The state of AFL media in 2023 (by one of them!)

[RohanConnolly]

Hi BigFooty,

As some people might have seen, I post the Footyology Podcast on BigFooty each week and occasionally respond to the odd comment. I certainly read BigFooty a bit and for the most part enjoy the usually pretty well-informed discussion.

Anyway, like a lot of you, I've also at times in recent years been driven to despair by coverage of the game via both electronic and written media. And to that end, I've written a piece originally for ESPN and reposted on the Footyology website about it all. Thought given the amount of interest in this "Fourth Estate" board I might as well post it here for people's perusal.

You may agree, disagree, anyway, see what you think.

Cheers,
Rohan



Controversy and clickbait. Don’t we deserve more? | Footyology

 

[Not a mere cat]

Thanks Rohan, you’ve articulated well my thoughts on modern football media.

I used to pour over those sports pages, particularly Mondays. I find I don’t read or watch a lot about the game any more. Only The Front Bar but even that’s getting tired.

It’s a lazy way for the outlets to get clicks and for media ‘personalities’ to be the story

As you ask couldn’t they get as many or more with some quality analysis and interviews with players?

Maybe I need to check out ESPN

 

[RohanConnolly]

Thanks Rohan, you’ve articulated well my thoughts on modern football media.

I used to pour over those sports pages, particularly Mondays. I find I don’t read or watch a lot about the game any more. Only The Front Bar but even that’s getting tired.

It’s a lazy way for the outlets to get clicks and for media ‘personalities’ to be the story

As you ask couldn’t they get as many or more with some quality analysis and interviews with players?

Maybe I need to check out ESPN

Thanks for reading it, much appreciated. Just talking about ESPN (and yes, I do work for them), they've worked really hard to build up the AFL content and it's grown substantially.

I think what they're doing in the AFL space is particularly good, and they've made a deliberate attempt to focus on quality and steer away from the cheap clickbait, personality-driven stuff.

They've also got, in Jake Michaels, Matt Walsh and Jarryd Barca, in my opinion three of the most talented younger footy journos I've worked with. Their stuff really is good. Take a look for yourself.

Cheers,
Rohan

ESPN Australia - Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere.

Visit ESPN to get up-to-the-minute sports news coverage, scores, highlights and commentary for AFL, NRL, Rugby, Cricket, Football and more.

www.espn.com.au

 

[killtaker1993]

Great article thanks for sharing. Congratulations also for finding a photo of Kane Cornes looking insanely pompous

 

[RohanConnolly]

Great article thanks for sharing. Congratulations also for finding a photo of Kane Cornes looking insanely pompous

Thanks. Hey, just curious, is your handle by any chance a reference to Fugazi's 1993 album 'In On The Killtaker'? I've always liked them.

 

[IAMDASH]

I'll bite here.

It's just my opinion so who really cares. There's more than enough in footy.

I read the rumour and scandals board on Bigfooty so I am part of the problem not the solution. I read it because I enjoy having a laugh and taking the piss out of these high and mighty AFL types.

The football media lost me 20 years ago. I think the older you get the more cynical you become. Does not help when your heart and soul is ripped out by the AFL almost 30 years ago.

I was a huge consumer of football media growing up in the 80s. Inside Football, Football Record, World of Sport, The Sun, The Age, The Sunday Observer, The Sunday Press, Seven's Big League, The Winners etc. Then into the 90s The Footy Show, 3UZ Breakfast etc. You get the picture.

Things definitely changed at the start of the 2000s, ironically when this platform was born. I think I listened to SEN 24/7 for the first year or so. Then things changed for some reason.

The only football media I listen to is RSN Breakfast, but they cover other sports too. I generally switch when they bring on their footy "talking heads". I may tune into a TV show when a big story breaks like this past week. Most written content is paywalled so I only read the ABC or BigFooty for news. ESPN may be a good option now. I did not know they had invested so heavily in Australian Rules

I long for the return of the inverted pyramid format to football print media and media in general. Less is more - who, what, when, where, why, how. If you watch a game on Foxtel, sometimes there are up to one dozen talking heads. Fox Footy heads plus Channel Seven heads! Some of the commentators are insufferable. I've found there is a sweet spot where you can turn the volume down enough to get the crowd atmosphere and not hear commentary. Big win.

Unlike other sports, I find most ex-players add zero value. But maybe the game has passed me by. A majority feel the need to try and Americanise it. Why? On RSN this week, they ran a poll on whether they should swap out Premiership Medals for Premiership Rings.

The coaches and players are often critical of the media. Sometimes these types who join the media are critical of... wait for it... the media! The I'm an ex-player, not a media guy on a panel show, is a paper-thin veil at best.

Then you have the conflict-of-interest types... [Insert name here]. There's a plethora of them. Overnight we have Eddie McGuire breaking a story that West Coast want Adam Simpson to take a sabbatical at years' end. Ed is worried about him. So, Ed breaks a story that's likely to heap the pressure on Simpson and West Coast even more. Nice one Ed!

 

[RohanConnolly]

I'll bite here.

It's just my opinion so who really cares. There's more than enough in footy.

I read the rumour and scandals board on Bigfooty so I am part of the problem not the solution. I read it because I enjoy having a laugh and taking the piss out of these high and mighty AFL types.

The football media lost me 20 years ago. I think the older you get the more cynical you become. Does not help when your heart and soul is ripped out by the AFL almost 30 years ago.

I was a huge consumer of football media growing up in the 80s. Inside Football, Football Record, World of Sport, The Sun, The Age, The Sunday Observer, The Sunday Press, Seven's Big League, The Winners etc. Then into the 90s The Footy Show, 3UZ Breakfast etc. You get the picture.

Things definitely changed at the start of the 2000s, ironically when this platform was born. I think I listened to SEN 24/7 for the first year or so. Then things changed for some reason.

The only football media I listen to is RSN Breakfast, but they cover other sports too. I generally switch when they bring on their footy "talking heads". I may tune into a TV show when a big story breaks like this past week. Most written content is paywalled so I only read the ABC or BigFooty for news. ESPN may be a good option now. I did not know they had invested so heavily in Australian Rules

I long for the return of the inverted pyramid format to football print media and media in general. Less is more - who, what, when, where, why, how. If you watch a game on Foxtel, sometimes there are up to one dozen talking heads. Fox Footy heads plus Channel Seven heads! Some of the commentators are insufferable. I've found there is a sweet spot where you can turn the volume down enough to get the crowd atmosphere and not hear commentary. Big win.

Unlike other sports, I find most ex-players add zero value. But maybe the game has passed me by. A majority feel the need to try and Americanise it. Why? On RSN this week, they ran a poll on whether they should swap out Premiership Medals for Premiership Rings.

The coaches and players are often critical of the media. Sometimes these types who join the media are critical of... wait for it... the media! The I'm an ex-player, not a media guy on a panel show, is a paper-thin veil at best.

Then you have the conflict-of-interest types... [Insert name here]. There's a plethora of them. Overnight we have Eddie McGuire breaking a story that West Coast want Adam Simpson to take a sabbatical at years' end. Ed is worried about him. So, Ed breaks a story that's likely to heap the pressure on Simpson and West Coast even more. Nice one Ed!

This is a particularly perceptive and well-articulated response, IAMDASH, and I pretty much agree with every word. The football public is a lot more intelligent and discerning than I think a lot of people running media organisations these days realise. But it's easier and just as, if not more profitable, to take the low road. And, to be frank, I don't think nearly as many people involved now (even the ex-player types) have nearly the same passion for the game previous generations did. You'd need that if you were genuinely interested in investing in quality. They just don't care that much, the game itself is simply a means to an end.

 

[TheJanuaryMan]

It's amazing how often I find myself watching replays of 1990's games, old Talking Footy episodes and the like nowadays. Subconsciously, I think it's partly because the current state of media, reporting and analysis is some of the poorest it has ever been. There are too many classified as "journalists", merely through having access to a computer, Kayo Sports and an opinion. Genuine dissection of a match - what happened, why and how - is replaced with breathless hyperbole, "analysis" which is thinly disguised opinion and too many champing at the bit for The Big Headline or The Exclusive. The days of Inside Football, 3AW discussion, Channel 7 hiring actual journalists rather than recent ex-footballers, who are only there because they once played and genuine journalism, has fallen away at an alarming rate, never to return.

Our game, and its stakeholders - the members, the fans, the kids - deserve a lot better. Unfortunately, the latter of that group will never know any better, because the level the bar is at now, will soon become the measuring stick in later years.

 

[Stottzy]

Hi BigFooty,

As some people might have seen, I post the Footyology Podcast on BigFooty each week and occasionally respond to the odd comment. I certainly read BigFooty a bit and for the most part enjoy the usually pretty well-informed discussion.

Anyway, like a lot of you, I've also at times in recent years been driven to despair by coverage of the game via both electronic and written media. And to that end, I've written a piece originally for ESPN and reposted on the Footyology website about it all. Thought given the amount of interest in this "Fourth Estate" board I might as well post it here for people's perusal.

You may agree, disagree, anyway, see what you think.

Cheers,
Rohan

View attachment 1686124

Controversy and clickbait. Don’t we deserve more? | Footyology

A question Rohan. How many games are sports journalists/pundits watching a weekend? I've been told 3-4 games, but my suspicion is it's a lot less. Also, are they actually watching the game, or just through a screen where the stats are telling them what's happeneing? One of the problems I believe contributes to poor punditry is that the media aren't actually watching games anymore and basing their analysis on final stats instead. Or am I far off the mark?

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

This is a particularly perceptive and well-articulated response, IAMDASH, and I pretty much agree with every word. The football public is a lot more intelligent and discerning than I think a lot of people running media organisations these days realise. But it's easier and just as, if not more profitable, to take the low road. And, to be frank, I don't think nearly as many people involved now (even the ex-player types) have nearly the same passion for the game previous generations did. You'd need that if you were genuinely interested in investing in quality. They just don't care that much, the game itself is simply a means to an end.

Hey mate can I say I appreciate you’re willing to at least talk to the “masses”. And the fact you actually love the game is obvious

Most of these current journalists have such contempt for the modern consumer, I’ve had a gut full of the “this person said this on twitter and this person go angry in response” crap that seems to invest our media now.

Even though we’re on different sides of the supporter base I even enjoy you seem as much of a supporter nuffy as any of us

And that you have a healthy hatred for newscorpse helps

 

[Cleavy]

A question Rohan. How many games are sports journalists/pundits watching a weekend? I've been told 3-4 games, but my suspicion is it's a lot less. Also, are they actually watching the game, or just through a screen where the stats are telling them what's happeneing? One of the problems I believe contributes to poor punditry is that the media aren't actually watching games anymore and basing their analysis on final stats instead. Or am I far off the mark?

they watch all 9 games (the mini versions)

 

[Dogs Rule]

Have to agree with the earlier post about watching Youtube clips of games and even footy shows and event broadcasts (Brownlows, Grand Finals) from the 80s and 90s and loving it.

When I watch these it's not just because of walking down memory lane, it's more than that. This was a time when footy was less about the ego of journos and broadcasters and more about the game. No clickbait, no saying something stupid or controversial to get a headline and no having to fill airtime or column inches with overanalysed and meaningless guff.

There are too many journos now, too many clawing each others eyes out to get the 'exclusive' (which only journo give a toss about) and then get a tiny tidbit of added garbage to differentiate their story slightly.

We have journos who write/broadcast to get a reaction, get a reaction then react to the reaction.

Broadcasters (some are good) are typically so far up their own backsides we get them indulging in telling dull personal anecdotes or tidbits about a player and what they eat for breakfast, which school they went to or what dog they own. Don't recall Bruce, Peter Landy or Dennis giving us any of that.

Footy Show, Friday Night Footy, Saturday go to the footy, Saturday Night Replay, Sunday afternoon game then Monday for Talking Footy, Footy Show and repeat. Grab the Record and maybe Inside Footy and that was enough.

Now, it's an endless cycle of egotists desperate to pump up their own tyres and outdo each other by seeing which one can make it most about them.

 

[Billy ray]

Analysis of games played is virtually nonexistent. There are plenty of preview shows, but other than first crack there really is no post-game analysis. Im really missing your now defunct post-game show RohanConnolly.
Dont get me wrong, I like your preview show and its one of a kind.
But now there is none of a kind almost (post games.)

 

[RohanConnolly]

A question Rohan. How many games are sports journalists/pundits watching a weekend? I've been told 3-4 games, but my suspicion is it's a lot less. Also, are they actually watching the game, or just through a screen where the stats are telling them what's happeneing? One of the problems I believe contributes to poor punditry is that the media aren't actually watching games anymore and basing their analysis on final stats instead. Or am I far off the mark?

Hi Stottzy, this is a difficult one because there's so many more people in it now, obviously a heap more games than when I started (when there were only 6 and you never got to see more than 3), and also a lot of different branches of footy media.

For example, given that she generally concentrates on news about clubs and people in the game rather than analysis of what this side or that is doing, it's obviously not as crucial that Caroline Wilson watches everything (not saying she doesn't by the way, but it wouldn't matter as much to her job if she didn't).

I know Terry Wallace used to watch every game, not sure any others did though. Personally, I try to watch Thurs/Fri night, at least three on Saturday, then at least two on Sunday, plus mini-match replays of the other three that have coincided with other games. I suspect I watch more than most, that's not having a go at them necessarily, either, its easier for me to do now because I have adult children and can pretty much run my own race.

I think one of the issues now is that the way the media is so click-focussed (and I get why) match reports and analysis simply don't rate as well as news stories or "hot takes". Sad but true for me, because that's what I've always enjoyed doing the most. I write a lot more opinion/analysis now than pure match stuff, but I still find watching the games properly and in full at least does give you a pretty good idea what's going on rather than, as you suggest, just looking at the stats.

 

[RohanConnolly]

It's amazing how often I find myself watching replays of 1990's games, old Talking Footy episodes and the like nowadays. Subconsciously, I think it's partly because the current state of media, reporting and analysis is some of the poorest it has ever been. There are too many classified as "journalists", merely through having access to a computer, Kayo Sports and an opinion. Genuine dissection of a match - what happened, why and how - is replaced with breathless hyperbole, "analysis" which is thinly disguised opinion and too many champing at the bit for The Big Headline or The Exclusive. The days of Inside Football, 3AW discussion, Channel 7 hiring actual journalists rather than recent ex-footballers, who are only there because they once played and genuine journalism, has fallen away at an alarming rate, never to return.

Our game, and its stakeholders - the members, the fans, the kids - deserve a lot better. Unfortunately, the latter of that group will never know any better, because the level the bar is at now, will soon become the measuring stick in later years.

Perhaps the saddest thing for some of us older journos is that the same is true of virtually any area you care to name, be it politics, entertainment, the arts etc. It's more shallow, it's more click focussed, and that's the result not only of audience trends, but simply a lot fewer people and resources in newsrooms than there used to be, at a time they are needed more than ever with round the clock publishing in newspapers for example.

 

[RohanConnolly]

Hey mate can I say I appreciate you’re willing to at least talk to the “masses”. And the fact you actually love the game is obvious

Most of these current journalists have such contempt for the modern consumer, I’ve had a gut full of the “this person said this on twitter and this person go angry in response” crap that seems to invest our media now.

Even though we’re on different sides of the supporter base I even enjoy you seem as much of a supporter nuffy as any of us

And that you have a healthy hatred for newscorpse helps

Thanks Prestigerrycomo, appreciate that. And yes, I'm one of the generation for whom going to the footy each weekend was just a way of life and the chance to write and talk about it professionally a dream come true. PS. Don't start me on News Corp!

 

[RohanConnolly]

Have to agree with the earlier post about watching Youtube clips of games and even footy shows and event broadcasts (Brownlows, Grand Finals) from the 80s and 90s and loving it.

When I watch these it's not just because of walking down memory lane, it's more than that. This was a time when footy was less about the ego of journos and broadcasters and more about the game. No clickbait, no saying something stupid or controversial to get a headline and no having to fill airtime or column inches with overanalysed and meaningless guff.

There are too many journos now, too many clawing each others eyes out to get the 'exclusive' (which only journo give a toss about) and then get a tiny tidbit of added garbage to differentiate their story slightly.

We have journos who write/broadcast to get a reaction, get a reaction then react to the reaction.

Broadcasters (some are good) are typically so far up their own backsides we get them indulging in telling dull personal anecdotes or tidbits about a player and what they eat for breakfast, which school they went to or what dog they own. Don't recall Bruce, Peter Landy or Dennis giving us any of that.

Footy Show, Friday Night Footy, Saturday go to the footy, Saturday Night Replay, Sunday afternoon game then Monday for Talking Footy, Footy Show and repeat. Grab the Record and maybe Inside Footy and that was enough.

Now, it's an endless cycle of egotists desperate to pump up their own tyres and outdo each other by seeing which one can make it most about them.

Hi Dogs Rule, sorry for brevity, running out of time here, but I like your post and agree with it. I think it's fair to say, sadly, that there is far less passion as a rule among the younger generations of football journalists. Those of my vintage almost always were in because we loved the game, I do feel a lot now like it's just a means to an end for some, and that end is career advancement. Hence the complete lack of regard for football history, which I've written about a number of times. Eg. The Rhett Bartlett Wayne Harmes footage story the other week I thought was really important ... one of the most famous and controversial incidents in footy history had effectively been ruled upon definitively. Sadly, my old paper didn't even deem it worthy of a single line until about 4-5 days later, and even then only as a column item. I thought that was ridiculous.

 

[RohanConnolly]

Analysis of games played is virtually nonexistent. There are plenty of preview shows, but other than first crack there really is no post-game analysis. Im really missing your now defunct post-game show RohanConnolly.
Dont get me wrong, I like your preview show and its one of a kind.
But now there is none of a kind almost (post games.)

Hi Billy ray, as always, thanks very much for your support, I know you've been on board Footyology a long time. And yes, I'm genuinely sorry about the post-game pod, it's simply nothing other than I'm now doing a Sunday evening analysis piece for ESPN and radio for 3AW and there's literally no time left over to do a pod. Same goes for Monday ... I mean, it's a nice problem to have, and at least I'm able to feed the kiddies, but something had to give timewise, and unfortunately, the review episode is it. But who knows down the track?

 

[Dogs Rule]

Hi Dogs Rule, sorry for brevity, running out of time here, but I like your post and agree with it. I think it's fair to say, sadly, that there is far less passion as a rule among the younger generations of football journalists. Those of my vintage almost always were in because we loved the game, I do feel a lot now like it's just a means to an end for some, and that end is career advancement. Hence the complete lack of regard for football history, which I've written about a number of times. Eg. The Rhett Bartlett Wayne Harmes footage story the other week I thought was really important ... one of the most famous and controversial incidents in footy history had effectively been ruled upon definitively. Sadly, my old paper didn't even deem it worthy of a single line until about 4-5 days later, and even then only as a column item. I thought that was ridiculous.

Never missed your Monday analysis in The Age growing up in the 90s and early part of the 00s. It was pure football, no BS, same with Mike at the Herald Sun. A far cry from today.

As a former journo myself, it's a shame longform footy journalism is so rare now.

One of your colleagues Martin Flanagan was incredible at it. It was like honey dripping off the page. He could write about a grain of rice and make it interesting.

Agree with you about the footy history. Can easily drift through a lazy summer afternoon watching 100 Years of Australian Football or Jason Bennett's very underrated Headliners series from the early days of Fox Footy.

 

[MauroFogheri]

The rollicking, competitive nature of tabloid footy journalism is analogous to the game. Long-form journalism and (test) cricket, the same.

I remember seeing that book on Norm Smith, it was hard to believe it was about a footy identity , such was it's depth, probably bigger than some biographies on Churchill...come on!


PS. In regards ex- footy players, am I right in thinking Dwayne Russell was one of the few print ones that actually did meat & potatoes match reports and that, as opposed to opinion pieces?

 

[naysayer]

Great article, the state of affairs unfortunately reflects what the "attention economy" has done to media worldwide.

What drives me up the wall about the AFL media in particular: it's the negativity. Kane Cornes wrote entire column in The Age today about how Patrick Cripps

9

Patrick Cripps

Age

29

Ht

195cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.9

5star

K

9.8

4star

HB

16.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

5.8

5star

CL

7.4

5star

D

21.0

5star

K

10.1

4star

HB

10.9

5star

M

2.5

3star

T

3.8

4star

CL

6.3

5star

D

12.6

4star

K

4.8

2star

HB

7.8

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.2

5star

CL

1.4

4star

might never play in a final. Thanks for that Kane, that's why I read the sport column, it really brightens up my day.

Anyway, keep up your good work RoCo I like the Footyology podcast with Rocket.

 

[Not a mere cat]

Thanks for reading it, much appreciated. Just talking about ESPN (and yes, I do work for them), they've worked really hard to build up the AFL content and it's grown substantially.

I think what they're doing in the AFL space is particularly good, and they've made a deliberate attempt to focus on quality and steer away from the cheap clickbait, personality-driven stuff.

They've also got, in Jake Michaels, Matt Walsh and Jarryd Barca, in my opinion three of the most talented younger footy journos I've worked with. Their stuff really is good. Take a look for yourself.

Cheers,
Rohan

ESPN Australia - Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere.

Visit ESPN to get up-to-the-minute sports news coverage, scores, highlights and commentary for AFL, NRL, Rugby, Cricket, Football and more.

www.espn.com.au

Thanks Rohan. I checked out the ESPN link - there are some good articles. I’ve bookmarked the link

 

[mr bagcroft]

Refreshing to see you engaged here Rohan.
All I can say is, and this is probably just me, but Fineys Final Siren on SEN was a HUGE HUGE loss as far as post game coverage goes.
I mention it seeing as someone else in the thread mentioned lack of post game discussion.
In fact, it killed alot of my interest in football media as a whole to be honest.
I was staggered that it got canned.
I am aware of your podcast which is great, but you couldn't beat being able to turn on FFS after the footy for the disection.
But best leave it there, I could go on a massive rant about Hutchy and SEN.

 

[Cleavy]

when a Herald Sun story is about Tom Morris scooping Tom Browne on the Hardwick story, that tells you everything you need to know about modern media focus.

 

[The hands of stone]

Refreshing to see you engaged here Rohan.
All I can say is, and this is probably just me, but Fineys Final Siren on SEN was a HUGE HUGE loss as far as post game coverage goes.
I mention it seeing as someone else in the thread mentioned lack of post game discussion.
In fact, it killed alot of my interest in football media as a whole to be honest.
I was staggered that it got canned.
I am aware of your podcast which is great, but you couldn't beat being able to turn on FFS after the footy for the disection.
But best leave it there, I could go on a massive rant about Hutchy and SEN.

Same for me .
I used to be a listener every Friday/Sunday after the game . I know Finey wasnt everyone's cup of tea , but he knew his footy and the show was brilliant.
I felt like I had been to the game and was at the pub or a mates place debriefing the game .
Was a huge loss .

I watch first crack and enjoy it , because its footy talk .
The good of the rest are few and far between .
Watched the Sunday footy show the other week . What a mess . Old mate on the far left of the panel just pushes his own agenda's and opinion as 'news' and seems more interested in getting clubs/individuals in the gun .

Rohan not just saying it because your on here but I've always loved your stuff .
Would always listen to your segment on Sunday SEN and your were brilliant on a talking Hawks podcast during lockdown.

Anyway what can you do but Im glad Im not the only one really frustrated about it all