The Timbers Army will no longer be singing or promoting a controversial chant that some fans called offensive to women.
Following a board meeting Monday night, the 107ist Board of Directors announced that the "Portland Boys" chant had been removed from the Timbers Army website. Chant sheets distributed at matches will also no longer include the chant and the TA capos will no longer lead the TA in the singing of the chant at matches either.
"Given that the chant doesn't have unique central ties to either TA culture or history (it is a chant with variations sung by many supporters who are fans of many different soccer teams), and given that members offended by the lyric expressed grave concerns to us about issues that relate to our core values as Timbers Army/107ISTs, we decided that doing nothing was not an option," the board wrote in a statement.
The "Portland Boys" chant has caused controversy within the Timbers Army for the last seven to eight years due to a verse within the chant that reads, "Shag your women, drink your beer!"
Some fans have argued that the lyric isn't meant to be taken seriously and it would be unfortunate to censor a chant that has a long tradition of being sung within the TA.
But other fans have been vocal in their criticism of the chant.
Timbers fan Nicky Wiesenfeld wrote an op-ed on the Timbers Army website in April criticizing the use of the verse and discussed her concerns with the Oregonian/OregonLive in May.
"It's a chant about pillaging the other team's town and it uses women to talk about that," Wiesenfeld told the Oregonian/OregonLive. "Obviously, it's an exaggeration, but I think when you have 5,000 people singing 'shag your women' and you're equating women to objects, it is really dangerous and it's offensive."
Wiesenfeld was one of multiple Timbers fans that attended the 107ist board meeting Monday to raise their concerns over the chant.
"I'm extremely happy that the board took action, and I appreciate their time and consideration," Wiesenfeld told the Oregonian/OregonLive. "It was the right thing to do and I'm very proud to be part of the TA."
While the board considered just changing the one verse, they ultimately voted in favor of discontinuing the entire chant as to avoid creating "continued divisiveness within the stands."
The board said the decision was in line with their values as an organization that prides itself on creating an inclusive and positive environment for fans.
"We recognize the importance of honoring and recognizing our history; but we also stand for something more," the board wrote in their statement. "We reject racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia. We reject hate. We value basic human rights and dignity. And if members are concerned that a chant in our canon contains lyrics that run counter to our core, we have a responsibility to decide what we value most."
-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg