‘Not a warm-up act for the main event’: Sexism in the AFL exists in many forms - Emma Kearney

[The_Wookie]

The AFL needs to be a leader in positioning the AFLW as an equal to the AFL, not a warm-up act for the main event. Over the years we have seen tennis move into this space of equality, with men and women, and people with a disability, competing under the same banner of the Australian Open. The AFL could learn from some of the international tennis champions who lobbied long and hard for this equality.

There are systemic issues within the football industry, underpinned by a lack of true diversity and, a limited long-term vision for the women’s game. If the AFL wants to be a leader in gender equality it needs to make the AFLW a priority and invest financially, as it did with expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. There should be a detailed plan for how the league intends to achieve full-time professionalism and a full-length season.

The AFL is not always proactive enough in condemning the abuse female players cop on social media. So, what do we need from the AFL’s leaders? To recognise the value of women in the business, listen to the fresh perspectives that diverse voices bring, reflect on their own privilege and power and challenge sexism in all its forms.

‘Not a warm-up act for the main event’: Sexism in the AFL exists in many forms

Emma Kearney has first-hand experience of sexism in the AFL, and urges the men who run the game to reflect on their own privilege and power.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Bostonian]

The AFL is the flagship of the sport.

No other Australian Rules competition is an equal to it.

Of course the AFLW shouldn't be on par with the flagship, just like all the other competitions around the nation who aren't.

 

[mookieb]

The AFL needs to be a leader in positioning the AFLW as an equal to the AFL, not a warm-up act for the main event. Over the years we have seen tennis move into this space of equality, with men and women, and people with a disability, competing under the same banner of the Australian Open. The AFL could learn from some of the international tennis champions who lobbied long and hard for this equality.

There are systemic issues within the football industry, underpinned by a lack of true diversity and, a limited long-term vision for the women’s game. If the AFL wants to be a leader in gender equality it needs to make the AFLW a priority and invest financially, as it did with expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. There should be a detailed plan for how the league intends to achieve full-time professionalism and a full-length season.

The AFL is not always proactive enough in condemning the abuse female players cop on social media. So, what do we need from the AFL’s leaders? To recognise the value of women in the business, listen to the fresh perspectives that diverse voices bring, reflect on their own privilege and power and challenge sexism in all its forms.

‘Not a warm-up act for the main event’: Sexism in the AFL exists in many forms

Emma Kearney has first-hand experience of sexism in the AFL, and urges the men who run the game to reflect on their own privilege and power.

www.theage.com.au

The AFL has done a wonderful job with AFLW. Looks like they have the vision to keep this going into the future. However, the product will never be as good as AFL so it's never going to be equal. Ideally the game grows and generates the revenue that will lead to full time footballers and a corresponding increase in game quality. I assume salaries are far higher in the WNBA than AFLW. You really think that people will watch WNBA and NBA equally ever?

But who knows what could happen if everyone just reflected on their "privilege" lol.

 

[Taylor]

When the entire league has an ALFW side the fixture can be massaged to have the AFLW game as the curtain raiser to the AFL match. Early games might need to start earlier, later games might need to start a touch later so that the stadiums can process their changeover if there needs to be two games at the same ground in one day.

The next step after that is a combination ladder, like a constructors championship, combining the performance of the entire club against the rest.

The alternative would be to never have the AFL and AFLW sides playing near the same time slot so that club supporters could be able to watch both games each weekend, one at the ground and one at home on TV. There is already an arrangement like this with the WA AFL sides generally not playing around the same time.

 

[parano1a]

When the entire league has an ALFW side the fixture can be massaged to have the AFLW game as the curtain raiser to the AFL match. Early games might need to start earlier, later games might need to start a touch later so that the stadiums can process their changeover if there needs to be two games at the same ground in one day.

How do you propose this would work in terms of TV scheduling?
If AFLW games go up against AFL games in the same timeslot very few people will watch the women.

 

[Taylor]

How do you propose this would work in terms of TV scheduling?

I expect the public discussion would be fox stealing AFLW for pay TV but the reality will be that Seven would rather run Better Homes and Gardens than Collingwood v Carlton AFLW before the Prime Time Collingwood v Cartlon AFL match.

WCE and Freo AFL/AFLW games would be aired on 7Mate and 7. Victorian broadcasting would be more complicated.

I don't think the AFLW rates well against even an AFL preseason match - so free to air might not see value in it. Perhaps streaming like the women's cricket world cup?

 

[mookieb]

When the entire league has an ALFW side the fixture can be massaged to have the AFLW game as the curtain raiser to the AFL match. Early games might need to start earlier, later games might need to start a touch later so that the stadiums can process their changeover if there needs to be two games at the same ground in one day.

The next step after that is a combination ladder, like a constructors championship, combining the performance of the entire club against the rest.

The alternative would be to never have the AFL and AFLW sides playing near the same time slot so that club supporters could be able to watch both games each weekend, one at the ground and one at home on TV. There is already an arrangement like this with the WA AFL sides generally not playing around the same time.

Is it better having AFLW in a different season to the men? 18 games in a weekend might be overload.

 

[Taylor]

Is it better having AFLW in a different season to the men? 18 games in a weekend might be overload.

I think not having the airspace filled with a far more dominant option is going to get more eyeballs on the AFLW product. I think if people have only enough time to watch one game on the weekend then they will probably choose their AFL side, at least until that season starts to go poorly.

I'm a die hard AFL nut though. So I'd be watching them both - but I don't expect that from many others.

 

[Teen Wolf]

However, the product will never be as good as AFL so it's never going to be equal.

Riiight, because the AFL always makes commercial decisions based on the quality of its product. I guess that's why again in 2022 we have Richmond (12th last year) v Carlton (13th) on Thursday night of R1...

AFLW is never going to be equal for the same reasons there are small clubs and big clubs. And like small clubs, the women's competition is (and will increasingly be) compensated for various inequities perpetuated by the AFL, such as not getting an equal share of the ~26 Friday night timeslots during the traditional football season.

When the entire league has an ALFW side the fixture can be massaged to have the AFLW game as the curtain raiser to the AFL match. Early games might need to start earlier, later games might need to start a touch later so that the stadiums can process their changeover if there needs to be two games at the same ground in one day.

The next step after that is a combination ladder, like a constructors championship, combining the performance of the entire club against the rest.

The alternative would be to never have the AFL and AFLW sides playing near the same time slot so that club supporters could be able to watch both games each weekend, one at the ground and one at home on TV. There is already an arrangement like this with the WA AFL sides generally not playing around the same time.

Yeah none of that will be happening, thankfully.

 

[the big lebowski]

I think you could think about an extended female competition mid year. Running alongside the afl season.

Just comes down to dolllars and sense. It would hurt the VFL and VFLW (maybe).

 

[mookieb]

Riiight, because the AFL always makes commercial decisions based on the quality of its product. I guess that's why again in 2022 we have Richmond (12th last year) v Carlton (13th) on Thursday night of R1...

AFLW is never going to be equal for the same reasons there are small clubs and big clubs. And like small clubs, the women's competition is (and will increasingly be) compensated for various inequities perpetuated by the AFL, such as not getting an equal share of the ~26 Friday night timeslots during the traditional football season.

I would imagine the tv stations probably would want to cover the men's game because that where the interest is.

AFLW will never being equal to the AFL because of the product. Not that it can't be successful in it's own right which it appears to be doing now. They should aim for it to be the premier female sport in the country as a realistic alternative.

 

[melbournemartin]

I really like the AFLW and watch it on TV and have loved the few games I've made it to in person (tough when living overseas). However, there are only so many hours in a day and so many hours in a weekend. Right now we have 9 AFL games per weekend. Doubling it to 18 just doesn't have enough bums to put on seats. You'll ultimately end up diluting the AFLW in that case, just like how SANFL, WAFL and VFL cannot compete with AFL.

 

[jatz14]

I expect the public discussion would be fox stealing AFLW for pay TV but the reality will be that Seven would rather run Better Homes and Gardens than Collingwood v Carlton AFLW before the Prime Time Collingwood v Cartlon AFL match.

WCE and Freo AFL/AFLW games would be aired on 7Mate and 7. Victorian broadcasting would be more complicated.

I don't think the AFLW rates well against even an AFL preseason match - so free to air might not see value in it. Perhaps streaming like the women's cricket world cup?

I'm sure channel 7 would love to run their most popular program in every timeslot every day, of course that isn't how TV works.

 

[Taylor]

I'm sure channel 7 would love to run their most popular program in every timeslot every day, of course that isn't how TV works.

Exactly, minus the attitude, so playing the games as the lead in to the prime time AFL match would see the AFLW match relegated to streaming because the ratings aren't good enough to compete at that time.

They aren't moving the nightly news to broadcast AFLW live during the AFL season.

 

[tandino]

In the great AFLW tradition of unsolicited, uninformed opinion, allow me to contribute.

It's an interesting article but it outlines what I feel is a bit of a quandary that lies ahead for the AFLW. If they want 198 games a year they will always be second fiddle to the AFL, that's the trade-off. The market doesn't lie in the end. The AFL could probably fund a professional competition and write it off as a marketing exercise, and the women might not care either way, but they will forever live off the largesse of the AFL and get treated accordingly.

There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but if you don't want to be second fiddle then you don't just become a facsimile of a more popular and more successful competition. The AFL has been crowding out competition for decades, other professional sports go out of their way to duck and dodge the AFL schedule, why would AFLW be any different? In fact they are in competition for the same media and fan attention. That's the fastest way to being second fiddle.

What they are doing now is the path forward. Short summer season with shorter games. Two seeded conferences gives you a ~12 week professional season. Do what you have to do to get the Grand Final in the week before Round 1. I'm not saying anything new and novel or groundbreaking here, I just think that is the obvious strategy forward.

 

[Dan]

Women's tennis moves equally with the mens because they too bring in big sponsorships for the events, the athletes themselves and spectators are paying to attend.

Suggesting that AFLW should be where the mens are is folly.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Be patient.

 

[jatz14]

Exactly, minus the attitude, so playing the games as the lead in to the prime time AFL match would see the AFLW match relegated to streaming because the ratings aren't good enough to compete at that time.

They aren't moving the nightly news to broadcast AFLW live during the AFL season.

1. Not all games are proceeded by the news or better homes and gardens.
2. This is why the AFLW is not on during the AFL season, and why if it does start to overlap (it will never, ever, be completely concurrent, but may be forced to somewhat overlap), they will not be curtain raisers to mens games, possibly baring a few marquee games, which will be chiefly noticeable for the fact that the mens game will not follow the news, or BH and G, but the AFLW game, which will be televised (it will be scheduled so this is the case).

The AFLW is designed to pull off of support for the mens game, and, desirably, maybe attract a few people to footy that never considered it before, who may then decide to give AFL a shot. They will be rostered to maximise this support, and to avoid cannibalising each other.

You could broadly break down AFLW supporters over a few categories.
Novel AFLW supporters, people that support AFLW, but who did not support the AFL, whether they considered it misogynist, or representative of the patriarchy, or whatever. But they are a minority imop.
Committed club supporters who will support any team their club puts out.
General footy fans, who just like watching footy, any footy.

I am an Eagles fan, but I rarely watch all games in the week, I usually watch the Eagles, plus any games on at a convenient time, or important games that got my attention. But usually 2 or so a week, but sometimes, just the Eagles game. I watch the Eagles AFLW team. Put the AFLW on at the same time as the AFL, I would watch the AFLW Eagles over a game between Saints and North for instance. So, there is a good chance I end up watching fewer AFL games over the year.

General footy fans would probably watch AFL games first, and only watch AFLW games if convenient and no AFL was on (there would be exceptions, but not many).

So, some club fans are cannibalised from AFL to the less valuable AFLW. But most fans just keep watching the AFL, and simply stop watching the AFLW.

From a business perspective, its hard to overstate how bad this is. This is what happened to Myer/Target 15 - 20 years ago. Myer started chasing more customers, which ended up with them competing with Target, ******* up both businesses.

In strategic planning for the AFL, this scenario is posted on a board somewhere, with a big red cross across it, and a large bold NO written underneath.

They would rather the AFLW goes head to head with cricket or soccer or Quidditch, or anything, except the AFL.

 

[owen87]

1. Not all games are proceeded by the news or better homes and gardens.
2. This is why the AFLW is not on during the AFL season, and why if it does start to overlap (it will never, ever, be completely concurrent, but may be forced to somewhat overlap), they will not be curtain raisers to mens games, possibly baring a few marquee games, which will be chiefly noticeable for the fact that the mens game will not follow the news, or BH and G, but the AFLW game, which will be televised (it will be scheduled so this is the case).

The AFLW is designed to pull off of support for the mens game, and, desirably, maybe attract a few people to footy that never considered it before, who may then decide to give AFL a shot. They will be rostered to maximise this support, and to avoid cannibalising each other.

You could broadly break down AFLW supporters over a few categories.
Novel AFLW supporters, people that support AFLW, but who did not support the AFL, whether they considered it misogynist, or representative of the patriarchy, or whatever. But they are a minority imop.
Committed club supporters who will support any team their club puts out.
General footy fans, who just like watching footy, any footy.

I am an Eagles fan, but I rarely watch all games in the week, I usually watch the Eagles, plus any games on at a convenient time, or important games that got my attention. But usually 2 or so a week, but sometimes, just the Eagles game. I watch the Eagles AFLW team. Put the AFLW on at the same time as the AFL, I would watch the AFLW Eagles over a game between Saints and North for instance. So, there is a good chance I end up watching fewer AFL games over the year.

General footy fans would probably watch AFL games first, and only watch AFLW games if convenient and no AFL was on (there would be exceptions, but not many).

So, some club fans are cannibalised from AFL to the less valuable AFLW. But most fans just keep watching the AFL, and simply stop watching the AFLW.

From a business perspective, its hard to overstate how bad this is. This is what happened to Myer/Target 15 - 20 years ago. Myer started chasing more customers, which ended up with them competing with Target, ******* up both businesses.

In strategic planning for the AFL, this scenario is posted on a board somewhere, with a big red cross across it, and a large bold NO written underneath.

They would rather the AFLW goes head to head with cricket or soccer or Quidditch, or anything, except the AFL.

I'd watch a good Quidditch match.

I could see a potential for mid-week matches for the TV viewership, but that compromises the local ground attendance aspect that AFLW has going for it right now.

But agree the AFL won't want to run the AFLW season alongside the mens, very little commercial benefit that way.

 

[petits]

You could broadly break down AFLW supporters over a few categories.
Novel AFLW supporters, people that support AFLW, but who did not support the AFL, whether they considered it misogynist, or representative of the patriarchy, or whatever. But they are a minority imop.

Just wanted to comment on this, because I'm one of those supporters. I didn't not support the AFL because it's 'misogynist' or something strange like that, I just grew up in a rugby-watching household in NSW. I played women's rugby for a few years and consequently followed the women's comps a bit, but they were hard to follow (only on Foxtel for example) and don't attract that great of athletes as it's just not that popular. When AFLW was launched it was clear the AFL were going to put a lot of money into presenting it professionally and making it easy to follow the league and players, so I decided to try watching it. Quickly realised AFL is far more fun to watch than rugby.

Probably in Victoria supporters like me are a small minority, as most Victorians either follow AFL or have a reason they don't. But in non-footy states, there may be quite a lot of new converts purely via AFLW. Especially girls and women who on some level wanted to watch more women's sport but find cricket and soccer boring and netball a bit odd and girly (and in strange timeslots).