Analysis Is it acceptable for AFL clubs to be politically biased?

[kickazz]

You just...do.
Stuff having to prove sh*t to anyone.

I agree that the doing part is the most important - if you don't walk the walk and all that.

But any organisation that has lost (or simply not had in the first place) customers due to some negative reputational issue can't assume that those people will keep checking in to see if things have changed, you stand a much better chance of success if you advertise the fact.

 

[BruceTempany14]

I always imagine Geelong as right wing for some reason, mostly because quite a lot of their supporters on bigfooty are super right wing.

Oh you post some nonsense . But this takes the cake .

You’ll note that a majority of the state and federal seat in the Geelong area are ALP . I know roughly 30 Geelong supporters . I’d be very confident that more than likely it’d be a 60-40 split leaning towards ALP . I also have no idea how you can class people’s political persuasions from BigFooty posts . You sir/madam ( him/her) must be a true vote whisperer. An Absolute master political strategist.

If people don’t want politics in footy , regardless of the absolute geniuses in this thread who say they’re intrinsically intwined, then they have every right to say so . It dosnt make them left or right or a moderate or a radical . It means let people enjoy footy . Full stop .

I , like many supporters of many different and diverse backgrounds don’t need or want the AFL or it’s clubs being my thought police .
I pay my membership purely for footy. If my club Lobby’s for money etc then great . But that’s it . If Peter Garrett or Kevin Andrews barrack for my or others footy teams then great . No skin off my nose .

Your passive aggressive approaches are tantamount to bullying .


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[BillHickman]

One for you to think about...

View attachment 1063307

I come to BF for entertainment, didn't realise I was going to get educated too.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

I come to BF for entertainment, didn't realise I was going to get educated too.

Try the veal!

 

[Malifice]

You just...do.
Stuff having to prove sh*t to anyone.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We live in a world where players are getting booed out of the game to some degree based on race, bananas are getting thrown at Aboriginal players, and monkey emojis posted on their social media accounts, White nationalists are rocking up to games with Islamophobic banners, Collingwood players held the view that calling an African bloke 'Chimp' was OK, and their own president considered that making a statement to the effect that another Aboriginal man should play King Kong in a musical because he looks like a Gorilla.

I think that might indicate that we probably should be trying a bit harder, don't you?

 

[mr bagcroft]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We live in a world where players are getting booed out of the game to some degree based on race, bananas are getting thrown at Aboriginal players, and monkey emojis posted on their social media accounts, White nationalists are rocking up to games with Islamophobic banners, Collingwood players held the view that calling an African bloke 'Chimp' was OK, and their own president considered that making a statement to the effect that another Aboriginal man should play King Kong in a musical because he looks like a Gorilla.

I think that might indicate that we probably should be trying a bit harder, don't you?

You need to take a breath and comprehend what was said. It really wasn’t a lot of words, concentrate now ...
I said you just “do it”.
Dosent mean you have to prove anything. Because you don’t. Seriously, just take a breath and think before you reply.

 

[maroon and blue]

No, the Germans don't pay reparations.

They did after WW1, but after WW2 it was recognised that destroying an economy by forcing massive reparation payments only led to extremism and a desire for revenge. (AKA Nazis and WW2), so they didn't do that again (indeed, with the Marshall plan, they did the opposite to an extent).

One of Hitler's more popular policies was to (unilaterally) stop paying reparations.

Germany is still paying WW2 reparations and only paid off the WW1 reparations in 2010!

 

[BattlerGM]

Is it though?

If you have a track record of not being welcome to "sheilas" or "abos" or "NTTAWWTs" is it enough to come out and say, "oh, we aren't like that anymore" or is there an obligation to show/prove somewhat that you've changed your ways?

You don't need to demonstrate to the world that you've changed your ways. Why do we need proof? Just change yours ways. Saying 'we aren't like that anymore' (assuming it's true) is adequate.

 

[kickazz]

You don't need to demonstrate to the world that you've changed your ways. Why do we need proof? Just change yours ways. Saying 'we aren't like that anymore' (assuming it's true) is adequate.

Advertising works otherwise people wouldn't use it.

 

[The 747]

Sure champ? A not insignificant amount of those statements are self interest virtue signalling.
And thats a fact.

All of those statements are made in self interest, any business making any statement does so because the manager think it is in their interests to do so.

 

[WillHayward]

I think that’s taking it too fa Frankly.

I don’t have a problem with the club supporting Dreamtime and ANZAC Day. I buy an ANZAC badge every year and think programs like Dreamtime Game and The Long Walk are great examples of positive events for their respective causes. Dreamtime focussed on a positive celebration these indigenous people have made to society and specifically football. ANZAC Day marks the respect we pay to X servicemen have made to this country. In both cases, almost entirely accepted as positive causes by the public..

However, carefully written, formal official statements of the kind we saw from Essendon on Australia Day was a step too far. Unlike the above events, these statements implied quiet endorsement of the minority view that this day should not be celebrated and represented an ‘Invasion Day’. This position is divisive and not supported by the majority of people / members as supported by the notably left wing, Ipsos poll which said only 28% of people wanted the date of Australia Day to be moved.

That’s a clear difference and the club will have to accept the division it’s caused and whatever impact that has on its membership or other forms of support.

Simply untrue.
Anzac Day is a recent invention invented by John Howard.
It's historic origins are highly dubious.
Australia doesn't have a single memorial in Gallipoli. Lone Phone was built by Kiwis.

Too many people are too quick to believe bullshit history and then pretend it is some long standing tradition and part of our cultural heritage and fabric when it isn't.

As for 'Australia Day'.

What is it exactly?

The date England arrived in the colony known as NSW?

Again highly dubious historically.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Simply untrue.
Anzac Day is a recent invention invented by John Howard.
It's historic origins are highly dubious.
Australia doesn't have a single memorial in Gallipoli. Lone Phone was built by Kiwis.

Too many people are too quick to believe bullshit history and then pretend it is some long standing tradition and part of our cultural heritage and fabric when it isn't.

As for 'Australia Day'.

What is it exactly?

The date England arrived in the colony known as NSW?

Again highly dubious historically.

What some people are not aware of is that the British lost twice as many people at Gallipoli as us the Kiwis and the French put together. That is a sobering thought

 

[the harry]

What some people are not aware of is that the British lost twice as many people at Gallipoli as us the Kiwis and the French put together. That is a sobering thought

Yeah but the Crown actually means something to the British.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Yeah but the Crown actually means something to the British.

Some British not all.
Like all these things the British crown is an outdated institution

 

[BattlerGM]

Advertising works otherwise people wouldn't use it.

You don't need to advertise to get the message through.

 

[kickazz]

You don't need to advertise to get the message through.

Why do businesses, charities, governments and other organisations advertise then?

To help get the message across! Do they NEED to advertise? Probably not, but you're pushing s**t up hill trying to get cut through if you don't.

 

[wian]

Clubs and the AFL should shut the F up and not get involved at all and just stick to footy.. Gives me the shits and has turned me right off to be honest.

 

[Chief]

Clubs and the AFL should shut the F up and not get involved at all and just stick to footy.. Gives me the shits and has turned me right off to be honest.

Clubs have their roots in community. Whatever they are today, they are considered to have a role in shaping communities.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Clubs and the AFL should shut the F up and not get involved at all and just stick to footy.. Gives me the shits and has turned me right off to be honest.

Just don't listen.

There's nothing stopping anyone from just watching the footy is there?

 

[ryancash]

One for you to think about...

View attachment 1063307

Carl Popper?......looks a hell of a lot like Bob Hawke.

 

[Baird]

Sports have always been political

How?

 

[Scotland]

Doesn't make sense for a club to be outwardly political. At least in the sense of aligning with political parties. Upgrading/replacing Subiaco Oval was a political hot potato for years, decades even. The WAFC and WA clubs were actively political in the sense of supporting what benefits their interests. It's not a Liberal vs Labor, state vs federal thing, it's a WAFC self interest thing. For a while it looked like moving AFL games to Optus Stadium would financially penalise the WA clubs so the WAFC dug their heels in. Is that being political?

John Elliott was Federal President of the Liberal Party and President of Carlton. Jeff Kennett was Premier of Victoria and then President of Hawthorn later on. I don't think that stops people who have voted Labor all their life from supporting those clubs.

 

[kickazz]

It's interesting to note also that the very formation of most clubs was rooted in politics, that of religion anyway.

There were working class Catholic clubs like Collingwood, Richmond and North Melbourne on one hand, and Protestant clubs like Melbourne, Essendon and Carlton on the other.

It didn't get much more political than Catholic v Protestant back then. But it that political aspect was probably integral to the club's identity.

In recent times we've had the idea of the "family club" as an appeal to a certain identity/ demographic. But all in all, the club's are all the same now really, they are positioning themselves to appeal to as broad an audience as they can.

 

[jatz14]

What some people are not aware of is that the British lost twice as many people at Gallipoli as us the Kiwis and the French put together. That is a sobering thought

Plenty of people don't even know they were there. Even more don't know the French were there.

On moto g(6) plus using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[PP34]

How?

Olympics, Anzac Day, not allowing black players etc etc