Losing your love/passion for the game

[Bunk Moreland]

Love the sport, love my club, less and less enthused about the AFL.

Not just about this year and our saga, it's been that way for a few years.

The whole thing is a little too much of a soap opera for my liking. I like going to Essendon games, it's great siren to siren and I can lose myself, but everything else during the week can just leave you a bit jaded. All the bullshit and over exposure.

I also really enjoy going to the local footy and it can be of a reasonable standard. Love the sport and it can be a bit more like AFL used to be.

 

[boncer34]

Is anyone else like me and just about done ? These last 6 months have really made me question why I follow the sport and if half the things you hear are true we follow a corrupt sport (I'm not only including the REDnBLACK in that statement) that we only thought existed overseas. If clubs are to pigheaded to admit guilt when caught I just don't see the point anymore.

Pigheaded?

We've admitted governance issues and everything that goes with that. What we refuse to admit is that we're drug cheats because guess what? We're not and ASADA have so far proved diddly squat.

 

[The Blue Baggers]

loved footy in the 80's and 90's when it was still played @ the suburban grounds and the players played because they enjoyed the game... in fact they looked forward to their game of footy

and I for one really enjoyed the game going national and totally agreed people from perth and adelaide deserved to see the best players weekly

however nowadays and "professionalism" I sense the players do not enjoy playing despite all the money... the players association are forever trying to increase the no. of byes because the players want a break.... wtf they want more money but play less ???????

as for essendon, has winning become so important we now take young players off site and inject them with ????

 

[Craze]

I think some on here have completely missed the point of what the OP is saying. And I agree 100% with the sentiment. For some to call this issue just 'tabloid' is completely missing the point. Please read the charge sheet against the EFC (posted on the AFL website) in order to inform yourself of the substance of the issue. Then listen to Matt Finnis' excellent press conference this afternoon. Sobering to say the least.

The fact that there are individuals willing to trash their own club's reputation, willing to put their employees (players) at risk by, in effect, experimenting with their health, willing to bypass all the normal checks and balances with respect to employing shonky sports scientists, leads me to wonder about the future of our game.

I seriously question whether we know half of what really goes on behind the scenes, from clubs and individual players wanting to take short-cuts. I'll always love my Tiges but the code has lost a bit of innocence here.

 

[chunkylover53]

I still love the game. But I'm a bit over 2013 to be honest. Has been a long one.

The whole Essendon thing, nothing games, the current standard of Australian sports journalism.

Just hanging out for finals and have been since about round 13. Think it will be a good series!

 

[Pusswah]

Disgusted by the way Essendon is conducting itself.

Does not make me lose love for the game but makes me ****ing angry.

 

[Commissioner Gordon]

I'm losing interest this season....mainly due to us being shithouse though.

 

[OniAu]

Would never stop watching. However i hate the egos and personalities that are pretending to be bigger than the game intself and ruining our great game.

Few issues that really annoy me about our game are

- Bartlett/rules committee - Im sorry but you shouldn't be touching the rules of the game when there is nothing wrogn wit hthe game. Things arent run past coaches or players in regards to rule changes or even without trial.

- Tribunal - This is actually one of the few things that has improved thankfully. Still has its moments.

- Drug Issues/Essendon - This is the biggest joke that has hit the afl. How this can be dragged out for a whole season is a joke. Demetriou needs to go for this. All the admin and coaches need to go for this at the bombers. Players at the bombers need to be fined for being involved.

- Manipulation of the draw - Sounds rich coming from a pies supporter. But when it comes to finals matches and interstate teams basically being made to play in victoria when they have the higher seed, then its a joke. They need to sort the uneveness of the draw and stop being money hungry. If they want more money , extend the final series and make everyone play each other once in the proper rounds.

 

[blue harvest]

No

 

[mehow2g]

Well for this season Essendon Saga was an obvious one AFL attempted to sweep this one away but it didnt work like other times because of WADA/ASADA.

I've witnessed 2 games from my side get match fixed and umpired into victory, I'm not saying an individual is fixing the game I think betting agencies give betting figures to the AFL and cut a deal.

Rules are bad, Rules change weekly or even every 10mins.
Diving has never been punished.
Umpires go unpunished which is linked with match fixing.
MRP

AFL has in past 5 years expressed and drilled in our heads how tough their illicit drug policies are yet no one has been banned dispute rampant use, what worries me the most is there has only been focus of party drugs we were never told how strong their PED testing is it almost looks like they have turned a blind eye to it.

AFL has had its toughest year in history with Essendon I hope it is a kick up the ass for the AFL to get some integrity back into the game, I'm surprised yet very happy on the latest on the saga I hope its a turning point.

The game is too much of a boys club.

Yes I think I've sat through about 8 full games this year all which were Eagles, last year I watched about 3 full games a week.

 

[schmuppet]

1. Draw is rigged
2. Draft is rigged
3. Salary cap is rigged
4. Drugs saga is a joke
5. Too many junk games each round

Yeah, I'm getting a bit over it too.

 

[Mitchemx]

Yeah I was actually just thinking about this today. Just how little I have cared about the season thus far, coming from a fairly big football fan.

Can't pin point the exact reason, it's just a combination of factors. First and foremost being the Essendon/ASADA/AFL scandal. I literally couldn't care less about it and it's ruined football media for me. I haven't read the sports section in months. Stopped listening to SEN very early on in the season. I'm sick to death of it.

Secondly would be getting rid of Foxtel. Easily affordable but couldn't justify paying through the roof for the football channel and a whole bunch of garbage i'm not interested in. Just don't have as much footy at my fingertips as i used to.

Also just working really long hours this year that I haven't done in recent years, so when I do get some free time, footy just isn't such a big priority as it used to be.

All i do these days is watch the Hawks game every weekend. Even then I usually only learn of out ins and outs for that week 10 mins before the game. Probably the worst thing is even though my team is well placed coming into the finals, I have zero excitement.

 

[The Blue Baggers]

Yeah I was actually just thinking about this today. Just how little I have cared about the season thus far, coming from a fairly big football fan.

Can't pin point the exact reason, it's just a combination of factors. First and foremost being the Essendon/ASADA/AFL scandal. I literally couldn't care less about it and it's ruined football media for me. I haven't read the sports section in months. Stopped listening to SEN very early on in the season. I'm sick to death of it.

Secondly would be getting rid of Foxtel. Easily affordable but couldn't justify paying through the roof for the football channel and a whole bunch of garbage i'm not interested in. Just don't have as much footy at my fingertips as i used to.

Also just working really long hours this year that I haven't done in recent years, so when I do get some free time, footy just isn't such a big priority as it used to be.

All i do these days is watch the Hawks game every weekend. Even then I usually only learn of out ins and outs for that week 10 mins before the game. Probably the worst thing is even though my team is well placed coming into the finals, I have zero excitement.

agree, I also have stopped listening to SEN and apart from selected live games do not watch fox footy

 

[Ahern2Boof]

Every year, my interest in the AFL wanes significantly around Round 18-19, with the amount of dead-rubber games and the ladder positions all but solidified, and there appears to be one clear cut team with a chance of winning the premiership. That interest picks up again in finals, not only because of the high-quality games, but because of the upcoming trading/free agency periods, which are highly interesting for me, not to mention the increase in draft coverage.

 

[Gasometer]

No.

But, dislike the holding the ball decision.

 

[Gus Poyet]

Rules committees and AFL agendas have ruined the great game.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

I think we can all say we can't wait for the drug saga to end so we can actually hear about football again..

 

[Brown Bottle]

Love it more every year, and every year I see less and less of the elite product - the AFL.

Club / local footy is where it's at.

 

[PoidaCat]

I get bored now. We are just too awesome.

I like it when we turn it on like we did against West Coast though that gets me excited.

 

[Catgirl]

I could never, ever give up footy.

Not when they started bringing in these shitty rules.

Not when Geelong begins to play crap.

Not when half of the league is made up of computers and robots.

Although there is a lot to hate about the way the league lords are handling their power, you only have to watch something as simple as a clutch piece of play and before you know it you're back on BigFooty adding onto your hopelessly huge post count. I know it, you know it. Maybe you could have deserted footy altogether before you joined BigFooty, but now you're forever indebted to the damn sport no matter how hard you try. This site does things to you.

What clutch moments do it for me?

Joel Corey smother 2007 PF
Allen Christensen mark 2011 GF
Scarlett Toe Poke, Ablett kick, Varcoe handpass, Chapman goal 2009 GF
Varcoe running and goal 2011 GF
Ling closing goal 2011 GF
Mooney handpass, Milburn goal vs St Kilda 2011
Bartel point after siren vs Hawthorn 2009
Hawkins goal after siren vs Hawthorn 2012

 

[Balony_pony16]

I love the lions still....but my passion for the game has dropped heaps over the past few years. I used yo watch at least 4 games a weekend and be very engaged. Now I watch the lions and flick over other games for score updates....well at least the wife is happy to get the TV back

 

[Jarlcorbz]

Drugs, tanking, rule changes, bump being dead, silly free kicks, silly suspensions, coaches apologising, coaches being sacked, Brian Taylor...

What has come of this great sport...

 

[mightymouse75]

Drugs, ducking, players dobbing in other players, players being suspended for bumps, the boys club that is the afl corp., constant rule changes, umpires deciding games, Melbourne, aggression that is finding its way into stadium.
Been a shite couple of years and still no sign of vlad and co. Moving on.

 

[Jewbacca]

I definitely have more passion for my local league than the AFL. I'm also just as excited for the start of the NFL season as i am for round 1 of the AFL which wasn't always the case.

 

[MarkCatsFan]

It has been a long season, and I have not followed it as religiously this year as I did in previous years for the reason that constantly hearing about the Essendon saga in every Quarter/half time break has been awful, boring and at times down right depressing. Last year I was watching at least 5 games a weekend. This year it has gone down to 1-2.

But I haven't lost my passion for the game. I love aussie rules, and I will never stop loving it as a game. I think 2013 will just be a year that we resign to the history books and avoid speaking of again. Providing of course that the Essendon saga is completely dealt with before Round 1 2014. If it is still dragging on into the preseason and next season I will be struggling to watch at all.