Hair, beards and boots - Why the hate?

[RU486]

Every single person in the AFL community wants individuals... we don't want 22 identical robots running out each week and nodding in unison when a goal is kicked. The fact is 22 individuals make up every team, and if they can work together well who cares what boots they wear.

I'm pretty sure no work office would demand someone get rid of a beard unless they are extremely posh or it could be hazardous. Having facial hair funnily enough has no relation to how professional you are.

Players are differentiated by there style of play, it's completely ridiculous to suggest we need players to dress differently other wise there all 'identical'. If your a true professional you want to get the best out of yourself, having one does impact upon performance but more to the point it degrades the club and insinuates a sense of classlessness to both the individual and the club.

 

[E Shed]

I love the beards. Rhyce Shaw started the trend, and Ben Hudson. It's a gentle poke in the eye to the AFL, and their marketing and PR consultants trying to sanitize our game. First with the rules, now with the players appearance.

We'll lose something from our game if it becomes all metrosexuals. The anti-beard crowd are old-school thinkers.

Well now I'm confused. I thought the beard thing was an ironic hipster fashion, confirming to a stereotype rather than a statement of individuality.

 

[SpaceCow]

I thought it was pretty obvious why they received all this scrutiny...

They're clearly skipping training and team meetings to groom and upkeep their hair.

 

[placebo]

Usually a couple of reasons:

- People have laughably outdated ideas and notions on 'team unity' that because they aren't backed up by any critical thinking skills they have to pass off as some silly 'it's the way things are' nonsense.

- People still hold onto some outdated notions of 'masculinity', and supposedly you're only a real man if you have Johnny Unitas cut.

So, basically, people are holding on to stupid outdated notions, lacking in critical thinking skills because they know deep down, if they really gave it some thought, they'd realise how utterly idiotic it is to suggest that having a beard or a fancy haircut in some way affects your devotion to team standards. I mean, seriously.

 

[Demon1993]

If you Google image search , "tattooed vajayjay" , the first pic looks just like the above Bruce Doull pic

You pervert

 

[UpForGrabs]

Not shaving means more time to train. But yeah, in response to the OP - it's because commentators are idiots. Particularly Luke Darcy, who probably couldn't grow a bear if he started now and you gave him until 2018.

Because its a team sport. The best team is not filled with people that want to make an individual out of themselves.

Nick Malceski says Hi along with his mate Rhyce

 

[Wallaby]

Go back to the 70s - every team had multiple moustaches running around. Plus some fantastic mop-tops and mullets. Then in the 80s we had the blond tips and afros. 90s - some clean shaven baldies put in an appearance.

In the NHL it's a tradition that when your team makes the playoffs, you don't shave. Growing a good Playoff beard is a sign of a real hard-nosed warrior.

I personally think that those who say 'No facial hair!' are revealing more about themselves than the players wearing it. It's just a bit of fun.................

 

[Vikingblood]

Looking flashy doesn't mean you try less hard as far as inn concerned. The look is most likely for their time outside football so if you don't like it get over it. Times change and people evolve, physically and culturally.

Go and watch local footy juniors and just about every one of them has fluoro boots of some nature. White boots are the conservative option. As you said, times change, it's now the norm.

 

[Kavliaris69]

It's obvious that the bearded lumberjacks (single guys) aren't keen to meet new women. Every woman I know says that they are ugly and would never even contemplate getting into anything with a guy that has a huge beard like that. Up to 1 week growth is fine or trimmed goatee they would accept. Their choice I suppose.

 

[Running Dog]

Ah, Johnny Unitus!

Johnny Unitas- but yes, know what you mean. According to my Unitas Oyster 2000 Digital Chronometer it's 11:18° 25' 19".

Back to the OP- "Why the hate?" I'd ask instead, why the characterisation of a perspective you don't like as 'hate'. Maybe you've just adopted hip-hop lingo and you're aware that ordinary likes and dislikes are not 'hate', but the idea that disagreement equals hate seems to be seeping into the culture through mindless patter.

 

[Zach Package]

Luke Darcy seems to be of the opinion that it actually takes more effort to grow a beard than to be clean shaven. Doesn't love the way they're going about it

 

[MF]

Because most 'special comments experts' are too lazy to do the proper amount of research required to be knowledgeable about teams and players so they have to resort to dribbling shit like this to justify their pay.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

AFL could probably do with a no mullet rule, they just look terrible, ultimately it is up to the clubs to set dress & grooming standards for their players. If I was in charge of St Kilda mullets would definitely fall outside the standards. On beards, the bushman/hobo is going a little too far.

Really the boots should be part of the uniform and should probably be match short colour.

 

[dthom]

What a steaming pile of WANK. Appearance has nothing to do with anything that happens on the football field. There is another point to consider as well... Sometimes, believe it or not, Nike and Reebok and all those other companies make certain shoes that can only be bought in one colour. Most of the time it is black, but a lot of the time it is something weird. What happens when a player's favourite boot happens to be fluorescent?

 

[Freo2012]

So everyone should shave their entire head as it would increase heat loss.
Basically everyone should play naked to maximise heatloss.
So if a player is consciously willing to forego a small amount of performance due to their "wearing of clothes fashion statement" what else subconsciously are they also not contributing 100% to apply themselves to get the best out of themselves?
Macavaney would exploded continuously in the commentary box

1) top of head (hair line) has far less sweat glands than face and neck - scientific fact, so far less effect than neck and face. Next to no benefit from having shaved head on hot days in direct sun as it would actually heat up more without hair due to less sweat glands and the direct sun, but would be very slightly more beneficial having shaved head on cool day with little sun effect..
2) Modern footy jumpers are made from materials designed to allow heat dissipation - air to pass through, just as elite runners use but stronger materials.

You should try using a bit of science and logic, not emotion, when discussing topics.

 

[DangerSloane]

My point is who the hell are you guys to determine who looks like a douchebag?

These guys are 18-20 years old and their fashion is different to your fashion which is different to your parents fashion. If they wanna have a silly beard or out there hair style thats fine. The only time it isnt fine is when any of these things is affecting their performance, which 99.999999% of the time it wouldnt.
Beards are coming back into fashion (apparently), so why would anyone be persecuted for having one.

Get over it.

 

[Roobs321]

I guess the similarity between some players and hipster culture, as previously mentioned, can up the douche factor. Who hasn't looked at a band photo before and cringed, at least once.

But that said, I generally mute the tv when the Saturday night boys club commentates, as I find it painful to listen to their insights. Fashion comments is one of their recurring things, and as previously mentioned, is out of date and makes them look like dinosaurs gossiping whilst footy is being played.

 

[royals1922]

It was raised in part by Darcy who is well qualified to know what it takes to win a premiership.

 

[J_Moore]

Such dress would not be tolerated in the work office, it's just not professional - notice how none of the captains or elite players have a beard, very amatuer.

Jarred McVeigh has a beard.

 

[pablo668]

Go back to the 70s - every team had multiple moustaches running around. Plus some fantastic mop-tops and mullets. Then in the 80s we had the blond tips and afros. 90s - some clean shaven baldies put in an appearance.

In the NHL it's a tradition that when your team makes the playoffs, you don't shave. Growing a good Playoff beard is a sign of a real hard-nosed warrior.

I personally think that those who say 'No facial hair!' are revealing more about themselves than the players wearing it. It's just a bit of fun.................

Oh no my friend, if you want Mullets you simply can't go past the 1989 VFL Grand Final, or as I call it, 'the day of the Mullet'.

 

[Grenouille]

Jarred McVeigh has a beard.

And in AFL captains photos it looks as though Matthew Boyd, Callan Ward and Jobe Watson have a touch more than designer stubble

 

[Leatherpoizoned]

Yeah Luke Darcy and Co. are right. Look at how legendary his career was with his clean shaven face. Not like this mug below, lucky to get a game.

 

[Natho]

Jarred McVeigh has a beard.

Great beard/bald combo.