Roast Pathetic-Game over

[BRL121]

Heh, me too. I've been known to mutter "oh, you're gone" just before one of our players gets done HTB, and it's pretty hard to go off at the umpire when it's paid

I've been mulling this one over - if a spectator directed abuse straight at an umpire, face to face as it were, then yeah, I'm sorry, but ejection is not unreasonable. I think that's over the line from just yelling / booing from the stands. At the same time, I think the umpire in question doesn't need to go all point them out, either. Even Mrs Arrowman, who is not a fan of bad behaviour thought that when I told her about it.

I've been known to yell at the umpires from the stands - "peanut!", "cheat!", "how much are they paying you?" but I wouldn't do it to their face. Some would say that's gutless, I would say it's being able to draw the line between crowd behaviour and actual up front personal abuse.

So I'm not all that upset that someone got ejected for face to face abuse (not sure how up close and personal it was, though), however I hope the day doesn't come that we have hi viz jackets patrolling the crowd ready to descend on the "peanut!" shouter, or a 1-800 DOB IN AN UMPIRE ABUSER hotline.

Ah, that reminds me of the old days, when our favourite abuse in the SANFL was to yell "Pig O'Connell" from the outer! Would that get me carted away these days? I don't get to go much these days, but am very quiet, probably trained by watching cricket.

 

[Cap]

I abuse the umpire, other players, our players, the people sitting near by.
It’s why I go there.
But seriously, bald headed flog is what I’d call my mates, as a term of endearment.
This is dare I say it, “un Australian” .

So you go to the footy to verbally abuse people.

Don't get me wrong, banter (which despite that Collingwood fans claims and most Port fans claims, died at the footy decades ago) is fine usually fun, but really just going to abuse people?

 

[Ramify]

What a load.

I don't want medals for competing, but i simply do not understand how people are endorsing verbal abuse of others as an Australian past time?

So its ok if we boo and Aboriginal players because allegedly aren't nice blokes (even though the booing was racism at it heart, we justify it by saying we don't like the guy we've never met ) and verbally abuse people for doing their jobs.

Yep, seems the footy is getting to be an awesome place to be.

What do you mean "getting to be"?
It's been an awesome place to for the past 4 decades I've been attending, foul mouthed and aggressive crowds to boot Noone ever got hurt.
It began to start sucking more and more about 5-7 years ago when the petal patrol started getting their claws stuck in.
I find myself becoming boarder line paranoid about my behavior to the point where its has become a distraction from the footy whenever I go these days.
Why? Who actually benefits?

 

[Crow till I die]

Don't we all love having a big brother or 2 to 'guide' us

 

[Morning_Fog]

What a load.

I don't want medals for competing, but i simply do not understand how people are endorsing verbal abuse of others as an Australian past time?

So its ok if we boo and Aboriginal players because allegedly aren't nice blokes (even though the booing was racism at it heart, we justify it by saying we don't like the guy we've never met ) and verbally abuse people for doing their jobs.

Yep, seems the footy is getting to be an awesome place to be.

No one has the right or deserves to be vilified anyone else.

On the street, in your work place or even the sporting ground.

Anyone who does this should be questioning their own judgment, not the judgement of people trying to stamp out such issues.

 

[Morning_Fog]

What do you mean "getting to be"?
It's been an awesome place to for the past 4 decades I've been attending, foul mouthed and aggressive crowds to boot Noone ever got hurt.
It began to start sucking more and more about 5-7 years ago when the petal patrol started getting their claws stuck in.
I find myself becoming boarder line paranoid about my behavior to the point where its has become a distraction from the footy whenever I go these days.
Why? Who actually benefits?

That’s the problem right there. People don’t want to here that stuff anymore.

Times have changed. Yell, scream and support as loud as you* can but stop the profanity and intimidation of others around you. It’s not needed or wanted as it spoils the game.

* not you

 

[Big Gazoongas]

Gil you are a laughing stock. The AFL has turned into a communist organisation that wants to rule with an iron fist.

Gil, since there has been no directive from the AFL to clamp down on behaviour and you say its the same as it's been for 100 years, then can you please tell us why there has been a 100% increase of Stadium staff and police walking up and down the isles at Adelaide oval.......never seen it before. At one stage is was like synchronized patrolling by the police on Thursday night.

As far as I'm concerned Gil is incompetent, should never have been CEO and has shown over a number of years he is way out of his depth and totally out of touch with the supporters.

But Gil you keep up the defense of the worst officiating in an sport on this planet.

 

[Big Gazoongas]

What a load.

I don't want medals for competing, but i simply do not understand how people are endorsing verbal abuse of others as an Australian past time?

So its ok if we boo and Aboriginal players because allegedly aren't nice blokes (even though the booing was racism at it heart, we justify it by saying we don't like the guy we've never met ) and verbally abuse people for doing their jobs.

Yep, seems the footy is getting to be an awesome place to be.

Oh Cap your booing comments are complete garbage.
If you are claiming the booing is rasicm at hart and nothing about not liking the bloke can you explain why we fall over ourselves applauding and cheering Eddie.

Or are you claiming we now have selective racism. If im racist and boo Goodes because im racist how on earth could i applaud and love Eddie??

Is booing the white anglo saxon also racist or is an act deemed to be racist when Adam Goodes is at the heart of the debate??

 

[Cap]

What do you mean "getting to be"?
It's been an awesome place to for the past 4 decades I've been attending, foul mouthed and aggressive crowds to boot Noone ever got hurt.
It began to start sucking more and more about 5-7 years ago when the petal patrol started getting their claws stuck in.
I find myself becoming boarder line paranoid about my behavior to the point where its has become a distraction from the footy whenever I go these days.
Why? Who actually benefits?

No it got worse when people stopped behaving like adults in a public arena.

No one has made people start fights or turn completely feral except their own lack of self control.

 

[kirky]

What a load.

I don't want medals for competing, but i simply do not understand how people are endorsing verbal abuse of others as an Australian past time?

So its ok if we boo and Aboriginal players because allegedly aren't nice blokes (even though the booing was racism at it heart, we justify it by saying we don't like the guy we've never met ) and verbally abuse people for doing their jobs.

Yep, seems the footy is getting to be an awesome place to be.

You really have plot loss.

I don't condone any racist, sexist or homophobic tones or language however the ability to have a friendly go at someone should not be lost.

Generally it is how it is said, its tone and not the words that indicate the level of humour.

Australians are slowly losing the ability to laugh at oneself.

Perhaps you should buy a mirror and take a good hard look at yourself.

Or perhaps buy a bag of concrete, swallow and toughen up!

 

[kirky]

No it got worse when people stopped behaving like adults in a public arena.

No one has made people start fights or turn completely feral except their own lack of self control.

You obvious didn't go to the footy in the 1980's then.

Jesus, precious much.

You can called me a bald headed prick. Why? Because I'm bald headed and secondly at times I am a prick. I won't get offended tho.

 

[kirky]

I'm getting sick of a generation that basically are soft and won't tough things out and are pandered too much.

 

[Big Gazoongas]

Don't we all love having a big brother or 2 to 'guide' us

Didn't Gill say there is no instruction from the AFL??

Communism has arrived at AFL games.

I'll be expecting knitting needles and tea cosy's to be handed out at future AFL matches.

 

[jenny61_99]

It’s really interesting reading the two very distinct sides to this issue. On one side you have the folk who want to be allowed to abuse the umpire and oppo players (even their OWN players) at will... and even the idiots sitting next to them. On the other side you’ve got folk who’d rather not be sitting next to obnoxious drunks who are abusing and swearing at anyone and everyone.

I don’t agree with telling people to be quiet when they are barracking for their team. I do agree with telling obnoxious people to pull their head in or move along please. I’ve got a mate who has great banter for every oppo player. But he’s never rude or obnoxious, but very clever. Just yells out his banter at stoppages and everyone around him laughs - sometimes even the players do too!

 

[kirky]

It’s really interesting reading the two very distinct sides to this issue. On one side you have the folk who want to be allowed to abuse the umpire and oppo players (even their OWN players) at will... and even the idiots sitting next to them. On the other side you’ve got folk who’d rather not be sitting next to obnoxious drunks who are abusing and swearing at anyone and everyone.

I don’t agree with telling people to be quiet when they are barracking for their team. I do agree with telling obnoxious people to pull their head in or move along please. I’ve got a mate who has great banter for every oppo player. But he’s never rude or obnoxious, but very clever. Just yells out his banter at stoppages and everyone around him laughs - sometimes even the players do too!

I don't see how calling an umpire a flog is abuse especially when you are sitting 100m away. Now if you go up to his face and abuse him, that is not on at all.

I enjoy it when someone comes up with the witty banter - it is becoming a lost art tho.

There is no need for anyone to swear, you can be just as smart with a witty retort or comment.

 

[Southerntakeover]

The problem is that this stuff is all so subjective sometimes.

The idea that no one should ever feel upset or unsafe at the football is noble, perhaps, but what upsets or makes one feel unsafe can vary from person to person. It's never been sensible to attach standards of reasonableness to a subjective test.

What I don't understand about all of the 'my children feel unsafe' stuff that I hear is that I thought we have specifically allocated family friendly zones? Is that no longer the case, or are people electing to not use them, voluntarily subjecting their children to the risk, and then complaining about the results?

 

[arrowman]

I think it's...

A. Yelling abuse at an umpire from a few feet away as they leave the ground, vs
B. Shouting "Ah, you cheat!" from the stand during the game, or joining in with 20,000 people booing a soft free kick.

A. A stream of constant profanity, vs
B. Letting slip with an "oh, s**t!" when the oppo score a soft goal.

A. Shouting over the fence at an oppo player "You ****, your mother is a ****, your tatts look like ****, you ****ing bogan!", vs
B. "Your mother wears army boots!"

We seem to be moving the boundary from A to B, courtesy of " Behavioural Awareness Officers" whatever the eff they are.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Welcome to the leftist utopia. Bunch of psychopaths.

 

[Southerntakeover]

We're starting to see people who have an agenda starting to seize on it with essentially a political (in a football context) motive. Criticising your own players? That's abuse. Not happy with a performance? That's abuse. Unhappy with a loss? Abuse.

They don't want a reasonable match atmosphere or anything to do with safety, they want to enforce hegemony. They want it to be unsafe to have a critical view- at the risk of being dragged out by large security guards, and having your reputation tarnished by being displayed on television and your photo posted etc.

The problem with all of this is- the game will not survive at it's current level, or grow, with only the happy clappers. They need the rest of us for the economics to work. They're playing with fire- maybe, just maybe, they'll end up getting what they've always wanted- a game where it's just them- the purest of the pure, the one true fan- and no one else. Let's see how long the house of cards stands then.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Welcome to the leftist utopia. Bunch of psychopaths.

You're a nutter.

This has nothing to do with your warped view of politics, leave it out.

 

[AmericanCrow]

Mathew Nichols trying to have his own Adam Goodes moment shows the mentality of today's umpires.

I have a view that may be seen as old school, but umpires are there to assist the players play the game. They aren't celebrities or personalities, they are no more important than goal posts in the grand scheme of things. That's no a personal insult, it's merely an observation that, like goal posts, they are there to help the game be played. They should be seen, not heard.

Reacting to such an innocuous jibe shows a lack of resilience on the part of the umpire. It also shows a lack of concentration. No workplace is free from abuse, scrutiny and judgement of performance. Umpires ply their trade in public, and are thus open to public and immediate scrutiny. It's part of the job. If they can't cop that level of immediate feedback from a supporter, a player or a coach, they are in the wrong job.

This sort of thing makes it very clear to me that there are umpires who are quite sensitive to this sort of stuff and makes it far more believable that their decision making is impacted by crowd noise, game scenarios and other personal bias. This particular umpire has been shown, more than once, to be bias in certain scenarios. He shouldn't be umpiring, because he clearly cannot concentrate well enough to do his job, which is to objectively and impartially apply the rules.

There are times when people over step the mark when it comes to their "feedback", and those instances should be dealt with. But if "bald flog" falls outside of acceptable boundaries, then we all may as well accept that nothing more than polite clapping and stony silence will be allowed in a few years time.

We talk about "atmosphere" at games. Give it 5 years, there won't be any. But at least the umpires will feel important.

This was a lucid, erudite, well measured reply.

It also came from a Pittspuke Squeeler fan—

 

[Bender20]

Welcome to the leftist utopia. Bunch of psychopaths.

Maybe not psychopaths but definitely narcissism.
Seems to be ever increasing these days, it's to the point you have to point out 10 positives before 1 negative for some to not be offended. Where as the formula use to be 2 positives to 1 negative to be heard.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I genuinely felt sorry for Carlton supporters last night.

Paying money, and then being made to sit there last night like obsequious little servants (as their team ran around in orange socks, no less) at the behest of the East German uh I mean Australian Football League, with Soviet-style commissars stalking the terraces listening for thought crimes.

Sadly, I’m not the least bit surprised it’s come to this.

The AFL is not a football competition anymore, it is a political regime. And when you attend games you unwittingly are paying to be at the behest of that regime. It’s sick.

 

[arrowman]

We're starting to see people who have an agenda starting to seize on it with essentially a political (in a football context) motive. Criticising your own players? That's abuse. Not happy with a performance? That's abuse. Unhappy with a loss? Abuse.

They don't want a reasonable match atmosphere or anything to do with safety, they want to enforce hegemony. They want it to be unsafe to have a critical view- at the risk of being dragged out by large security guards, and having your reputation tarnished by being displayed on television and your photo posted etc.

The problem with all of this is- the game will not survive at it's current level, or grow, with only the happy clappers. They need the rest of us for the economics to work. They're playing with fire- maybe, just maybe, they'll end up getting what they've always wanted- a game where it's just them- the purest of the pure, the one true fan- and no one else. Let's see how long the house of cards stands then.

It's the managerial approach, that we see from governments of all persuasions. Something that is Undesirable? Why, we can regulate it away. That you might come down on people's freedoms to be a little bit naughty sometimes, or cast the net so wide that normal human behaviour becomes verboten? That is of no consequence, as long as we are saved from the Undesirables.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Really dangerous territory for the AFL.

People - especially Australians - don't like being told by authority what they can and can't do.

Even noble things like the Crows putting a free yellow tshirt on every fan's seat... hmmm, no. If I want to wear a yellow tshirt I'll buy one myself thanks. Save that slavish comformity for German soccer fans.

Part of the Goodes situation along similar lines. A heap of articles and media commentary decrying the booing. Misguided or not, I'm certain that a portion of fans started booing for their right to boo.

Is abuse and foul language at the football really that much of an issue? Seems an overreaction.