Sledging - What is and isn't acceptable?

[Mutant]

Headcases version to get off a striking charge

Yeah some real credibility there...Yet Im the deluded one....sheesh

Read this article then get back to me =)

http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=41502

NOONE that was on the field gave evidence/was a witness for selwood

Just the chairman as a PR stunt

Whereas Bell presented evidence as a Lawyer
Credibility count?

Headland 1, Selwood 0

Still will probably never know what was said until Selwood grows some and spills the beans[/QUOTE]"



Wow a Lawyer a profession that makes it's money from twisting the truth, akin to a car salesman or call centre operator.

Probably gave evidence as "a bloke trying to support his team mates bullshit" Bell seemed like a clubman, so he would be aware that the club has paid a fortune to get the underperforming Headcase and probably also realised that the value being returned would be even less with the bloke suspended.

Obviously if Headlands version is to be believed Selwood must already "have some" or how did he do that thing.

 

[Dorval6]

All or nothing with me.

You can't sledge someone else then get upset when the sledge you back.

My mates and I sledge each other all the time then one got upset by a comment they felt was crossing the line........Something about rooting his teenage daughter which was a direct response to a comment about rooting my wife.

Sorry, we have sledging rules now??

U cant play the game then get upset when it gets a bit hot.

 

[RU486]

Anything goes on a football field. Regardless if they 'ban' sledging for the AFL its always going to exist on an amateur level.

 

[Marklar_33]

All or nothing with me.

You can't sledge someone else then get upset when the sledge you back.

My mates and I sledge each other all the time then one got upset by a comment they felt was crossing the line........Something about rooting his teenage daughter which was a direct response to a comment about rooting my wife.

Sorry, we have sledging rules now??

U cant play the game then get upset when it gets a bit hot.

You clearly crossed the line


Anyway...in football, I guess the line would be sledging someone for anything other than football. Im not saying you cant sledge for outside matters, but if you do, you'd better make it more clever than distasteful otherwise you deserve to find yourself taking a holiday

End of the day, these guys are only out there because of their football ability. Im not going to let some arseh*le come into my workplace and give me hell about sensitive matters. I will, however, have a laugh about my possible none-to-serious misfortunes if the bagging is witty and tasteful. I wouldnt call myself Australian if I couldnt

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Honestly, as long as the two guys involved shake hands and apologies are exchanged I don't see why it should go any further than the field of play - regardless of what was said.

 

[TheStinger]

I've always been a little bemused by the subject of racial sledging. Now I am not saying that the use of derogatory names is fine, far from it. My issue is when someone uses the word "black".

If someone called an Aboriginal player "black magic", I am pretty sure an aboriginal player would not be getting upset over that. But if they called them a "black c***", they would probably get upset and scream racial vilification.

But what are they getting upset over? The fact they said "black" or "c***"? As soon as the following word becomes offensive, the "black" makes it worse? How about this, YOU ARE BLACK!

The use of this word is descriptive. Like how we call an umpire a white maggot. The use of the colour in the sledge should not automatically deem this racially motivated.

Use of the N-word or other established epithets towards Aboriginals should be way off limits, but the use of the word black needs to be carefully considered. How bad is it really when saying someone is black only becomes an issue when followed by the real insult?

 

[tropicaltiger]

He'd then say, no thanks, I only use the good shit that you can't afford because you're a shit player on a shit salary.....he then runs off with the footy.

If you sledge a good player, you better make it a ripper because good players usually have a strong, fighting mental capacity and feed off it.

mate, you have hit the nail right on the head.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I was able to play footy without needing to gob off at the opposition, so I see sledging as a completely unnecessary part of the game. I can't believe the amount of junk talk I hear from the boundary line these days, if players put as much effort into getting the ball as they do gobbing off, they'd be much better players. When players sledged me, all it did was make me concentrate harder and make me more determined to thrash them.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

I was able to play footy without needing to gob off at the opposition, so I see sledging as a completely unnecessary part of the game. I can't believe the amount of junk talk I hear from the boundary line these days, if players put as much effort into getting the ball as they do gobbing off, they'd be much better players. When players sledged me, all it did was make me concentrate harder and make me more determined to thrash them.

Bingo.

 

[00Stinger]

Either all sledging is banned or there is no limits really.

I feel that every player would have a different line when it comes to sledging, therfore we should either ban it all together or harden up and cop it!

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

I'm 50/50 with depression. It's the persons choice to come out and say they are struggling with it, so be prepared to cop some from the opposition.
I doubt the player would take to the field unless they had recovered and were in a better frame of mind, so they should be able to handle insults. On the flip side, it is an illness that can lead to suicide.
quote]

Firstly, if a player was suffering serious depression he wouldnt be able to take himself to the field.

If in fact he's fit (mentally and physically), then to suggest he "go have a cry" should be water off a ducks back.

So should a player with a diagnosed mental illness even be allowed to play? (will he be able to sue the AFL should he have a breakdown during the game?! That is, was he adequately protected under OH&S provisions??)

If cleared to play, should he be made to wear a bright yellow armband to indicate "No Sledging" allowed by other players???

The whole issue can reach ridiculous proportions in an age of PC and media-driven hype!

 

[Koori]

best Ive heard was when an older guy was lining up for a goal after taking a mark on a kid. The kid yelled 'you cant kick this youre too old, old enough to be my dad'.
old guy replied 'knowing your mum I could be' to the amusement of all players even the ump, he then jogged in and calmly kicked the goal. then a bit of push and shove, the kid was dragged soon after because he had lost the plot and was trying to square up. Pretty sure the old guy let him know all about it when the runner came out and dragged him. Point is if youre gonna sledge dont sook if you cop it back or if someone gets angry and gives you a smack in the mouth, if you are a serial sledger most times even your teamates will turn a blind eye. In the heat of battle sometimes players just say whatever will upset certain players the most with no real malice but without thinking of the consequences. It is certainly a grey area and would be hard to enforce a blanket rule.

 

[joeyavalanche]

If i am a carlton player and sees Benny cousin look a little down, i would go up to him and sledge him: 'hey benny boy, u looking for ur cocain mate, got some in my bag, wanna share it during half time break?'

hahahahahahahahahahahaha



seriously mate,
thats the best you could come up with

 

[TheStinger]

Best sledge reply I have ever heard of was when Javed Miandad kept calling Merv Hughes a bus driver. When Merv got him out soon after, as Miandad was walking past Merv reached out his hand and said "Tickets please."

Classic Merv.

 

[J_Moore]

I don't buy this "it's a dog eat dog world out there on the park, anything goes, do anything to survive" nonsense. It's organised sport, not a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

 

[Lord_Flashheart]

All or nothing with me.

You can't sledge someone else then get upset when the sledge you back.

My mates and I sledge each other all the time then one got upset by a comment they felt was crossing the line........Something about rooting his teenage daughter which was a direct response to a comment about rooting my wife.

Sorry, we have sledging rules now??

U cant play the game then get upset when it gets a bit hot.

Okay, in my opinion, here is the line, if the teenage daughter is 19, sledge okay, if the teenage daughter is 13, not so much!!

 

[Asgardian]

Apart from anything to do with children it's all acceptable.

 

[Lord_Flashheart]

Also, another great one I heard was toward Glenn McGrath a few years back.

I can't remember the batter, but he was South African I think,

Paraphrasing:

Mcgrath - "Jeez mate, why are you so fat?"

Fat Batter - "Everytime I shag your wife, she gives me a biscuit"

 

[GilbertSideStep]

Any sledges based on race or religion are completely below the belt.

Family is an interesting one. As long as the statement has no real basis it's fine in my book, e.g. "Your sister has a bigger c**k than Bazza". When you start entering territory in which there is some truth (and as a result real malice) behind the sledge (i.e. Minson & Cornes), that is completely uncalled for.

When it comes to comments directly relating to the player in question (Slater & Riewoldt), fair game as far as I'm concerned. They are professionals and should easily be able to brush of sledges about themselves.

 

[soho]

the afl/nrl dont care about sledging, sledging isnt the problem...

a problem arises when alledged sledges make their way to the paper, and public perception gets involved, with various interest groups rushing to claim the moral high ground...

so, i propose an all out media ban on reporting on the 'nasty' aspects of sledging... as a way of enforcement, the afl could simply black lists journo's/media groups who choose to tarnish the game with negative stories (as they do already)... this would fix the problem once and for all...

media groups would be free to report on any 'friendly' banter that takes place on the field...

 

[Lord_Flashheart]

the afl/nrl dont care about sledging, sledging isnt the problem...

a problem arises when alledged sledges make their way to the paper, and public perception gets involved, with various interest groups rushing to claim the moral high ground...

so, i propose an all out media ban on reporting on the 'nasty' aspects of sledging... as a way of enforcement, the afl could simply black lists journo's/media groups who choose to tarnish the game with negative stories (as they do already)... this would fix the problem once and for all...

media groups would be free to report on any 'friendly' banter that takes place on the field...

That's a pretty slippery slope, isn't it?

 

[Makka]

Right or wrong the world as a whole needs to harden the **** up.

90% of todays population would have been in counselling 20 years ago.

we all survived without to many problems.

What happens on a footy field should stay on a footy field.

Spot on!

 

[r_boy]

There is no 'line'. They're just words used by someone trying to rile you up who in the final analysis means you no real harm.

I would say it's something players should be prepared for when they step on to the field.

Have to say though if you start making fun of the health of another player's son then you should expect some sort of retaliation. People are also going to think you're an arseh*le but there shouldn't be any real penalty for harsh sledging... just some media dribble and a bad reputation I guess.

 

[disgruntled goat]

The Riewoldt sledge was brilliant. It think it was Campbell Brown who did the weak **** sledge but there was nothing wrong with that imo. Just an umpire who wanted the spotlight. I'm not sure about the Slater one, he could have said worse things about depression.

The other two are probably crossing the line.

Some of the best sledges have come from the cricket world. The response from Eddo Brandes to McGrath's "why are you so fat?" taunt remains my fave.

I'm not a fan of sledging, and that basketball culture of trash talk is ridiculous to the point of being pathetic. Play the game, keep your mouth shut and let your actions do the talking ... but good grief, what Slater's been in strife for this week is an utter disgrace and a media beat-up. What he said is what your mum might say if you're having a sook about not getting your fave cereal for breakfast.

 

[patsmith]

Brett Jones to Colin Sylvia after a bit of push and shove;

"I'm not your missus, mate!"