AFL is on the decline - the younger generation is just not that into you

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

How is it delusional?

A comment was made that the AFL is the best in class for Aussie Rules. I made the comment that that is not necessarily the case because all we see is the best that Australia has to offer.

If Australian Rules football became an overnight sensation and became the number one watched and participated sport in the world, and the AFL was seen as the biggest, best and most lucrative league for Australian Rules world wide, how many of the current crop of AFL players would make the grade in the years to come? Or asked another way, if the USA started an Aussie Rules league which was far more lucrative than the AFL and had far more viewers, and which attracted budding Aussie Rules players from all around the world, how many of the current AFL players would make the cut in the US league? No one knows but that is my point. Are we really seeing the best in class in the AFL? How many times have you seen players missing set shots from 30 metres out directly in front or dropping what would be considered a 'sitter'? The skills you see from some AFL players are average. Is this due to a lack of competition? Perhaps. Players are making the top flight in Aussie Rules because there is not the competition for places like there is in other codes. True that the NBA is the league which is probably the best of the best in class for all leagues in all codes around the world, but what is the ratio for players who don't make the NBA? Let's assume that for every basketball player who gets a gig in the NBA, there are 10,000 who don't. In soccer, the soccer players who miss out on getting a gig in the Premier League or La Liga is probably far more than 10,000:1 and in the AFL it is probably far less than 10,000:1.

Of course one can argue that for those who choose to make Australian Rules their chosen sport, then the AFL is the best in class in Aussie Rules but again, we are talking about a sport that the majority of the rest of the world does not have an interest in. We will never know if the current crop would make the grade if there are people around the world challenging them for AFL gigs.

What you are saying is just silly. No sport is taken seriously all over the world so what your saying is just pointless.
There are more people in India who don’t care about soccer then all of South America and Europe‘s population combined for example. Probably the only sport on Earth that would have a claim of that not being the case is sprinting.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

People just need to learn that changing rules does nothing and most rule changes have had the opposite effect of what they were intended for.

Coaches will coach to play boring football and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Doesnt matter what rules you bring in. They wont stop from going zone defense (which is what causes most of the issues with the game) and teams wont be willing to kick it unless someone is free or a long kick down the line to cause a stoppage.

If you reduce the number of players on the ground making the zone defense impossible to implement the coaches won't have a choice

 

[RedV3x]

It’s about getting the best athletes playing the sport.

Not necessarily. The NFL tried to mold Olympic sprinters into receivers.
Australian Football has the luxury of being an all round sport.

the higher the profile the sport the more the talent will gravitate to it.

Of course but it isn't a linear relationship when it comes to elite level.

 

[RedV3x]

If you reduce the number of players on the ground making the zone defense impossible to implement the coaches won't have a choice

Not really. All you'll get is more rebound football. It'll be like basketball.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Not really. All you'll get is more rebound football. It'll be like basketball.

In what way? You say "not really" to my assertion that fewer players on the ground would break down defensive zones but have provided no reason why this would be so. It makes sense that fewer players on the field would stretch the defense and make zones impossible to implement.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

The add marathons in between feel longer than the quarters themselves.

Such a horrible product at the moment.

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[YippeeYiYeo]

if the AFL keeps short quarters for 2021 i think im done with the comp.

The zoning and beehive soccer at stoppages is already unwatchable. If you give players shorter quarters meaning they dont fatigue they can zone all game long.

Need 2-3 players less each side. 1 less on the interchange, or if clubs are that worried about injuries - allow 4 subs but once a player comes off they cant go back on. Need to open up the field to the point where zoning is impossible, running up and down the whole field for the whole game is impossible, and encourage more 1 on 1's.

This 36 midfielders on the ground is boring and shite.

 

[RUNVS]

The AFL should have made those big changes they were planning on making for the 2019 season. Instead they tucked their tail between their legs the moment some former players began complaining.

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

Australian Free Kick League.

if the AFL keeps short quarters for 2021 i think im done with the comp.

The zoning and beehive soccer at stoppages is already unwatchable. If you give players shorter quarters meaning they dont fatigue they can zone all game long.

Need 2-3 players less each side. 1 less on the interchange, or if clubs are that worried about injuries - allow 4 subs but once a player comes off they cant go back on. Need to open up the field to the point where zoning is impossible, running up and down the whole field for the whole game is impossible, and encourage more 1 on 1's.

This 36 midfielders on the ground is boring and sh*te.

spot on. but you forgot the other fundamental problem Australian Free Kick league.

Watching the VFL or other state leagues, one is reminded just how much better that game flows because it's less technical.
It's not tinfoil either, everyone knows AFL has different rules in finals where they tend to let things go more.

 

[Fabab]

Crap oh and free kick dogs .

 

[NoobPie]

How is it delusional?

Because the EPL isn't remotely close: "As much as a league can feature players in their prime from all around the world, the EPL is that league"

More of the world's best soccer players are playing outside of the EPL than in it. Completely delusional to think otherwise

A comment was made that the AFL is the best in class for Aussie Rules. I made the comment that that is not necessarily the case because all we see is the best that Australia has to offer.

If Australian Rules football became an overnight sensation and became the number one watched and participated sport in the world, and the AFL was seen as the biggest, best and most lucrative league for Australian Rules world wide, how many of the current crop of AFL players would make the grade in the years to come?

Overnight? Than most would still be Australian.

Croatia has 4 million people and made the world cup final last soccer world cup.

Or asked another way, if the USA started an Aussie Rules league which was far more lucrative than the AFL and had far more viewers, and which attracted budding Aussie Rules players from all around the world, how many of the current AFL players would make the cut in the US league?

it would be most in the short term

No one knows but that is my point. Are we really seeing the best in class in the AFL? How many times have you seen players missing set shots from 30 metres out directly in front or dropping what would be considered a 'sitter'?

For those that struggle with logic (including you),

1) the AFL has about 800 registered players which is almost double the roster of the NBA and most soccer leagues.
2) soccer has next to know equalisation. The best players are sucked up into a dozen or so teams in europe
2) Unlike soccer, football is a full contact sport that plays with a leather football. Full contact and also the greatest distance covered of the invasion sports. Only an idiot would try to make comparisons between completely different sports.

The skills you see from some AFL players are average. Is this due to a lack of competition? Perhaps. Players are making the top flight in Aussie Rules because there is not the competition for places like there is in other codes.

Compared to what "other codes". The AFL is very elite but obviously is going to be behind the top few soccer comps and the big 4 US comps on pure numbers. But what else? Lack of competition? Seriously? There is enormous competition for AFL places.

True that the NBA is the league which is probably the best of the best in class for all leagues in all codes around the world, but what is the ratio for players who don't make the NBA? Let's assume that for every basketball player who gets a gig in the NBA, there are 10,000 who don't. In soccer, the soccer players who miss out on getting a gig in the Premier League or La Liga is probably far more than 10,000:1 and in the AFL it is probably far less than 10,000:1.

And?

Of course one can argue that for those who choose to make Australian Rules their chosen sport, then the AFL is the best in class in Aussie Rules but again, we are talking about a sport that the majority of the rest of the world does not have an interest in. We will never know if the current crop would make the grade if there are people around the world challenging them for AFL gigs.

Yes we do. If more people played football that best of them would replace the weakest AFL players. This is no different to any other sport. In every other sport if there was more interest than there would be marginally more elite players.

This is obvious to everyone whose senses haven't been beaten senseless by the cultural cringe. Again, Croatia just made the soccer world cup final with 4 million people. NZ has dominated rugby union for 2 decades with about the same. Victoria alone has almost 7 million.

 

[Fabab]

Last one out of afl house turn the lights off.

 

[Kouta2Fev]

Who cares about the younger generation?

they complain a lot. Think they know everything. Have attention spans of 5 seconds. Can’t make up their mind what gender they are

so the AFL skips a generation - we will likely all be Chinese slaves by then anyway. Pick your badminton team and enjoy the taste of bat

 

[power09]

I preferred the NBA back in the 'glory days', no doubt.

However American sports still have such enormous appeal for the following reasons:

Their sports cater for the superstar players. The very nature of NFL, NBA and the MLB is that the superstars get their chance to do their thing. The slugger stands at the plate, and gets a chance.
There's no tackling in basketball, so the superstar gets his hands on the ball, and can do his thing.
The quarterback gets the ball. If he's good enough, he can do his thing.

People legitimately pay to the watch the stars play over there. I pay to watch them play! I won't necessarily care about a Yankees result, but I'd sit and watch Aaron Judge play. You should have seen the crowd at Angels stadium the other month when Ohtani pitched! It was nuts. It was all about the big superstar.

I'm a mad NBA fan, so I'd watch Steph Curry play all day long - but I'd also sit there and watch a 'neutral' game if LeBron, Russ, Harden or any of these are playing.

I couldn't care less about the result of the SuperBowl (because my team is sh*t and is never in it), but the big name QB is always worth watching.

American sports are still entertaining. It's certainly different to what it was back in the 80s, but they have ensured that there are still reasons for people to watch that aren't emotionally invested in the result.


And that's my fundamental issue with the AFL. It's boring. I'm still interested in the results, but I'll usually only watch the start, then flick around and if it's close in the last quarter, I'll tune back in.

You and your like have ruined the NBA

 

[Hazz]

if the AFL keeps short quarters for 2021 i think im done with the comp.

The zoning and beehive soccer at stoppages is already unwatchable. If you give players shorter quarters meaning they dont fatigue they can zone all game long.

Need 2-3 players less each side. 1 less on the interchange, or if clubs are that worried about injuries - allow 4 subs but once a player comes off they cant go back on. Need to open up the field to the point where zoning is impossible, running up and down the whole field for the whole game is impossible, and encourage more 1 on 1's.

This 36 midfielders on the ground is boring and sh*te.

It’s been said above many times but most rule changes do little to affect the game as they are intended to, and more often than not cause issues elsewhere.

Look at all of the “explosive” football we are (Not) getting with short quarters. The afl brains were expecting shootouts with the best players going full bore for longer... pffft.

Less players on the bench = more tired players = conservative/possession football for longer periods to ensure teams can “go” when they decide without risking injury.

Less players on the field could just as easily lead back to D50 floods - defend the choke point.

Let the game settle. Let coaches counter the tactics of this year with different tactics next year, without changing 5 other variables.

 

[banzai]

if the AFL keeps short quarters for 2021 i think im done with the comp.

The zoning and beehive soccer at stoppages is already unwatchable. If you give players shorter quarters meaning they dont fatigue they can zone all game long.

Need 2-3 players less each side. 1 less on the interchange, or if clubs are that worried about injuries - allow 4 subs but once a player comes off they cant go back on. Need to open up the field to the point where zoning is impossible, running up and down the whole field for the whole game is impossible, and encourage more 1 on 1's.

This 36 midfielders on the ground is boring and sh*te.

To watch a game as a neutral is pretty much impossible at the moment. Shorter quarters, longer breaks and the commentary is just embarrassing. Before they try to go with less than 18 players on the ground they need to trial smashing the interchange numbers. I think 5 per quarter max with changes made at the breaks not counting. Make it an 18 on 18 game like it once was, not 22 on 22.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

if the AFL keeps short quarters for 2021 i think im done with the comp.

The zoning and beehive soccer at stoppages is already unwatchable. If you give players shorter quarters meaning they dont fatigue they can zone all game long.

Need 2-3 players less each side. 1 less on the interchange, or if clubs are that worried about injuries - allow 4 subs but once a player comes off they cant go back on. Need to open up the field to the point where zoning is impossible, running up and down the whole field for the whole game is impossible, and encourage more 1 on 1's.

This 36 midfielders on the ground is boring and sh*te.

They've said no to shorter quarters in 2021.

 

[fishardansin]

AFL stuffed up by adding teams 10 years ago rather than removing teams and investing heavily in making state leagues pumping again.

Who cares about the younger generation?

they complain a lot. Think they know everything. Have attention spans of 5 seconds. Can’t make up their mind what gender they are

so the AFL skips a generation - we will likely all be Chinese slaves by then anyway. Pick your badminton team and enjoy the taste of bat

Ok Boomer.

 

[Kouta2Fev]

AFL stuffed up by adding teams 10 years ago rather than removing teams and investing heavily in making state leagues pumping again.


Ok Boomer.

haha nope. Just engage in self-loathing. Oh and irony - clearly lost on you

 

[The 747]

Who cares about the younger generation?

they complain a lot. Think they know everything. Have attention spans of 5 seconds. Can’t make up their mind what gender they are

so the AFL skips a generation - we will likely all be Chinese slaves by then anyway. Pick your badminton team and enjoy the taste of bat

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise"

Socrates some 2400 years ago managed to think of this before you.

 

[Kouta2Fev]

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise"

Socrates some 2400 years ago managed to think of this before you.

again irony

I wonder what was luxury 2400 years ago?

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

again irony

I wonder what was luxury 2400 years ago?

Same as it is now - stuff that other people don't have.

 

[NoobPie]

again irony

I wonder what was luxury 2400 years ago?

Souvlaki with extra meat re

 

[upnsmoke]

Sports in general is going to decline.

Hence the big leagues go global to expand to as many countries to offset the loss in domestic appeal.

AFL does not have that luxury.

Generation Z will not be sports enthusiastic as they become adults.

Read this.... Ive read a few articles about it.

Millennials are old news — now it's Gen Z’s turn to kill industries

Thanks to teens' murderous whims, malls, print magazines, cash and even American football's days are numbered

business.financialpost.com