There Were 25 FCC Complaints Over Big Papi's Boston Rallying Curse
In the wake of the Boston Marathon attacks, a local legend rallied a city that was still in the middle of a very delicate healing process after two men attacked one of the city's most cherished traditions. But that didn't stop 25 Americans from begging the FCC to think of the children.
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Deadspin's Barry Petchesky filed a Freedom of Information Act request for each and every complaint the Federal Communications Commission received about that time David Ortiz said "fuck" on national television. It was April 20, the day after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was apprehended in a wild late night shoot out, and the Boston Red Sox were returning to Boston for the first time since the attacks at the marathon. They had spent the previous week away from their beloved city on a gruelling road trip. During the pre-game ceremony, Ortiz addressed the raucous crowd at Fenway.
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"Alright, Boston. This jersey that we're wearing today, it doesn't say Red Sox. It says Boston," Ortiz told the Fenway faithful. "We want to thank Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, and the whole police department for the great job they did this past week. This is our fucking city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong." Boom. The crowd would have torn the roof off Fenway, if Fenway had a roof in the first place.
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It was a beautiful moment where a local hero -- a man as connected to Boston as Dunkin Donuts or the marathon itself -- gave a town something to cheer for when they needed it the most. Shortly after Big Papi's big speech, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, who Petchesky astutely points out is a Brookline, Mass., native, tweeted his seal of approval. This was a special moment and the Red Sox would not be fined.
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But, yeah, the game was on national TV and the Mrs. Lovejoys of the world didn't see it the same way. At least 25 people still called the FCC to complain that "fuck" had made its way onto the airwaves and, tragedy or no, this could not stand. Some complaints are measured; others are maniacal. You can check them all out right here. Our favorite came from a rather unhinged seeming person in Saratoga Springs, New York, whose complaint is far worse than what Papi said on TV:
Julius should be fired!! Glad he feels this doesn't fit the guidelines, you're organization is like your leader a fucking joke. FUCKING joke!! I hope Julius gets FUCKING cancer and dies!! Please understand I'm under a lot of FUCKING stress!
Must be a Yankee fan.
