The Royal Sampler
Floreat Pica, Bitch!
The punishment needed to be strong enough to act as a deterrent, not just for the fan involved on this occasion, but also to AFL fans in general.
If the AFL’s primary concern was regarding the risk posed by this particular fan, they could give him a lighter punishment or a suspended punishment, and then hit him with something tougher on a repeat offence.
However then every other footy fan could do the same thing knowing that they would get leniency on the first occasion, effectively “starting from scratch” each time.
This incident needed to serve as the “fair warning” for every AFL fan attending games across the entire country. It couldn’t be simply a slap on the wrist.
If the AFL’s primary concern was regarding the risk posed by this particular fan, they could give him a lighter punishment or a suspended punishment, and then hit him with something tougher on a repeat offence.
However then every other footy fan could do the same thing knowing that they would get leniency on the first occasion, effectively “starting from scratch” each time.
This incident needed to serve as the “fair warning” for every AFL fan attending games across the entire country. It couldn’t be simply a slap on the wrist.