When I was about 9 or 10, I learned firsthand that the threat of getting my mouth washed out with soap was real. I have no idea what curse word I uttered on our front porch that day just outside the kitchen window, but it was enough to make my mother follow through with a bar of Dove to the kisser.

That episode has stayed with me my whole life. If nothing else, I learned in that "teachable moment" that there is a time and a place for everything, and swearing when your mother is in close range is not one of them.

Thirty-plus years later, I continue to revisit that experience and wonder if a few well-placed bars of soap wouldn’t do the trick on a number of team benches around the country.

It doesn’t seem to take much to trigger an F-bomb or one of its cousins these days: A coach doesn’t like a call or the outcome of a play; a player misses the net, rims a free throw or gets thrown out en route to first base. Boom, there it is.

We’re not talking under your breath, either. We’re talking quite audible to spectators. Parents. Little kids. Grandparents. Recruits. Campus staff.

While this is an issue I addressed within my conference earlier this year, I do not believe we are the only ones making such loud and casual use of obscenities. A recent survey showed that 64 percent of American adults admit to casual use of just the F-word. It is pervasive in music that our student-athletes listen to every day. It is commonplace to hear it in hallways and dining halls on campuses around the country. The line of propriety has allegedly shifted, so it’s no wonder our student-athletes might think profanity is acceptable on the playing field.

It is not acceptable.

The fact is, cursing offends more people than you think. It:

• creates an unpleasant atmosphere;
• reflects poorly on your program;
• reduces respect people have for you and is disrespectful of others;
• shows a lack of control and maturity; and
• can turn discussions into arguments and more.

It is time to re-establish the line. As educators, we have an obligation to grab that proverbial bar of soap and teach otherwise.

The effort starts at the top with the coaches and the example they set (or allow). Team captains have a role, particularly in addressing peer pressure to "go along." Officials need to be educators on the field as well, with timely warnings and ejections as may be warranted. ADs, ultimately the buck stops with you.

Swearing is a habit, and it takes an effort to break. The Web site Cusscontrol.com offers these suggestions for "taming your tongue":

n Recognize that swearing does damage.

n Start by eliminating casual swearing.

n Use alternative words (remember "shoot" and "dang"?).

n Cope, don’t cuss.

I often hear our student-athletes complain we don’t get enough fans at our games. The fact is, our coaches and student-athletes practice hard and compete hard. They deserve an appreciative audience. But there also is an obligation to respect the opportunity that they’ve been given. Does anyone allow pre-game music with profanity? Then why would we think it is OK to subject fans, officials and teammates to such outbursts in the course of a game? In a split second all it can do is diminish the hard work that came before it.

So let’s make a collective effort to clean it up, to re-establish the line. Our profession, our sports, our institutions and our fans deserve better. And of course, our mothers expect it.