I'm done with AFL

[Moo]

...and probably symptomatic of how a hell of a lot of us are feeling now.

Really?

Either love or hate it - depending on the score .....that's how I feel.

It's footy folks, how the hell do you just suddenly stop following it? It's life.

 

[Apenesslike]

Really?

Either love or hate it - depending on the score .....that's how I feel.

It's footy folks, how the hell do you just suddenly stop following it? It's life.

Common sense. I hate you, or me, not sure, I'm so confused

 

[TweeBeard]

It's greed and profit optimisation - it's not corruption.

They're different

Not really. Both bring about financial gain to a few whilst ****ing over the larger majority of people.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

How you gonna avoid funding the system Reg??

By not paying for membership or going to games.

 

[scon]

I thought that was what you must have decided

 

[estibador]

I've got my own concerns about the competition to do with commercialisation, integrity and to be honest whether the club itself regarded itself as a part of the community or just a money making franchise and I very nearly gave it up a few years ago.

I've made peace with the fact Freo has to operate as a money making franchise if they want to win premierships. I'm ok with paying my membership money for the privilege of watching the best players in the land, without expecting that to entitle me to be on first name basis with the Steves while they cook me a snag on the barbie. As long as the club is helpful and respectful to members in need (as they were to me with a missing membership card on Sunday) then that's enough for me.

If I want something more community minded I'll get involved with a grassroots club like I did while living up north. Expecting a million dollar professional club to fulfil your need for old-school community engagement is just setting yourself up for disappointment imo. Different levels of footy provide different pros and cons, and I accept that.

For me the WAFL is a bit betwixt and between. Doesn't give me the perks of fully professional footy but also doesn't provide that level of familiarity where I can chat to the club president while I watch the game (unless I'm coulda), or volunteer to run water, or hobble around in the ressies if they're desperate for players. But then I never grew up with the WAFL so it doesn't really have any sentimental value for me.

 

[Apenesslike]

I've made peace with the fact Freo has to operate as a money making franchise if they want to win premierships. I'm ok with paying my membership money for the privilege of watching the best players in the land, without expecting that to entitle me to be on first name basis with the Steves while they cook me a snag on the barbie. As long as the club is helpful and respectful to members in need (as they were to me with a missing membership card on Sunday) then that's enough for me.

If I want something more community minded I'll get involved with a grassroots club like I did while living up north. Expecting a million dollar professional club to fulfil your need for old-school community engagement is just setting yourself up for disappointment imo. Different levels of footy provide different pros and cons, and I accept that.

For me the WAFL is a bit betwixt and between. Doesn't give me the perks of fully professional footy but also doesn't provide that level of familiarity where I can chat to the club president while I watch the game, or volunteer to run water, or hobble around in the ressies if they're desperate for players. But then I never grew up with the WAFL so it doesn't really have any sentimental value for me.

The WAFL was awesome once. My bother used to be in the cardies cheer squad and we'd make banners at home. The VFL meant nothing more to me than a passing interest.

 

[Bailey01]

Don't worry Buddy uses some of his couple a hundred grand to bail himself out of suspension

 

[slicedndiced]

Really?

Either love or hate it - depending on the score .....that's how I feel.

It's footy folks, how the hell do you just suddenly stop following it? It's life.

But it's not footy anymore.

There is still the game, yes. However it is rapidly transforming into something else.

What we are seeing now is going beyond cosmetic changes to the game and digging into the fundamentals that we, (most of us), know and love.

 

[Moo]

Not really. Both bring about financial gain to a few whilst ******* over the larger majority of people.

Who's the few?

If there is anything the AFL is guilty of is favouring the growing markets and this is done primarily to try and get a foothold and grow the game. I don't necessarily agree with it but it's not been done with evil intent or to make AD rich ...they want it to work.

Equalisation at its heart is to try and keep the comp even. Most of us may prefer killing off Victorians clubs but again the intent is to keep the comp even.

As much as this will make me unpopular - the AFL as a comp is run fantastically well, in soccer C'wood would dominate. We could of just seen the VFL compete against the state leagues and we would be the poorer for it.

Every week we see the best footballers play each other and if you draft and trade properly - anyone can win it.

It ain't perfect but the AFL have done a pretty good job....stop hoping for perfect and stop looking for perfection.

Come at me!

 

[Reginald Perrin]

I high fived Zac and congratulated him on his goal on Sunday and he gave me a beaming grin. I was so taken back by his beautiful smile that I forgot to invite him to the BBQ. The Steves were never invited anyway.

 

[Moo]

But it's not footy anymore.

There is still the game, yes. However it is rapidly transforming into something else.

What we are seeing now is going beyond cosmetic changes to the game and digging into the fundamentals that we, (most of us), know and love.

My dad hated the introduction of the centre square, I guess my pop cracked the shits that he couldn't throw his cap down after catching the ball to indicate the 'mark'.

It's still the best game in the world by a country mile IMHO

 

[estibador]

I high fived Zac and congratulated him on his goal on Sunday and he gave me a beaming grin. I was so taken back by his beautiful smile that I forgot to invite him to the BBQ. The Steves were never invited anyway.

Did you invite Malthouse? He's in dire need of another barbie right now.

 

[slicedndiced]

My dad hated the introduction of the centre square, I guess my pop cracked the shits that he couldn't throw his cap down after catching the ball to indicate the 'mark'.

It's still the best game in the world by a country mile IMHO

Yes, yes, us oldies are all luddites.

If Balla gets weeks for his bump on Sunday, will you do a merry jig?

 

[Apenesslike]

Yes, yes, us oldies are all luddites.

If Balla gets weeks for his bump on Sunday, will you do a merry jig?

He'll go and find an ugly chick

 

[se17enteen]

I think I'm getting close to calling it quits too. One day you will login and see under my profile that I've deleted my account, just like that scene at the end of Good Will Hunting when Ben Affleck knocks on Matt Damon's door and finds his house is empty and Matt has left shitsville for good.

It's not your fault....

 

[Reginald Perrin]

Did you invite Malthouse? He's in dire need of another barbie right now.

Malthouse wasn't there.

OK, so I didn't invite Zac to a BBQ. Did love his reaction though.

 

[Apenesslike]

Then tell her to cheer up, it not like your Freo.

 

[Moo]

Yes, yes, us oldies are all luddites.

If Balla gets weeks for his bump on Sunday, will you do a merry jig?

No I'll bitch and moan about how the games gone soft, and then I'll hope Crozier or Sylvia show me something.

However that decision is yet to happen, I'm hopeful that the chimpanzee may fling his faeces at the warning square of the penalty wallpaper.

 

[slicedndiced]

It's not your fault....

That is so, so good

 

[slicedndiced]

No I'll bitch and moan about how the games gone soft, and then I'll hope Crozier or Sylvia show me something.

However that decision is yet to happen, I'm hopeful that the chimpanzee may fling his faeces at the warning square of the penalty wallpaper.

So you bitch and moan if it happens, and some people show the courage of their convictions and walk away.

Either way, something is deeply wrong.

 

[Moo]

So you bitch and moan if it happens, and some people show the courage of their convictions and walk away.

Either way, something is deeply wrong.

Courage of their convictions?

I really am missing something here....it's like I expect Mandella or Ghandi to be mentioned next.

I don't mean to be disrespectful but walking away from the game will mean zip to the AFL so if you are walking away to make a political statement ....seriously waste of time.

If you are walking away because the game/comp shits you - then that is a sensible thing to do but it is not what I would term courageous.

 

[Apenesslike]

No I'll bitch and moan about how the games gone soft, and then I'll hope Crozier or Sylvia show me something.

However that decision is yet to happen, I'm hopeful that the chimpanzee may fling his faeces at the warning square of the penalty wallpaper.

Chimps will do what the vice evil overlords say. Cows however, are untrainable.

So you bitch and moan if it happens, and some people show the courage of their convictions and walk away.

Either way, something is deeply wrong.

It's frustration. The organisation is about making money. The is no new AFL money to be made here.

GC, GWS, Sydney and Brisbane are the protected species

 

[smokingjacket]

I still say that the fact that a poster is leaving the AFL competition is a cause for concern, and probably symptomatic of how a hell of a lot of us are feeling now.

It should be of great concern and it's not just this club. I don't buy the "modern game is unrecognisable" line either. I don't mind our footy at all. A great post from another topic went something like "after watching our contested footy games watching other teams seems like a let down in intensity" and I certainly get that. It's more to do with the arbitrary rule changes, MRP decisions and general air of the AFL that they are just making it up as they go along to as you say Moo, please the latest growth market.

I've made peace with the fact Freo has to operate as a money making franchise if they want to win premierships. I'm ok with paying my membership money for the privilege of watching the best players in the land, without expecting that to entitle me to be on first name basis with the Steves while they cook me a snag on the barbie.

Don't want to be on a first name basis with the Steves but it would be nice they could have respected the club as something that meant a lot to the community rather than a self-aggrandisement project for them to try to have the largest club in WA no matter what the members thought.

Really?

Either love or hate it - depending on the score .....that's how I feel.

It's footy folks, how the hell do you just suddenly stop following it?

I'll tell you. When you get a feeling that goes - why do I even care about this? It's all just made up and I'm just playing the happy consumer throwing my money and time at something inconsequential and fake. The OP mentioned WWE and hey the WWE has a massive market, but you wouldn't give a wrestling star American of the Year. Football should be something real, it has to be something real because this country doesn't have enough other things that people care deeply about.

 

[slicedndiced]

Courage of their convictions?

I really am missing something here....it's like I expect Mandella or Ghandi to be mentioned next.

I don't mean to be disrespectful but walking away from the game will mean zip to the AFL so if you are walking away to make a political statement ....seriously waste of time.

If you are walking away because the game/comp shits you - then that is a sensible thing to do but it is not what I would term courageous.

It's not about what the AFL thinks, in this case, it is about what you think. It has nothing to do with politics, in this scenario, at all.

A lot of people aren't prepared to piss and moan about the game and choose to walk away. Forget the politics and ask why.