Soccer Forum Ban

Pj!

Hi folks,

I'm looking to dispute a ban I have received as a result of a minor incident on the Soccer forum yesterday. I contacted the mod in question (Mars Bar) as per the guidelines listed above, who refused to change stance on the incident or ruling.

I'll try provide the whole incident for context but will make an effort not to keep you too long.

Some background: there are two famous Ronaldos in the footballing world. Obviously this can lead to some confusion and there is an obvious need for differentiation. Maybe unfortunately, due to one being overweight and the other being far from it, the commonly used differentiation is that of weight.
Typing "fat Ronaldo" into Google provides 62,500 results. Typing "fat ronaldo" site:boards.ie into Google provides 463 results. (FWIW I think the man is no longer overweight but I fear that the label will stick)

The 'incident' started when a user posted the following:

RobertKK wrote:

lol, at least we signed the right Ronaldo, not the fat one

It was posted in the Man Utd thread by a Man Utd supporter, in contribution to a light-hearted discussion between Man Utd supporters.

The mod (Mars Bar) later posted that nicknames were not allowed, quoted a piece of the charter and stated 'Let it be a lesson to you all.'
There are actual nicknames in football that can potentially cause unnecessary agro in a forum setting. eg. 'Fat Frank' is a nickname sometimes unnecessarily used for Frank Lampard (Chelsea). The rule in itself is understandable.
However the ruling by the mod that we could no longer differentiate between the Ronaldos by referring to one of them as overweight is a surprising precedent to set. There are countless examples of famous footballers being labelled fat or overweight in the Soccer forum up until now.

Another user posted:

Pro.F wrote:

''The fat one'' isn't a nickname, it's a description and an accurate description at that. Are we not allowed to call fat people fat?

I thanked this in agreement, as did many others. I received the yellow card and month's ban for adding to that discussion with the following:

Pj! wrote:

He was merely differentiating between the two Ronaldos.

The word 'discretion' is used a lot in the Soccer charter. There are numerous examples of mods using their discretion and successfully discussing decisions with users in the forum.
The feeling is that the incident could have been handled a whole lot better.

There is a yellow card system on the Soccer forum with increasing penalties. It is also stated:

7. Ban lengths for yellow card infractions are at the discretion of the moderator.

I believe little or no discretion was used here and also believe that the resulting months ban for my post is extremely harsh for my minor involvement in the 'incident'. I also understand that the ban is a result of a collection of yellows over a period but the charter clearly states that bans lengths are at the discretion of the moderator.
I have just completed a 2 week ban by the same moderator for an incident which I regret not competing now and it has made me aware that if I do not contest this latest ban, I would be in danger of a 2 month ban for any incident, no matter how small, in the near future.

Everybody makes mistakes. I regret posting anything about the incident. I am unsure if I would have received a yellow card for simply thanking in agreement Pro. F's reply to the moderator's action (as many others did).
I do not have a long history of bans despite completing my 3,000th post yesterday.
I am a Man Utd supporter and rarely stray from the Man Utd superthread. I provide a lot of information and breaking news on that thread and for my sins spend far too long on it.

Overall I believe that the mod (Mars Bar) has been needlessly heavy handed here. I feel that the numerous yellow cards handed out for the incident were not required at all. The strange precedent that users cannot refer to a footballer as fat has also been set which I believe has the potential to cause needless incident in the future. I would have to wonder if all the mods would take the same stance.

I've tried to keep that as short as possible. Apologies if it's a bit long but I hope I've added everything required.


Thanks,

Pj

Beasty

You questioned a mod decision in thread here (you need to log out to see it)

Mars Bar wrote: »

Let it be a lesson to you all.

Pro. F wrote: »

''The fat one'' isn't a nickname, it's a description and an accurate description at that. Are we not allowed to call fat people fat?

+1. He was merely differentiating between the two Ronaldos.

Regardless of the underlying issue you were referring to, it is a general rule across Boards that you should not question mod decisions in-thread. If you have an issue with a mod's actions report the post or take it to PM.

You received a yellow card for questioning the mod's actions. It's clear to me that you broke the forum charter

From this post in the forum charter

If you believe a post is in breach of the charter then you should report it, and move on. If you engage the poster on his/her breach of the charter you risk infraction for back-seat modding.

Examples of back-seat modding include:

• Calling someone a troll
• Telling a poster not to post in a thread, or they should post elsewhere
• Telling a poster you have reported their post (effectively accusing them of a breach of the charter)
• Commenting on a breach of charter

I can therefore see no basis for overturning the yellow, and the ban follows automatically under the forum charter for an accumulation of cards

Pj!

Hi Beasty,

thanks for the reply, albeit slightly disappointing.

I understand that posting "He was merely differentiating between the two Ronaldos." added to another user's questioning of Mars Bar's decision, and that questioning of a mod's decision in a public place is not allowed, regardless of the integrity of the action.
I am also aware that this is not a strict rule as there are numerous examples of mods successfully dealing with users questions on the soccer forum.

Another soccer player has been referred to as 'fat' since this incident and similar action hasn't seen to have been undertaken by the moderator. I presume the mod hasn't seen it or has chosen to respond differentially. It will be interesting as to how it is dealt with in future.

As per the soccer charter there is a guide for ban durations but users are entitled discretion. After both Mars Bar and yourself have reviewed the case and decided a month's ban is appropriate here I feel no reason to push my case further.


I am glad of the opportunity to highlight the full case here and look forward to returning to the soccer forum in the near future.


Thanks again,

Pj!

Beasty

I realise you cannot report posts as you are banned from the forum, but the local mods cannot review every post in a forum (particularly the Soccer Forum which is one of the busiest on the site) and do rely on other posters to report anything they believe contravenes site or forum rules. Hence when you do return to the forum I suggest you hit the report button if you see something that gives you a concern

Can this be marked as resolved?

Thanks

Pj!

I won't contest the decision further Beasty.

Am happy to have highlighted the issue and hope doing so will benefit the soccer forum in the future.



Pj