What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? (Part 1 - cont in Part 2)

[SgtSchulz]

Here is a completely impartial (USA) discussion on the exact incident

 

[La Flama Blanca]

The most racist thing that happened in the AFL last year was the "All-Indigenous Team" that they sent to Ireland for the International Rules Series. Imagine if we sent an "All-White Team" over. People would've called it discrimination against Indigenous players - and they would've been right. So how is what happened not discriminating against white players? Sending over an "All-Indigenous Team" is basically giving them status as an inferior race that isn't capable of discrimination.

 

[indy nile]

'White' Australia is bearing the brunt of the racism in the past.

You are being lectured on you on how you should be ashamed of the colour of your skin because of things people unrelated to you did a hundred years ago.

This is garbage. Racism is still thriving in the uneducated today, and its people like you who claim that racism is all in the past that are helping this trend

 

[The Speaker]

Here is a completely impartial (USA) discussion on the exact incident

Interestingly, same channel that criticised KFC Australia for an advertisment featuring supporters of the West Indies.

 

[bluebob1]

I beg to differ here. The average 13 year old knows exactly what they're saying, they know the difference between right and wrong, and they know how to throw a racial slur around the playground. I hear it every day in children much younger.

I only saw one interview involving the mother and daughter, and I would not be surprised at all if they lied about not knowing that it was a racism term, afterall the comment had unleashed an almighty shitstorm. What better way to sweep it all under the carpet? Deny, deny, deny.....

who said she was an average 13 year old. We have no idea of her level of education/intelligence. She may have no had no idea or she may have known it was offensive and played dumb to ease the pressure on her.

 

[Mezz]

who said she was an average 13 year old. We have no idea of her level of education/intelligence. She may have no had no idea or she may have known it was offensive and played dumb to ease the pressure on her.

Whose to say she wasn't average?

 

[Engimal]

Here is a completely impartial (USA) discussion on the exact incident

Impartial? Have you ever ****ing watched The Young Turks?

 

[Damon_3388]

That might work if they weren't mic'd up and the commentators didn't constantly draw attention to them.

I'm usually too interested in the actual play to notice or care.

 

[SgtSchulz]

When I said impartial I meant that it wasn't discussed by AFL commentators or Australians in general.

 

[Number37]

'White' Australia is bearing the brunt of the racism in the past.

You are being lectured on you on how you should be ashamed of the colour of your skin because of things people unrelated to you did a hundred years ago.

You don't seem to mind categorising yourself as 'white' in order to claim your are being lectured, but you have an objection to someone else categorising you as 'white' because they happen to be criticising you ( even though they are not criticising you personally).
Who would you suggest Indigenous Australians direct their criticisms at, if not 'white' people?

It is all too convenient to say that what happened 100 years ago has nothing to do with you, that would be a mistake. Unilateral decisions, made by 'white' people have been profoundly affecting the day-to-day lives of Indigenous Australians for 200+ years. The most recent example is the 2007 NT intervention. There is a massive long list of the things that have happened starting in 1788 ending in XXXX? The purpose of people like Adam Goodes speaking out is so that for the sake of his people (and yours) we can ALL pencil in that end date.

 

[sparklig]

I guess my point may have been clearer if I quoted...

generations of today have to take the brunt of what happened back then, it has nothing to do with todays generation.

trying to lecture me on how I should be ashamed of the colour of my skin because of things people unrelated to me did a hundred years ago (bad).

See this. These are the kinds of things that people believe. It's pure paranoid delusion. Anyone here feeling the 'brunt' of racism in the past? Anyone recently cop a lecture that they should feel bad for being white?

Next you'll be telling me to eff off because we're full. Another paranoid fantasy.

 

[Sellyme]

I don't know who is umpiring, I don't care who is umpiring, I can't even see who is umpiring most of the time, because when I'm watching the game on tele, they're off screen most of the time when they're making calls.

I've never understand those who really "take note" of who is umpiring, and really "keep track" of the calls particular umpires make, to the extent that they develop a grudge against a particular umpire and really think that a particular umpire has a real grudge against their team. I mean, get a life FFS.

I was the same until I did the research and realised that one particular umpire had never in his life given more frees to Port Adelaide than their opposition, patted a North player on the bum in a game with the largest free kick differential in 35 years, and has the largest deviation in frees given in the competition. 99% of umpires are fine, but there are at least two who are objectively biased towards or against one team.

I'm speaking, of course, of McInerney and Fisher. It seems to be commonly accepted that Fisher should never have umpired that Saints/Dons game, and McInerney is consistently the most biased umpire in the game.

And no, this isn't confirmation bias: I try to avoid paying too much attention to what umpires give what frees during the game because of that, instead looking at the raw data. He should not be allowed to umpire Port games.

 

[ChampRevesby]

That we should have actual contrasting clash jumpers.
- fans will buy anything, so having 3 contrasting primary colour strips will increase revenue.
- can actually make out opposing players on the field, not just for supporters but players at ground level can spot a team mate in that split second just by colour alone.
- no more white shorts.
- Eddy will cry about it.

Win win all round.

 

[scribbs]

All AFL club songs should be banned or revamped at least instead of sounding like its the 1890's

 

[Catfish Alley]

All AFL club songs should be banned or revamped at least instead of sounding like its the 1890's

The only reason they persist with the song and banner is tradition. If the songs were modern then there would be no point at all and you might as well scrap it.

 

[The Edukator]

I'm glad the girl was dealt with harshly. Too many people want to be politically correct but the uneducated won't understand their motives. What they understand is an old school whack because it stings and this girl got just that. A lot if people would have taken notice too.

 

[madmug]

This is garbage. Racism is still thriving in the uneducated today, and its people like you who claim that racism is all in the past that are helping this trend

Racism is a cultural construct. If you grow up in an environment that allows racist attitudes, & indeed bigotry in general, then you will exhibit those traits.
Well educated right wing Liberal politicians are showing such traits, even as we speak!
Its an insidious attitude, independent of education.

 

[scribbs]

The only reason they persist with the song and banner is tradition. If the songs were modern then there would be no point at all and you might as well scrap it.

No problem with scrapping them at all, it makes me cringe hearing them & I cannot watch the team singing them after a win, just terrible. Sometimes tradition is just another way of not moving with the times. Just my opinion.

 

[Number37]

Racism is a cultural construct. If you grow up in an environment that allows racist attitudes, & indeed bigotry in general, then you will exhibit those traits.
Well educated right wing Liberal politicians are showing such traits, even as we speak!
Its an insidious attitude, independent of education.

You don't need to be intelligent to form an 'educated' view. Smart people don't necessarily have a more educated view than dumb people.
Politicians just say things they think people want to hear, the current PM is a master at it.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Yet another franchise supporter trying to relocate real clubs. Sigh

 

[Riccardo11]

All AFL club songs should be banned or revamped at least instead of sounding like its the 1890's

You have heard all of the recent attempts at club songs, haven't you?

Several clubs have tried to "re-imagine" their classic themes and they have all been disasters.

 

[Riccardo11]

My unpopular opinion is that Victoria should not have 10 teams in a supposedly national competition. I know the AFL grew out of the VFL, but times have changed. This competition is meant to be for all of Australia, and yet half the teams in the competition are based in 1 city. I think at least 2 teams, possibly 3 from Melbourne should be relocated. It's absolute rubbish that in this age in a national competition that there is still a state without a team, and no representation for the Northern Territory which has produced so much brilliant Indigenous talent.
I would love to see 1 team move to Tasmania. Another move north and represent Northern Australia, playing games in Darwin and North Queensland. And if this New Zealand experiment works, move a team over there to engage our neighbours, open up the market and build talent over there. Obviously you would not move the big successful teams like Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn, Essendon who manage to get great membership numbers and bring lots of fans to the games. But the Bulldogs, the Demons and take your pick of St Kilda or North could be moved.
It would make fans angry, but I think it needs to happen to keep the game moving forward and to engage the whole country, and the next logical point of expansion, New Zealand. People would argue that their teams are old and have heritage and should be respected, but that doesn't really mean anything if they are a drain on the resources of the AFL. Some teams whether they like it or not have to move. Besides, Fitzroy was an old club, as was South Melbourne. There's a precedent.
And it's not like we can keep creating more teams. I would argue that 18 is already stretching the talent pool to breaking point. If we up it any more we are going to see skills continue to deteriorate in the AFL.

The problem with this is that the new markets are highly unlikely to accept a team with nearly a century and a half of history just dumped on them, especially if they are playing a foreign game. The Sydney public and media had enormous trouble accepting South Melbourne, and certain sections of the print media still pour scorn on them even 3 decades later.

The fans left behind in Melbourne will disappear, nobody new will be enticed to come and the clubs will die a slow, agonizing death.

 

[Riccardo11]

She didnt use it in a racist context, she admitted to not knowing it was used as a racism term towards aboriginals. You cant really say she made a racist slur on those admissions.

Only the gullible or very stupid would believe that. Collingwoods PR department went into overdrive to make her look like the victim instead of the perpetrator of the abuse, poor little tween girl with family issues who had a big bad footballer pick on her. It was disgraceful!

A slur of any type is not defined by how the person using the word views it, but how the target does. Words that bother some people are nothing to others.

 

[sblack]

The first point you make is a very good one. I'm sure the football fans on here are well aware of the uproar when Wimbledon upped sticks and moved to Milton Keynes to become MK Dons. People in the USA wouldn't bat an eyelid at that happening.

You obviously don't have a knowledge of US sports history if you think that.

Seattle moving to OKC
Cleveland moving to Baltimore
Baltimore moving to Indianapolis

Even recently the proposed move of the Kings from Sacramento caused mass uproar.

So many examples of teams controversially relocating.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Yet another franchise supporter trying to relocate real clubs. Sigh

Two Victorian clubs should merge and a new AFL team should be set up in Tasmania.

That is not a relocation, it would allow two clubs like Western Buldogs, Melbourne, North Melbourne to have a period of success, double membership etc and Tasmania deserves a team.