"Banter" is a word which is abused by football fans. They don't seem to understand that banter is only something which can be done by consenting friendly parties on a personal basis. A crowd of people in a stadium shouting abuse at another crowd of people or an individual on the pitch isn't "banter". It's just abuse. The litmus test for it is simple. If you respond to the other person not being amused or being offended by your "banter" by accusing them of being soft or otherwise not able to handle banter ... then what you've done isn't banter. You've just abused someone.
