Is it illegal to curse at sports games in Massachusetts?

• Chapter 272, Section 36A of the Massachusetts General Laws bans anyone over 16 from cursing at sports events.
• The punishment is a fine of up to $50.
• The Massachusetts legislature is looking at four bills to protect sports officials from harassment and/or assault.

Football season is starting soon, but you better watch your emotions at Gillette Stadium – cursing at players or officials is against the law in Massachusetts. 

That’s right: technically, you could be fined up to $50 for cursing at a participant or official at a sporting event under Massachusetts law.

It’s one of many antiquated laws still on the books in Massachusetts. Others include a ban on scaring pigeons and a fine for publicly butchering the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Luckily, these days you’re unlikely to be prosecuted for those offenses, and free speech generally protects cursing at sports games. However, you should still control your language: fans do occasionally get ejected from games for heckling players beyond what is appropriate.

What is the law against cursing in Massachusetts?

Chapter 272, Section 36A of the Massachusetts General Laws bans anyone over 16 from cursing at sports events.

It reads, “Whoever, having arrived at the age of sixteen years, directs any profane, obscene or impure language or slanderous statement at a participant or an official in a sporting event, shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars.”

New laws across country protect sports officials: Massachusetts considers four

While a general ban on cursing at sports games may seem antiquated, there are several states that have passed laws protecting sports officials from assault and/or harassment.

New Hampshire passed one such law last year. The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, provides penalties for crimes committed against sports officials, including first- and second-degree assault, criminal threatening and stalking.

The offender is subject to the punishment prescribed for the underlying offense, as well as a fine of up to $1,000 and a prohibition from attending a sporting event in the state for up to a year for a first offense. Multiple offenses could trigger a lifetime ban.

There are currently four bills in the Massachusetts House of Representatives looking to do something similar. The House is set to decide whether to advance the bills on Dec. 3.