d ago

A sportsman in the UK told the match official to expose her breasts. He has been punished with an 8 month suspension.

10

u/buster_rhino 1d ago

Also Canadian and I can put two and two together here.

7

u/Skreamie 1d ago

Could you not get it from context clues alone?

8

u/smoothtrip 1d ago

You do not do context???

11

u/EMTDawg 1d ago

Bap is a soft roll (bread). So naturally, rolls and breasts are similar shapes, so people in the British Isles use the term bap to also refer to breasts.

10

u/OddNothic 1d ago

A “bap” is A soft bread roll that is often dusted with flour and eaten for breakfast, used as slang it refers to a woman’s breasts.

A “prop” is a forward position in a rugby lineup. There are loosehead and tighthead props. I’m unfamiliar with this particular player, but based in the comments, I’d say he is more of a loose-head prop.

For the rest of the article, you should be able to use cognates to sort it out.

1

u/Kozeyekan_ 1d ago

Guy gets 32 weeks suspension. Ref is angry sits down for lunch after game. Pulls out two ham and cheese baps she packed earlier. "Oh..."

1

u/Drunkgummybear1 15h ago

The validity of this defence hinges entirely on where this prop is from.

7

u/Alternative_Dealer32 1d ago

It’s already in English.

5

u/jjayzx 1d ago

Some would even go on to say it is the most English even.

-2

u/possyishero 1d ago

I'll also add the cases I'd have ever heard of "baps" used in this way was old timey 1920's American show accent like those used in Private Eye Radio Thrillers or movies. So this is the first I'm realizing the origin is British and not American in nature.

0

u/tobias19 1d ago

Context clues

48

u/RUSnowcone 1d ago edited 1d ago

For those who don’t know… the Rugby ref is called “the Sir” or “Ma’am”….and you don’t talk back ever . Let alone yell at them.

Parents, coaches , kids. It doesn’t matter they will throw you out in a second….this is not the sport for arguing with the officials.

3

u/f0rtytw0 23h ago

The Refs are practically coaches on the field as well. They will explain clearly what you did that was wrong, and what you should be doing instead.

8

u/DD2146 1d ago

Seriously. There are loads of ladies and gentlemen lining up to take your place. Be grateful to go out and play at all and don’t take the privilege for granted is probably a winning move 10 out of 10 times.

2

u/zorionek0 1d ago

“Mr. Official, I respectfully disagree!”

4

u/acdameli 1d ago

I don’t know if I’d have had the balls to even disagree respectfully. I was taught you “Yes sir/ma’am”ed, sucked it up, and played harder.

5

u/PsychoticSandwich 1d ago

The first lesson I taught my son when he started playing organized sports: It's the ref's game and they're allowing you to play.

5

u/below_and_above 1d ago

Great start. The game isn’t for the parents. The game isn’t for the audience. The game is about the players abiding by the rules until one wins in fair sport, and the ref can delegate some of their power to the captains to keep the peace, but is the ultimate authority.

If there were no fans, the sport would continue. But if there were no refs, the game couldn’t begin.

0

u/Particular_Night_360 1d ago

There’s a point where that rule stops becoming a rule. Had a group of refs that would try to instigate fights playing hockey. Watched a teammate take an offsetting penalty with the other team. Both players told him to shut the fuck up then sat in separate boxes talking shit and laughing together for two minutes.

3

u/Tbuzzin 1d ago

TIL Baps = Tig ol' biddies

24

u/rendumguy 1d ago

Idk if it's cause of the nasty political climate or what but what's with all the sexual harassment in sports news recently?

42

u/slapshots1515 1d ago

This isn’t particularly new. There’s more focus on it, which brings it to light more.

10

u/Blechhotsauce Chicago Cubs 1d ago

And there are many more women participating in sports leagues, especially reffing and coaching.

15

u/PsychoticSandwich 1d ago

Recently? It's been a (negative) part of sports for a while.

10

u/possyishero 1d ago edited 19h ago

I mean, it's certainly not helpful to it given the political climate, but it's also more a case that:

* Sports Leagues are now finally hiring women to fill these roles, meaning certain insults hurled at officials will come across differently

* These types of cases are now not being ignored as "just boys being boys" and are being reported/penalized more frequently in ways that we're hearing about it.

* Media Companies/Social Media have shown all parties that these topics are things that will get views. So news places will report on it, and people will be interested in spreading it. This is both on those condemning the action, and those that think it's funny. There are also people that may actually want to do something similar themselves to get attention. You'll find an army of loud defenders regardless, unfortunately.

23

u/Narwhallmaster 1d ago

I think it is a sign of society becoming less tolerant of it and calling out people more.

7

u/dan_v_ploeg Carolina Panthers 1d ago

You really think shit talking in sports, however over the line, is a new thing?

-2

u/Florida_clam_diver 1d ago

Nah it’s just people started paying attention when it happened to a women’s league. Sports matches have been absolute cesspools for garbage human activity for decades

Racism, homophobia, and xenophobia are all commonplace at sports matches across the world.

-4

u/DisconcertedLiberal 1d ago

You sound like a barrel of laughs

3

u/GooglyEyeBandit 1d ago

baps?

2

u/Billman23 23h ago

British slang for tits

4

u/Major-Thom 1d ago

In many sports, the refs are your typical refs that will allow an impressive amount of verbal abuse before penalizing.

In rugby, the refs are judge-jury-executioner. Anything short of “sir/ma’am” you’re getting a 10-yard penalty and loss of possession at best. I’ve been on the losing side of easily winnable matches because my teammates are loudmouth idiots. This is one of those loud mouth idiots.

2

u/acdameli 1d ago

Seriously this is one of the dumbest things you can do to your team mates. I’ve played with guys who’d take you to task for making shitty comments like that.

2

u/wombatchew 22h ago

Not excusing his behaviour but he was a spectator at the time

3

u/tehnoodnub 1d ago

Meanwhile an Australian rules player got a pathetic four weeks for calling an opponent a ‘fa**ot’.

1

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

I don't think we actually know what he said, do we?

1

u/tehnoodnub 10h ago

Some of the media outlets reported on what they believed was the slur used but no, nobody has confirmed it as far as I’m aware.

1

u/smoothtrip 1d ago

TIL BAPS

1

u/Previouslydesigned 1d ago

Can someone pronounce baps for me? I’m having a hard time.

1

u/st4rbug 1d ago

Could he be a bread lover? Maybe he wanted a barm.

1

u/BeefSupremeTA 1d ago

He was watching from the sidelines, this wasn't in game. He was pissed on the touch line

1

u/boldstrategy 17h ago

His excuse was “I was pissed”

1

u/butte4s 3h ago

32 weeks is too harsh for just words.

1

u/UpdootDaSnootBoop 1d ago

Im just as curious as the next guy, but some shit stays in your head

1

u/Tough-Celery-7014 1d ago

What does that even mean?

13

u/LEGOMyBrick 1d ago

"Show me your tits"

0

u/Tough-Celery-7014 1d ago

Ah ok makes sense now

1

u/kittiesandcocks 1d ago

I assume that’s quite the insult in countries that play Rugby other than on collegiate intramural teams

-1

u/67Macavelli91 Atlanta Braves 1d ago

What's the world coming to when you can no longer be a sexist, piece of shit without getting called out?

/s

4

u/DrMangosteen 1d ago

We don't know he's sexist, he might have meant bacon baps, as in she should get in the kitchen and make them some bacon baps. Oh wait

1

u/ShamanicTribesOnAcid 1d ago

it plainly goes against rugby’s core values.

looooooooooooool

-2

u/rookie-mistake Winnipeg Jets 1d ago

seems like everyone handled it well. sounds like he immediately realized he fucked up too, which is honestly better than I'd expect in a lot of cases like this

-22

u/karlpoppins 1d ago

32 weeks is quite excessive. Sure it was an inappropriate and sexist comment, but it amounts to little more than being mean. You don't ban someone for half a year because they said something mean. Still, what the hell was the guy thinking?!

1

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

It's sexual harassment

-3

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

3

u/Trumpsabaldcuck 1d ago

It seems like this is a small club/amateur game.  This is not big time sports where they have plenty of money to pay for referees and other people needed to make the game happen.  The ref in this game is making very little money (or perhaps nothing at all).  People that play small club/amateur sports need to show nothing but respect for the people that make their games possible.  

2

u/Spanky3703 1d ago

Exactly. Nailed it.

1

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

There is no man-splaining required.

And now you're the one being sexist.

The comment you're responding to was disgraceful but has nothing to do with mansplaining.

Throwing that term at everything you don't like makes a mockery of it.

0

u/karlpoppins 1d ago

You're not addressing what I said. You repeated the first part of my comment just to accuse me of "mansplaining"?! Then you proceeded to say something meaningful but skipped the most important part: what regular bans look like for offenses against referees regardless of sex - offenses of non-discriminatory nature. The third part is just a blank statement - why would a sexist comment warrant a ban longer than a year?! Is sexism in rugby such an issue that they have to give out extreme bans to prevent it?

1

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

You're right.

They should give light sentences, wait for it to become a problem, then give the harsh sentences. /s

Smh

offenses of non-discriminatory nature.

Not really relevant

-2

u/FitDingo7818 1d ago

Should have been a full year

-28

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

0

u/Flimsy-Paper42 1d ago

Games gone

0

u/Ok_Caterpillar_3458 20h ago

Who let the baps out? Who who who

-22

u/ToxicBTCMaximalist 1d ago edited 1d ago

ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ

Edit: I don't understand why I'm getting downvotes, but I also don't understand the words that were said.

3

u/slapshots1515 1d ago

“Show us your boobs.”

-4

u/ToxicBTCMaximalist 1d ago

ಠ⁠︵⁠ಠ

-17

u/IJustWorkHere000c 1d ago

Women: “Women belong in men’s sports!!!”

Also women: get offended by men being men during men’s sports

2

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

Wow. So, it's the woman's fault for sexual harassment by simply being there. . You're a terrible, terrible person and no woman is safe around you.

8

u/acdameli 1d ago

Dafuq you on about? Your statement implies that there are times and placed where sexually harassing someone is okay. I’m worried about women being alone with you.

BEYOND that indefensible position…

  1. She’s a REF.
  2. Replace the word Women in your statement with another visible minority and see if you can defend it.

-5

u/Fondacey 1d ago

Bravo

-7

u/Viss90 St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago

What a legend

-2

u/ripcity7077 New Jersey Devils 1d ago

I told my fiancé that I was gonna bap her last night

Then I curved my hand inward and lightly tapped her leg six times , ran off , came back and peaked around the corner at her then tapped her a couple more times

I had no idea bap meant boob tho… TIL.

1

u/worksnake 1d ago

peaked peeked around the corner

-2

u/Live_Guidance7199 1d ago

How does this suspension compare to others? What are you getting if you punch someone (on or off field) or get a DUI or something?

Because basically a year (42+4 weeks initially) seems like a lot. Do they give lifetime bans for jaywalking?

3

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

How the fuck do you jaywalk on a footy field?

God there's some nonsense posted

0

u/Live_Guidance7199 6h ago

This was an off field incident...

1

u/TanAllOvaJanAllOva 1d ago

In most sports, sexual harassment results in lengthy bans and/or being waived. In the NBA, the Spurs cut a lottery pick for sexually harassing a team therapist. Mel Tucker, former football coach of Michigan State, was fired for sexually harassing a woman. So no, this isn’t the same as “jaywalking”.

-3

u/Live_Guidance7199 1d ago

You just pointed to hundreds of occurrences of CRIMINAL behavior and they resulted in a 4 game suspension and no punishment whatsoever from the ruling body respectively.

So I guess you agree that a year seems wild when every other punishment for full blown crimes is a couple games or less. Thanks!

0

u/TanAllOvaJanAllOva 1d ago

Sexual harassment is not a criminal offense, in the U.S. anyway. Can’t speak on every country.

Nothing I referenced had a 4 game suspension.

-2

u/Live_Guidance7199 1d ago

Josh Primo was doing the pecilopter to the team shrink. That's a crime. He got a 4 game suspension for it.

2

u/CapnBloodbeard 10h ago

What other sports do is irrelevant. Not sure what you think you're achieving by pointing out weak sentences in other sports

1

u/Live_Guidance7199 6h ago

I didn't ask what other sports do, I asked what this league does. Other commenter brought up other sports and unintentionally pointed out that full blown sexual assault gets a mere 4 games in other sports.