Opinion Media vs Fans

[greatwhiteshark]

Now I don't watch a lot of other sport other than AFL and F1 but I have to say, I have not seen an industry that has just open contempt for their audience. When I listen to a lot of AFL media personalities (cough Kornes Cough Carro) I just get nothing but contempt for the average AFL fan. They all moralise and try to pass judgement about towards fans and those who pay their wage. You get the feeling that they would prefer to only give their opinion to each other and never actually be in the public eye.

* me, Gamergate was pretty hostile between journalists and the public but in these cretins are just far worse.

When the game went professional a huge change came to the sport and especially the media and the fans.
It used to that the media and the fans were on the same team, the media spoke for the fans and they would never ever let a league change rules or laws without consent from the fans.
Somehow as more money came into the sport the league purchased the media, I have no idea how this happened or how it was even possible for it to happen as it is the broadcasters that put the money in so one would think the league would not be able to stipulate how the media operate.
But here we are and each and every media outlet that covers football is owned and it seems answerable to the league. If you don't report or say as head office wants then you will not be covering the sport.

So now this means the fans are on their own, they have no say in the sport anymore and funny enough they actually believe most of the tripe out of head office and the media and stand up for the AFL even though the AFL has changed the sport without consent of its fans.

The fans and the media should always be on the same team, it keeps leagues in check and we only have to look what has happened to Aussie rules football to see what can take place when the league and the media are on the same team.

 

[GetDimmaBack]

I stopped reading, watching and listening to all AFL media (other than the games themselves) about 5 years ago.

I still marvel at how much more I enjoy footy these days, and I strongly encourage everyone do the same.

Do it for your sanity!

 

[Randall Stevens]

When the game went professional a huge change came to the sport and especially the media and the fans.
It used to that the media and the fans were on the same team, the media spoke for the fans and they would never ever let a league change rules or laws without consent from the fans.
Somehow as more money came into the sport the league purchased the media, I have no idea how this happened or how it was even possible for it to happen as it is the broadcasters that put the money in so one would think the league would not be able to stipulate how the media operate.
But here we are and each and every media outlet that covers football is owned and it seems answerable to the league. If you don't report or say as head office wants then you will not be covering the sport.

So now this means the fans are on their own, they have no say in the sport anymore and funny enough they actually believe most of the tripe out of head office and the media and stand up for the AFL even though the AFL has changed the sport without consent of its fans.

The fans and the media should always be on the same team, it keeps leagues in check and we only have to look what has happened to Aussie rules football to see what can take place when the league and the media are on the same team.

Very well summarised.

Fear of loss of accreditation - or as a minimum loss of access to information and interviews from head office - has resulted in a largely cowering and compliant media.

It is also not just the decision of individual 'journalists' or ex players either, but their employers who drive this compliance. For example, in his ABC radio days Gerard Whately was a highly credible and impartial journalist. Now as an employee of Foxtel and SEN he is a sycophant for every AFL decision. Is this a personal transformation, or - I think far more likely - the words of a mouthpiece for the views of two organisations hugely dependent on AFL content.

Another key factor to me is the media's almost universal unquestioning support and promotion of every social cause the AFL adopts. This is not about whether the AFL's positions on these issues is right or wrong. Rather, it is unarguable that many fans would prefer the AFL to 'stay in their lane' and focus on running a football competition. In past eras the football media - like the league itself - kept its focus on the game and off-field directly associated with it (eg club finances, league expansion etc). If fans become disenchanted by the AFL being as political and socially involved as it is, then by extension they will be angered by the media 'jumping on board' with whatever position the league adopts.

 

[mr bagcroft]

Yeah, the fact that Michael Warner says in his "Boys Club" book that people from the AFL have called his editor to try and get him to toe the line and also taken away accreditation is something that really needs to be spoken about more.

The AFL is basically on the same level as North Korea and forcing people to keep up the lie.

yep, the AFL is every bit as bad as Nazi Germany, minus the killing bit, so far...
Its propoganda is both mesmerising and sickening.

 

[The Sultan]

I pay little attention to the written media, its all dribble. Robbo is head of footy at the Hun, so i rest my case.

All I am after is an analytical program the shows why teams won/lost, some video edits etc. not 10 minutes of analysis and 40 min of whos getting sacked or signed. First Crack does it ok, but needs to be a two hours show, sometimes its only a few minutes on each game.

Also would it kill to get a special commentator to actually give some insite to what is happening and why. the jingoism and wristy's to certain players that Ch7 dish out, is reminiscent of ch9 cricket commentary before they lost the cricket.

Lingy
Richo
Jobe
Nat Jones

should all be banned from talking during the game.

 

[GWT6]

Jobe is paid to commentate … enough said

Still seems absolutely unbelievable that a player convicted of using performance enhancing drugs (Especially a leader of the team) moves straight into a high paid media role.

Imagine Lance Armstrong commentating the Tour De France. Imagine a Chinese Swimmer!!!!

But that's Australia. Wayne Carey, Shane Warne, Dane Swan, all canonised by the boys club.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Now I don't watch a lot of other sport other than AFL and F1 but I have to say, I have not seen an industry that has just open contempt for their audience. When I listen to a lot of AFL media personalities (cough Kornes Cough Carro) I just get nothing but contempt for the average AFL fan. They all moralise and try to pass judgement about towards fans and those who pay their wage. You get the feeling that they would prefer to only give their opinion to each other and never actually be in the public eye.

* me, Gamergate was pretty hostile between journalists and the public but in these cretins are just far worse.

The modern footy media has managed to suck so much of the fun out of watching footy. I don't want to sound like an old timer who's stuck in the past - there's so many things about footy that are better now than they ever were, and a lot that aren't - but footy shows like League Teams, Coodabeen Champions, World of Sport and even the early years of The Footy Show were centered around presenting the best parts of the game, its moments and its characters, emphasising the positives and the achievements of players and teams.

Nowadays the footy media is mostly about the muckraking. It's about trying to identify and display the "gotcha moments", and preferably be the first to do so. Scour the footage for ways of outing the latest perceived indiscretion, rather than the heroics of the day.

Case in point from the most recent game of footy played. After the West Coast vs Richmond match on Sunday all of the coverage has been about either Maurice Minor ghosting the call from the upstairs coach's box, or Dusty's shot to the ribs of Witherden. They couldn't get back to the studio or show the replays of these two incidents quick enough or often enough. Meanwhile, not a skerrick about Bolton's speccy over the pack or the great battle between Allen and Balta, or Jacob Hopper's BOG performance.

Those who didn't live through the earlier way of presenting a footy coverage wouldn't know any difference of course. So they'll be only really familiar with parasites like Cornes, Wilson, Robinson etc dominating pre- and post-match footy discussions - unfortunately they have no point of reference for times before malicious Facebook comments sections and gutter weeknight TV panel shows poisoned the well.

It's been decided that water cooler footy chat now has to be profoundly negative and, where possible, callous and demeaning. No more friendly ribbing - if you're going to mention Garry Lyon or Damian Hardwick or anyone of a few others I won't mention then you must encounter "but whatabout his affair" type gobshyte almost straight away.

This is what the modern footy media has planted.

 

[The Sultan]

Leading the ch7 nightly sport… Beverage hurt his hand FFS

 

[Teal Leviathan]

sitting at my computer shocked that someone would reference gamergate sincerely in 2023

It's about ethics in football journalism.