Mike Colman...."I'm Sorry".......

[Danni]

Thanks to all the people out there, and from what I gather 'thousands' of them, Mike Colman, the Journo from the Courier Mail, apparantley appologised to AFL fans for his previous article telling us all to 'cop it sweet'.

I haven't read it yet, but it also included samples of the emails he received.

I will post it all on here when I get a copy!

Well done to all Bigfooty people who emailed him too!

 

[BUBBALOUIS]

Glad we could help

 

[Danni]

Ok here it is :

I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO UPSET YOU SO MUCH

Last week Mike Colman wrote a column calling on AFL fans to keep quiet for seven days. The ensuing roar has him slinking back to the keyboard

Enough. I give up. I feel like Foreman after Ali, Ponting after India, Lions after Port Adelaide.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It was supposed to be a laugh; tounge in cheek. You know, Humour? Still, I should have known better. As someone once told me, never make fun of someone's sport or their religion. In writing about AFL, I was obviously doing both.

Never have I received so many vitriolic letters and phone calls. My e-mail provider has sent a message to all subscribers warning of delays caused by system overload.

I have been called a "fool", "sarcastic little worsmith", "narrow-minded" (caused by too many blows to the head as a rugby league player), "thin-skinned", "negative" and, from the wife of someone called Ace, "the biggest loser I have ever seen".

And as I suggested you do last week, I copped it sweet. I admit it. I was insulting, sarcastic, patronising and all the other things you have called me. I apologise.

But if I could clarify a point. I wasn't saying The Courier Mail refuses to cover AFL during the pre-season. What I was saying was there were no games last week and we weren't responsible, that's all. And could you please hold off abusing us for just seven days - and then it would be business as usual.

Actually, The Courier Mail does cover AFL news in the pre-season, just as we cover news about teams other than the Lions. In fact, over the past five years, this newspaper has employed two leading AFL writers from Melbourne.

And why wouldn't we? It would be ridiculous for us not to acknowledge the giant strides AFL has taken in Brisbane over the past six years of so. It's just that is seems no matter how much coverage the game gets, it isn't enough for some supporters. They want more - and some, repeat SOME let us know in the most abusive language.

On Monday, we published a 56 parge full colour guide to the season. Yesterday we had a full page of coverage.

The first call of the day was a complaint. Not enough.

One caller last week told me that he, and other expats, were forced to buy the one day old Melbourne Herald Sun to get full coverage of all AFL teams.

Sorry sir, but you will never get that sort of coverage here. We simply don't have the space or the demand. Just as we do not give the same daily coverage of rugby league as the Sydney Daily Telegraph - much as you might think we do.

As for some of the other correspondence I received:

To Murray, who wrote to my boss suggesting I be sacked: WEll Murray, as you are a public servant writing emails on taxpayers' time, could I suggest that you spend more time worrying about YOUR job?

To Gary from Buderim: Sorry, your're right. I don't have the guts to write that 'all league fans are big fat overweight bohemiaths that wear parachute pants with the intelligence of a seas horse". And what's a bohemiath anyway?

And as for Tim, who claims that while we ignore AFL news we cover stories like "Ben Tune Breaks a Fingernail at a Charity Marbles Game", your kidding. Ben Tune broke a fingernail? How did I miss that one? Scooped again.

See, it's not all that serious. It's just a game. A great game, a game which attracts the kind of passionate, tribalistic, myopic support only the best games earn and maintain. If I underestimated the depth of that passion, I apologise.

Still, look on the bright side. At least I gave you all something to get excited bout over those seven footy-free days.

[This message has been edited by Danni (edited 31 March 2001).]

 

[AlfAndrews]

That was a classic Clayton's apology.

He seems like a pretty good writer, for a tabloid hack.

He's taking the piss ... and he's enjoying it.

AND he's getting paid to do it ... the lucky bastard.

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**floreat pica**