THOUGHTS | THE ALEX EALA FAN PLACARD

Okay, let me write about something I don’t usually cover.

Tennis.

It’s not that I hate the sport.

I just find it difficult to watch.

The thing about tennis is that you have to complete several points just to win a game. I also find it strange that the scoring starts at 15, then goes to 30, then 40, before you need a couple of tiebreakers to win the game. And they go through this for at least three to five sets. It used to drive me crazy.

However, that’s not what my rant is about. There’s this controversy online that started when singer Miguel Vera noticed an Alex Eala fan showing up at one of her matches holding a placard.

Normally, fans are free to support their favorite players. However, the placard featured one of her popular quotes—and it happens to be a Filipino curse word.

Now, Latinos should understand what that word means, which is basically calling someone’s mom a you-know-what. Some netizens are saying Vera is just overreacting. I mean, it’s not like kids don’t already know the curse word.

That said, I wonder how a grown-ass person would feel if a kid suddenly said that to their face.

Would that person find it cute?

Or would that person think of Eala when the kid said it?

Look, I bet even Eala would find that idea uncomfortable. She said that line after a stressful exchange, and I think she can be excused for saying it, given the situation. Repeating it and telling the world that it’s her “thing” is a different story. Heck, it could even become a distraction for her—or a come-to-Jesus moment in the middle of a match, making her wonder how she can be a role model if she’s known for saying that in front of fans, whether onsite or online.

I know we live in a time of spoon-fed information because of advances in technology, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that cursing, in any shape or form, is not a good thing.