Should the AFL be a moral compass for us?

[CheapCharlie]

The last few years It seems like the AFL has increasingly been sipping from the PC trough

There are rounds and campaigns that are AFL branded about things such as Multicultural ism, Indigenous round, Domestic violence etcetera.

Those are all worthwhile subjects, but the AFL seems incredibly selective in what it stands up for and when.

An example of this is Gambling. Gambling is a scourge of hundreds of thousands of families, with people's lives being changed for the worse on a daily basis by gambling addiction.
Yet I don't see the AFL standing up for this one, mainly because there is huge sponsorship money being made from betting companies.

Then we have this recent situation with a few managers being moved along from the AFL ranks.

A couple of managers have an affair. 50% of adults have an affair at some stage of their lives. No complaints were made by the women, yet the AFL has forced the men out..
If the AFL was sponsored by a dozen dating companies maybe they would have ignored this issue too

Gil McLachlan says the AFL managers should be kept to higher standards.

Higher standard than what??? They are bloody managers and have not broken any law.

The AFL is a football admin body, not an Australian Human Rights organisation.

It seems to me the AFL is cherry picking its issues, and it would be better off staying right out of being a moral judge.
The AFL should simplify things and keep it about footy.

 

[HaroLad]

Yes, and next season to save us time I think they should introduce "Everything But Straight White Male Round" to save us all a bit of time.

 

[BF Tiger]

If they did the footy well then maybe, but they can't even do the footy well.

 

[sobrave]

Yes, i have no idea what the right thing to do is without the afl to tell me.

 

[SilentHunter_]

I am like an echo chamber but I repeat that this is the worst ******* administration the AFL has ever had! Watch as more stupid s**t occurs under their tenure.

 

[mick500]

Gil and the AFL have no spine. They just respond to public outcry. Same people that have a problem with this probably love the afl stepping in for the bachar houli suspension.

It's either all ok or none of it is ok.

I side on none of it being ok.

 

[Established1870]

The AFL could tackle problems like alcoholism and gambling by making their ads go the way of the dodo.........who am I kidding that isn't happening.

 

[AG]

Hell no. It's ******* sport.

Why on earth would anyone look at an organisation/business to help form their own moral compass.

 

[TerryWallet]

They are there to make money for themselves and others.

They will do this while being any label anyone wants to place on them.

 

[Farm Boy]

The AFL is probably the most immoral organisation in Australia - and I don't say that lightly. The drug saga alone was a good indicator of how the AFL operates. We seen then what the AFL was prepared to sweep under the carpet. Imagine the stuff we don't know about!? Just recently the media has had to put pressure on the AFL for 'higher ups' taking advantage of young counterparts. Gil was happy to let this slide. We also have a variety of clubs who wouldn't survive if not for pokies, and not the mention the influx of gambling adds that fill our football coverage. Then there is the alcohol sponsorship. I could go on, and on, and on. But I think you get the message.

 

[roscreasl98]

The last few years It seems like the AFL has increasingly been sipping from the PC trough

There are rounds and campaigns that are AFL branded about things such as Multicultural ism, Indigenous round, Domestic violence etcetera.

Those are all worthwhile subjects, but the AFL seems incredibly selective in what it stands up for and when.

An example of this is Gambling. Gambling is a scourge of hundreds of thousands of families, with people's lives being changed for the worse on a daily basis by gambling addiction.
Yet I don't see the AFL standing up for this one, mainly because there is huge sponsorship money being made from betting companies.

Then we have this recent situation with a few managers being moved along from the AFL ranks.

A couple of managers have an affair. 50% of adults have an affair at some stage of their lives. No complaints were made by the women, yet the AFL has forced the men out..
If the AFL was sponsored by a dozen dating companies maybe they would have ignored this issue too

Gil McLachlan says the AFL managers should be kept to higher standards.

Higher standard than what??? They are bloody managers and have not broken any law.

The AFL is a football admin body, not an Australian Human Rights organisation.

It seems to me the AFL is cherry picking its issues, and it would be better off staying right out of being a moral judge.
The AFL should simplify things and keep it about footy.

Agree.
Why is the AFL different to any other workplace, this s**t happens everywhere, wgaf?

 

[Farm Boy]

Hell no. It's ******* sport.

Why on earth would anyone look at an organisation/business to help form their own moral compass.

Aussie Rules is a sport. AFL is a business.

 

[master bate]

Absolutely nothing wrong with clubs working with charities to promote causes. Where they get in trouble is where they have a chance to be hypocritical. Nothing wrong with having a cancer game, but an anti gambling or anti violence campaign raises issues. Same with alcohol, TAC etc.

The idea of the League promoting Indigenous Round and to an extent Anzac Day (or Round as it is now) is valid.

I also think the AFL owe it to themselves to try and encourage people from different cultures to play Aussie Rules and therefore grow the game - so multicultural people, immigrants, Indigenous, LGBT etc. But there's a difference in trying to make the game accessible and overdoing it. Same goes with women's football.

Avoiding self importance and hypocrisy should get more consideration than jumping at every cause. The same thing applies for media commentators who like to slam the league for not doing enough on so called issues.

 

[Bostonian]

Yes and no.

As an example gay people should feel comfortable playing in the league.

On the flip side we don't need any grandstanding spectacles with gay rights politics being pushed by the league onto people.

Organic change always works best.

 

[Dunger]

The afl should take a leaf out of the Olympics charter that no demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in the Olympic areas.

 

[Blue1980]

Not bad to give some awareness to things.

They do act like holier than thou campaigners a fair bit though.

Today's press conference being an example. People not holding your core values? Your not a bloody church (their not that unethical)

 

[Blue1980]

Hell no. It's ******* sport.

Why on earth would anyone look at an organisation/business to help form their own moral compass.

No idea why anyone would hold any organization of anything as their moral compass.

The AFL is a business and these things are business decisions. Appearing PC opens them up to more sponsorship, fans etc.

If self interest can also interact with the greater good, then that isn't a bad thing though.

 

[Bardo State]

Should you look to the AFL as a holistic template for how to live a moral life? No, that's dumb.

Should one of the biggest and most influential social and entertainment organisations in the country do a bit of good work in the community that it serves and the one that serves it for the sake of both brand image and general public conscience? Sure, yeah it probably should.

But given the point of making this thread, I'm not exactly shocked that the question is framed the way it is instead of:

"Should an organisation like the AFL use it's great social and fiscal power to give back to the community that supports it?"

But then we couldn't complain about "PC culture, rah, rah, rah shoving gays down our throats, rah, rah, holier than thou," etc etc.

 

[baldandbroke]

The afl should take a leaf out of the Olympics charter that no demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in the Olympic areas.

 

[mehow2g]

The game changed when the aggressive every day/night betting ads came.

 

[Carringbush2010]

I also think the AFL owe it to themselves to try and encourage people from different cultures to play Aussie Rules and therefore grow the game - so multicultural people, immigrants, Indigenous, LGBT etc. But there's a difference in trying to make the game accessible and overdoing it. Same goes with women's football.

There was a bloke doing that but he punched another bloke out on the footy field, so his job is untenable. But as the op stated HQ are actually doing recognition rounds already encouraging all diversities to take up the game which I think is awesome!

 

[Kwality]

Never been a fan of the social engineers @ AFL House, most of whom have been introduced to the fans as a fait accompli, no transparent recruitment process.
IMHO the number of indigenous footballers in the national comp is a big plus coupled with the racial vilification measures placed on the agenda by Nicky Winmar so aptly at Vic Park - the AFL have certainly run with that initiative.
I'm still smarting by the suggestion that by booing Goodesy I was a racist.
The latest suggestion that Hirdy should present the Norm Smith this year reeks of the social engineers, and as much as I appreciate Hirdy the footballer, I would not clap when he was introduced, I would not boo, even though I would not criticise anyone who did.

Just as a Rules Committee needs to make changes to justify their existence, so the social engineers need a cause and they will.

Be interesting to see how transparent replacing Lethlain & the other bloke is, be watching.

 

[Leeda]

ah well they are always going to get it wrong when they decide to take the moral 'high' ground.

it isn't possible to please all of the people all of the time. especially when some of their own in various guises keep
performing human acts... in other words, making mistakes that due to human nature will always happen.

they can try but they can't be infallible... unlike my makeup...

 

[NoobPie]

The AFL is probably the most immoral organisation in Australia - and I don't say that lightly.....I could go on, ahnd on, and on. But I think you get the message.

I've got a message but not one you were trying to deliver

 

[M Malice]

Who decides what is moral and what isn't? Gill the Dill?

The AFL and everybody else should keep their nose out of relationships between consenting sound of mind adults.

I view it as similar to same sex relationships, why do some people get so judgmental and fascinated in regards to what people do with other peoples and their own bodies.