Losing passion for the AFL

[JF_Bay_22_SCG]

Originally posted by grayham
That actually happens in this country already. I had the misfortune to go to a Super 12 rugby game the other day between NSW and Canterbury (NZ).

The NSW Warratahs were continually called the "HSBC" Warratahs throughout the night by the ground announcer. Not once did he say NSW.

Now that is a sport that has sold itself to corporate blandness.

Even worse, the Australian National soccer/football side, the "Socceroos" played Paraguay a couple of years ago. The scoreboard said "LG Socceroos 0-Paraguay 0"

I'm sorry, but my country is not LG.

JF "Advance LG Fair"

PS:- I hate the individual sponsorship of the footies of late. I'd love to see those long fence banners come back into grounds as well.

 

[Ms.Storm]

Originally posted by Slax
After going to footy matches for over 20 years I am really losing interest, and not just in the game overall but also in my club. The standard of AFL football today is at the lowest it has been in over 30 years. The current crop of players may be able to run harder and faster than their predecessors but they can't kick, can't handball and don't know how to read the game.

On Saturday night I went with a friend to the Essendon v Bulldogs game at sh*tlands and saw a debacle and insult to the game. Players consistently miss targets when passing a ball more than 25 metres, and I don't mean by 1-2 metres I mean by 5 metres. You have to wonder is it the clubs recruiting the wrong players believing that an athletic player can be made skillful or do they just not exist.

I believe that if you entered the Hawthorna nd Geelong teams of 1989 (the best I saw), they would comfortably finish 1-2 on the ladder and by a fair way. The game is killing itself with coaches like Sheedy, Schwab, Daniher and co. believing that athleticism is the way to go. i player who knows how to read the game and is naturally talented will find the ball and use it wisely, and athletic player will look good trying to get the ball but stuff up when using it.

Slax,

I was going to mention some of the points you have above, in my earlier post.
The game needs to slow down .......does that make sense.?
Its like a stupid basketball game or a training drill at some games.

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Fogarty
Geez you guys sure have a fixation with "suzi darlin"
the answer to ya question is No
The two things i got hang a lot lower than the two things suzis got. i hope

fogarty

Thanks for that valuable piece of information. I think you missed the joke. The way you quoted a big, long post to give a very short response was most Suzi-esque.

 

[66MunsterT]

The way you quoted a big, long post to give a very short response was most Suzi-esque.

Some people complain if you edit their posts like i have now when you reply

Munster

 

[skilts]

Originally posted by iceman21
If you all hate the game so much why watch it?

I love the Footy ,Have a look at all the good points in the game- Rocca from 60, McLeod dashing from the centre with trademark speed, Voss kicking the captains goal, Buckley kicking the ball 30 times in a game, Hird taking a courageous mark, White flying over the pack for a mark ......I could just go on and on!
so what there's a sponsor logo on your teams jumper....who cares! does it change the club, without the sponsor there would be no footy so who cares let them have sponsorship signs all over them as long as the game goes on!

Just enjoy the game for what it is.......... the greatest game of all

What he said.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

Originally posted by grayham
That actually happens in this country already. I had the misfortune to go to a Super 12 rugby game the other day between NSW and Canterbury (NZ).

The NSW Warratahs were continually called the "HSBC" Warratahs throughout the night by the ground announcer. Not once did he say NSW.

Which is most unfortunate, considering HSBC stands for Humiliating Score By Crusaders.

Adelaide called themselves the Camry Crows when they first came in didn't they? I seem to recall it being in their original version of their team song.

 

[adey115]

some interesting posts here.

What I find disturbing is that the AFL decided that 'we' (as in the football going public) needed to change our 'culture'.

Prime example was yesterday at Colon Stadium.

No Reserves game, no pre-match entertainment at all. Hence no one turns up till just before the game. Collo blames the fans for turning up late. Seems sensible to me that people would turn up earlier if there was something to watch. The removal of the seconds game (could be TAC Cup, could be VFL, could be SANFL or WAFL in other states) was a change in culture. Did the fans want that? I don't think so.

Collo says people couldn't get in because the didn't pre-buy tickets or they weren't members. Hmmmm.... pre-buy tickets for an unnecessary booking fee. Why pay extra when its already expensive? Thanks for that. Hmmm.... memberships. That doesn't get you a reserved seat at Colonial, and unless you want to pay extra you sit up the back - so even if you get there early (with nothing to watch) you sit way up the back.... Hmmm.... what about those who don't support the Saints or the Tiges who just like going to see footy? Don't think they'd have a membership for a club they don't support. Thanks for those changes again guys, which we didn't request.

The kids love a kick of the footy after the game. Hmm.... can't do that at most games now. Change of culture....

 

[Joel]

I'm sick to death of people whinging about sponsorships and the like. If it wasn't for these, there would be no game, no clubs, no AFL. Times change, deal with it.

The game has only got better, sure it is a little sanitised, but the skill levels are miles ahead of what they used to be - watch a game from as little as 15 years ago and you will see what I mean.

Get over it, and enjoy the game.

 

[ok.crows]

Originally posted by Dr.Grouse
Well ... I'm glad you're a happy customer. Good for you.

Yes. I'm Alf Andrews ... and I can assure you that I'm reasonably numerate.

It's pretty obvious that the subtleties of my use of the term "loser" was lost on a non-Collingwood reader. I won't bother trying to explain ... as a supporter of the Camry Crows, the team for all Sour Stains (the K.G. pronunciation of "South Australians") you'd never understand.

Frankly, I don't give a stuff how many games your mob has won ... It's completely irrelevant.

Did I really call Adelaide a "loser" club?

Sloppy piece of writing on my part. I'm sorry. It must have been one of my off days.

Let me rephrase it then.

I'd rather barrack for The Club than a club ... no matter how many games we've won or haven't won.

I understand you perfectly. You can't see any other viewpoint other than your own.

Surely that means that in fact you retain your passion ?

BTW, the reference to "the team for ALL South Austrlians" derives from the fact that the Adelaide Football Club was a co-operative made from all ten SANFL clubs, and therefore representative of ALL existing footy followers in SA, not merely representative of the one minor suburban club. I didn't expect you to understand that.

Also BTW, you still can't count.

Given your thoughts that a person from a given locale must be similar to just one representative from that region, that makes you now a bigotted innumerate.

 

[MarkT]

There are lots of things I miss about old time footy. I started going to the footy in the lateish 70's. I miss Vic. Park and standing at the fence with a bag of donuts watching Daicos make a fool of bloke 10 years older in the magoos before he'd played a senior game. I miss running onto the ground to listen to Ron Richards give the 3Q time address at the reserves and being kicked off by the fat attendant because we had to get 1 more kick of our footy in before the ball was bounced for the last Q. I miss my old woollen Collingwood jumper with just the black and white stirpes and the plastic number 25. I miss cheap footy records when all I ever wanted one for was the middle page and something to get an autograph of Peter Moore on (before the pr#ck went to Melb.). I miss Saturday arvo and tracking the rival teams on the scoreboard as the day progressed. I miss kick to kick before the game on the grass at the Yarra falls end. I even miss rabid Moorabbin, feral Arden Street, ****y Princess (yes I know it's not Princess) Park, pathetic Western Oval and Windy DungHill.

But it is the 21st century. Like it or not things change. Believe it or not we are all our gandpa complaining about the good old days. Move on. Kids watching footy today think it's as good as you and I did when we were kids.

 

[grayham]

Originally posted by Joel
I'm sick to death of people whinging about sponsorships and the like. If it wasn't for these, there would be no game, no clubs, no AFL. Times change, deal with it.

The game has only got better, sure it is a little sanitised, but the skill levels are miles ahead of what they used to be - watch a game from as little as 15 years ago and you will see what I mean.

Get over it, and enjoy the game.

Sponsorship is fine, as long as it doesnt intrude on the game.
I like going to see the banners to see the witty line about a club or opposition, or recongise a players games feat. Not read a boring sponsors endorcement.
I also like to call Collingwood, Collingwood, not Emmerites Magpies.
I like to travel out to Stadium Australia, not Telstra Stadium.

Take a look at the Super 12 table, and try and tell me where each team comes from. I vaguely follow that game, but still couldnt do it. We do not want to go down that route IMO.

 

[Leigh Roy]

The times when club sponsorship agreements are used as fodder for club piss-taking shows how brainless the barbs can get and while it's not like anybody really is overly happy that some times things like that happen (Mazda Kangaroos, AAPT Brisbane Lions) be thankful it's not that bad as it is in other sports.

 

[NYMets]

I love the guy who thinks the game wouldn't survive without corporate logos etc when it did allright... with incredible crowds other codes dream about... for about 100 yrs.

This thread surprised me as i thought it was only me. Other people have put their opinion of the recent changes more eloguently.. From so far away I mourn the loss of the tribal feel of home grounds,the dominance of Brisbane while other teams have to break up, less Sat arvo, more corp intervention etc etc. Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth still have a lot of access to games, TV and print coverage. Mine is a well worn song from Sydney. Radical loss of access to the game in the last two seasons.
I used to be hooked.. ....(see long tirade below *)
..where is the motza the AFL got for TV rights? Not being used to promote the game here - as access has lessened considerably(discounting some worthy-in-theory Sat night games on prime time TV that in practice dispay skills that embarrassingly won't promote the game to Sydneyites ..better to show them Port or NM/Brisbane rather than Sydney/Hawks or Freo( skills in games producing "What the?" among friends) and the occasional mention of some usually unflatering aspect of the game on The Fat)

But I have discovered the joys of english and champion league football with access to games and news on SBS. Found it slow at first but we're loving 7:30 mondays as we used to the footy shows.

*I used to:
a) hit the now poxy website - TERRIBLE NOW
b) listened to Coodabeens (gawn) or 3AW on the net (now blocked by AFL.com),
c) travel to Melbourne 2x a season and enjoyed whot used to be huge enthusiastic crowds (Fares' gone up,crowds' gone down)
d) annoy people with weekend TV domination (including even the used-to-be-footy-obsessed-now-has-nothing Sportsworld Sunday bl@@dy mornings!)
e) Stay up for the only footy news on Sports Tonight or the now crap Footy Show or T.F. or the Game or AFL roundup (both now gawn)or a late night game (now they're ALL mostly REALLY late night - why bother?)
f) if the Bombers weren't live on TV you could go to a club and catch it with other fans (now on Foxtel it's not live and ONLY ONE CLUB IN SYDNEY HAS FOX FOOTY..where they all had optus).
g) Go to the SCG.and see anything....very few home games this year and the cheapest seat if you've been ill and just need to be covered in the rain is (wait for it) $59!!!! hmmm.etc.

 

[Joel]

Originally posted by NYMets
I love the guy who thinks the game wouldn't survive without corporate logos etc when it did allright... with incredible crowds other codes dream about... for about 100 yrs.

I love the guy that deludes himself on the 'good old days'.

The game was amatuer 100 years ago and remained so for a very long time. Football players had jobs and football wasn't their career. Teams could be run on small donations, and teams didn't have skills coaches, three assisstant coaches and players commanding $500,000 a year.

The game has changed. Football is now professional, and for many footballers, football is their career until they finish playing.

It is the players and the costs associated with running a football club these days that have forced teams to have sponsorships and the like. However, because of this, the game is quicker and more skillful.

The game is better these days, if you are losing your passion for football because of the AFL and their policies then if you ask me, you weren't passionate in the first place.

 

[NYMets]

Originally posted by Joel
The game is better these days,

depends on what you mean by better....giving more enjoyment to the fans? that's debatable. Following overseas examples they seem to be taking a home grown successful part of the culture from the people who invented it , packaging it up and homogonizing it and selling it back to them.

if you are losing your passion for football because of the AFL and their policies then if you ask me, you weren't passionate in the first place. ,

The AFL and their policies affect how the teams function, where they play etc etc and more importantly my access to the game .....NO Access NO interest....you like reading about it second hand by AFL gagged correspondants? great - get passionate about a product. Have you tried vanilla coke?

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by NYMets
Have you tried vanilla coke?

Do they sell that at the Lulie St. milkbar?

 

[Jars458]

I think footy is great and people too often look for the negatives.

People in general struggle to cope with change. Whilst some of it hasn't been for the best, I think people pine for the good old days and actually forget the good old days actually were not that good.

An example used has been hte physicality of the game. I recently watched the Rex Hunt production of Biffs and Brawlers or something such like. Most of it was just sickening and cowardly violence. I for one am glad that most of that has gone from the game now.

I think the game has gone a touch soft but its not as bad as many people make it out to be.

I will admit that I only came to Australia in 87 and therefore am coming from a different perspective than people who followed the suburan game for years before that.


The quality of football these days is fantastic and the venues in general are much better than they used to be.

My views, FWTAW.

 

[gPhonque]

Once again, I'll just say that it's amazing (and rather frustrating) - the amount of people who don't particularly like where the game is heading, yet continue to blindly follow the game, pay their club memberships, and go to the games week in week out.

I'll say this again:

If everybody who was sick and tired of the AFL decided to grow some balls and refuse to turn up to games (by all means buy your memberships if you wish, but don't go to the games), then it would be the first step to returning the game to who it truly belongs - THE PEOPLE.


If crowd numbers continue to stay where they are, then the AFL have the only reason they need to claim, and believe, that they are doing a good job.


The problem is: I always thought that football was about the clubs, players and supporters.



Unfortunately these days, the game is about the AFL (who SHOULD be there FOR the clubs), the umpires, and the sponsers.



Yet you people still turn up to games like sheep.



Our game needs a revolution.

Our game should be instantly recognizable as AUSTRALIAN.

"Telstra Dome" does not say "Australia" to me.

Our game has survived for as long as it has because it was uniquely Australian. Why do the people in charge of it insist on American-izing every single part of it?

They are destroying it.

Only a revolution will save it.

DON'T GO TO GAMES!

STAY HOME!

 

[Mr Ripper]

Originally posted by Joel
the game is quicker and more skillful.

The game is better these days

Newfooty: packs, stoppages, riskless and clinical. Oldfooty: one-out contests, free-flowing, attacking.

Newfooty: wrestlemania. Oldfooty: see the big men fly!

You kids don't know what you've missed out on. Thank the Lord for videos.

 

[Joel]

Originally posted by Mr Ripper
Newfooty: packs, stoppages, riskless and clinical. Oldfooty: one-out contests, free-flowing, attacking.

Newfooty: wrestlemania. Oldfooty: see the big men fly!

You kids don't know what you've missed out on. Thank the Lord for videos.

Then why are you still watching it?

 

[racehorse27]

Boycott round 11

Originally posted by gPhonque

I'll say this again:

If everybody who was sick and tired of the AFL decided to grow some balls and refuse to turn up to games (by all means buy your memberships if you wish, but don't go to the games), then it would be the first step to returning the game to who it truly belongs - THE PEOPLE.

STAY HOME!

Totally agree, I've long thought this is the only way to make the AFL take notice. It needs to be more organised and everyone should boycott a round of football - round 11 looks good, is anyone really interested in......

Kangaroos v Richmond Telstra Dome 7:40 PM
Hawthorn v Adelaide Melbourne Cricket Ground 2:10 PM
St Kilda v Brisbane Lions Telstra Dome 7:10 PM
Sydney v Essendon Telstra Stadium 7:20 PM
Port Adelaide v Fremantle AAMI Stadium 1:10 PM
Geelong v Carlton Telstra Dome 2:10 PM
West Coast v Western Bulldogs Subiaco 3:40 PM
Melbourne v Collingwood Melbourne Cricket Ground 2:10 PM


Maybe those forming the supporters group on the other thread could write an open letter to the AFL listing the issues that can be dealt with (umpiring, grand final tickets, admittance costs/arrangements, game scheduling - leave out the political crap like eddie mcguire, the salary cap, etc) and stating that they encourage all football supporters to boycott round 11.

the letter should also include...
"If we miss a quarter of football due to the AFL/telstra domes incompetence we expect to be compensated not treated with contempt by some corporate #*@ker."

Post it here and if we email it to everyone we know who goes to the footy and they forward it on.

BOYCOTT ROUND 11

 

[knuckles]

Originally posted by gPhonque
Our game has survived for as long as it has because it was uniquely Australian. Why do the people in charge of it insist on American-izing every single part of it?

Your post loses all credibility when you head down the "Americanizing" path. Please clarify what exactly is "Americanizing". Players getting paid? Fans not sitting / standing in pouring rain? Using 21st century technology to book tickets? Advertising? - never seen any on NFL guernsey, ball or ground - perhaps this is EPLing AFL? What exactly is this Amercianizing, or are you regurgitating old cliches?

 

[Mr Ripper]

Originally posted by Joel
Then why are you still watching it?

Go back to my first post in this thread.

I'm also clinging to an ever-diminishing hope that this downward spiral can be turned around. Getting rid of The Giesch would be a good start.

 

[Joel]

Originally posted by Mr Ripper

Getting rid of The Giesch would be a good start.

I have to agree with you on that one! When will we get an umpires director that isn't weak and soft like Giesch? And when will we get umpires that can call things consistently?

 

[grayham]

Re: Boycott round 11

Originally posted by racehorse27
Totally agree, I've long thought this is the only way to make the AFL take notice. It needs to be more organised and everyone should boycott a round of football - round 11 looks good, is anyone really interested in......

Kangaroos v Richmond Telstra Dome 7:40 PM
Hawthorn v Adelaide Melbourne Cricket Ground 2:10 PM
St Kilda v Brisbane Lions Telstra Dome 7:10 PM
Sydney v Essendon Telstra Stadium 7:20 PM
Port Adelaide v Fremantle AAMI Stadium 1:10 PM
Geelong v Carlton Telstra Dome 2:10 PM
West Coast v Western Bulldogs Subiaco 3:40 PM
Melbourne v Collingwood Melbourne Cricket Ground 2:10 PM

BOYCOTT ROUND 11

Call me a scab if you want, but I'm going to Stadium Australia that weekend.