The corporatization of Australian Rules

jonbe54

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Thread starter #1
Viewing the competition from a lens of 50 years support it's saddening to see how much of the game has been taken away from the average supporter.

My first taste of the elite level Aussie rules was a trip down to sleepy hollow with my old man in 1964, the dear old Victoria Park stands and outer were jam packed of a Saturday and fish and chips were the standard Saturday evening dinner of many a family after the game.

I had an autograph book signed by giants like our captain Terry (sticky fingers) Waters chock full of Pies players signatures, well wishes and funny stories. All written with a light heart whilst kneeling down beside a star struck young fan and his proud but blushing dad. That was NOT unusual, players were accessible and the club was accountable to the supporter base in ways not conceivable today.

Today is vastly different and the game is MUCH the poorer for this vacuum left by corporate and legalistic stringencies.

EVERYTHING about the game was structured around the wages and free time of the common working man, with matches scheduled weekly after Saturday morning overtime and memberships scaled to suit the working mans pay packet.

The real reason behind 'block busters' and special event rounds such as 'Anzac day' 'Queens birthday' 'Indigenous round' 'Pink ribbon' etc., etc., etc. is that said AFL are terrified to expose the falling live attendance figures without propping them up by mounting spectaculars.

Gentle reader this is just the tip of the iceberg, domination and failure are not to be tolerated by the AFL anymore, with the league mandated trade circus regulating the rise and fall of the various clubs - except newest franchises - and the game cast to satisfy the corporate media interests.

What about the average supporter???

The AFL and their media masters don't give a stuff.
 

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JB1975

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#2
I have some sympathy for the sentiment of the OP, but I suppose my view is that supporters need to be clear about what it is in today's football and the management of the game which pisses them off. I have some concerns about modern footy, which mainly relate to the apparent need to fill every spare moment of the 'matchday experience' with advertising and noise.

Beyond this, I urge anyone with a nagging sense of nostalgia to read a book such as Up Where Cazaly? The Great Australian Game. It was published decades ago, but was written by an impressive historian by the name of Ian Turner, who did some fine work to show the ways in which our game has almost always been entwined with and/or guided by commercial imperatives.

I don't like cricket, I like tennis even less. I miss the footy so f****** much right now.
 
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Kappa

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#3
Viewing the competition from a lens of 50 years support it's saddening to see how much of the game has been taken away from the average supporter.

My first taste of the elite level Aussie rules was a trip down to sleepy hollow with my old man in 1964, the dear old Victoria Park stands and outer were jam packed of a Saturday and fish and chips were the standard Saturday evening dinner of many a family after the game.

I had an autograph book signed by giants like our captain Terry (sticky fingers) Waters chock full of Pies players signatures, well wishes and funny stories. All written with a light heart whilst kneeling down beside a star struck young fan and his proud but blushing dad. That was NOT unusual, players were accessible and the club was accountable to the supporter base in ways not conceivable today.

Today is vastly different and the game is MUCH the poorer for this vacuum left by corporate and legalistic stringencies.

EVERYTHING about the game was structured around the wages and free time of the common working man, with matches scheduled weekly after Saturday morning overtime and memberships scaled to suit the working mans pay packet.

The real reason behind 'block busters' and special event rounds such as 'Anzac day' 'Queens birthday' 'Indigenous round' 'Pink ribbon' etc., etc., etc. is that said AFL are terrified to expose the falling live attendance figures without propping them up by mounting spectaculars.

Gentle reader this is just the tip of the iceberg, domination and failure are not to be tolerated by the AFL anymore, with the league mandated trade circus regulating the rise and fall of the various clubs - except newest franchises - and the game cast to satisfy the corporate media interests.

What about the average supporter???

The AFL and their media masters don't give a stuff.
Didn't the AFL break the record for attendance in 2018?

Also you can still go up to the players and get autographs, just head down to an open training.
 

Saintly Viewed

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#4
An interesting take by the OP.
In some things there is merit, example the game is more corporate.

But.

The stadium experience is actually better overall (miss our real Victoria Park home and the social club).
The footy is “available” for every game.

Nothing stands still.


Totally ageee that match day has way too much noise trying to fill every second with noise.
 

esc0bar

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#5
I wasn’t alive during this era but from what I can tell, having lived 33 years this earth, 2019 is the greatest time to be alive in history. Sure you can be nostalgic and hone in on a few amazing aspects that you remember growing but I would argue the game is better than its ever been. With the money/corporatism comes more professionalism, broadcasting and accessibility to the game, which is only a good thing if you’re a fan.

If I were you i’d order some fish and chips on Uber eats, kick back in a recliner with your favourite micro brewed beer, chuck on the surround sound and watch the game live on the 60 inch TV.

Times change, keep up, remember the good moments and enjoy the ride that we’re on.

Having said that... if you don’t like it, head down to the local footy - it’s pretty close to what you’re describing in your post.
 

35Daicos

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#6
Viewing the competition from a lens of 50 years support it's saddening to see how much of the game has been taken away from the average supporter.

My first taste of the elite level Aussie rules was a trip down to sleepy hollow with my old man in 1964, the dear old Victoria Park stands and outer were jam packed of a Saturday and fish and chips were the standard Saturday evening dinner of many a family after the game.

I had an autograph book signed by giants like our captain Terry (sticky fingers) Waters chock full of Pies players signatures, well wishes and funny stories. All written with a light heart whilst kneeling down beside a star struck young fan and his proud but blushing dad. That was NOT unusual, players were accessible and the club was accountable to the supporter base in ways not conceivable today.

Today is vastly different and the game is MUCH the poorer for this vacuum left by corporate and legalistic stringencies.

EVERYTHING about the game was structured around the wages and free time of the common working man, with matches scheduled weekly after Saturday morning overtime and memberships scaled to suit the working mans pay packet.

The real reason behind 'block busters' and special event rounds such as 'Anzac day' 'Queens birthday' 'Indigenous round' 'Pink ribbon' etc., etc., etc. is that said AFL are terrified to expose the falling live attendance figures without propping them up by mounting spectaculars.

Gentle reader this is just the tip of the iceberg, domination and failure are not to be tolerated by the AFL anymore, with the league mandated trade circus regulating the rise and fall of the various clubs - except newest franchises - and the game cast to satisfy the corporate media interests.

What about the average supporter???

The AFL and their media masters don't give a stuff.
It's fair to say there was a lot more fun in football back in the days when there wasn't so much money in the game, and it wasn't ultra-professional like it is today. People do like to accuse the AFL of being greedy/money-hungry, but players and their managers are greedy and always wanting more, so if you could e.g. talk the likes of Dangerfield, Franklin and Tom J. Lynch into playing for $100,000 a year instead of 10 times that amount then the AFL (and it's clubs) wouldn't need to be so "greedy" to pay the bills and keep afloat.

I think the competition right now is in fantastic shape, and there's not a lot about it that I'd change. I don't like the obvious favouritism the AFL shows towards the NSW and Queensland clubs, but at least they've been forced to rein that in quite a lot in recent years. 2018 was the all-time record year in terms of attendance - H&A, Finals and overall figures were the best ever. Club membership figures are at an all-time high, and there's no reason to believe these figures won't continue to be sky high. The competition is thriving. On any basis, let alone a per capita one, there's not many sporting competitions anywhere that give it a run for it's money. The population is obviously much bigger than it was a few years ago, and there are more teams playing in the comp., but these days a far greater proportion of the population is overseas born/bred, there's a lot more football on television now, and a helluva lot of counter attractions. I see nothing at all wrong with having "special event" rounds and the likes of the Anzac Day clash. When they help bring in huge crowds (and more money) to the game, why not?

I certainly also don't blame the AFL for wanting the competition to be as even as possible. Having dud teams (that aren't worth watching) is not good for anyone. Luckily there's not many of them left. Go back to the mid-80's, before the draft and salary cap came in/kicked in, and it really was not a very "competitive" competition. Carlton, Essendon and Hawthorn (the rich and powerful clubs) dominated, and nobody else (including us) had much of a hope. Everyone has a chance of being successful these days; if clubs are well enough run there's no reason why they can't get a crack at winning a flag every now and then. It's a great system, and much better than the one it replaced.
 
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I get a lot of what you say particularly as someone who loved the 6 matches on Saturday arvo with the 1 hour footy replay on Saturday night, going to Vic Park as a kid etc. Still these days we see much more footy, we see all the champions play, the match day experience is very different but has lots of pluses. Being Micks we did our fish and chips the night before the game. Saturday night was more likely meat and 3 veg.

Other thing I agree with was the concept of the game being structured for the common working man. Specifically the straight, white, Anglo Saxon male. Think there have been many more benefits around getting away from that form of thinking. It was of its time but we have learnt and grown.

Game isn't perfect but back in the day Kenneth Luke and his henchmen were much more likely to screw Collingwood than today's AFL leaders who would probably view Collingwood as their biggest asset.


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

jmac70

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#9
Enjoyed the OP but can’t agree with it being better than today. Certainly in some aspects it is, but in others it’s not. For example, I don’t miss having people blow cigarette smoke in my face for two hours.

To be brutally honest, I don’t even miss Victoria Park. The MCG is a far better place to watch The Pies, IMO.

I think the main problem these days is around fixturing. We need a conference system to ensure a fair draw.
 

MarkT2

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#10
What about the average supporter???
While I tend to agree with much of your sentiment, the reality is, the above is what has changed as much as anything. There is no common working man any more. The proportion of professional people and self employed is vastly different to what it was 50 years ago. Kids don't leave school at 15 and work as apprentices. Large numbers of men don't work for minimum wage and have the wife at home looking after 3 kids. Most people don't get married at 20 any more and start a family straight away. Half the market for just about anything is female. The ethnic demographics are vastly different to 50 years ago. The world is different.

In 1975 we got a colour TV. It was a huge deal and it was only the second TV my family had owned. Now I have 3 large screen TV's in my house, 4 Ipads and 4 Iphones between the 4 of us with umpteen channels and streaming mediums on top of that. The world is corporatised and modernised. There are downsides but there are benefits and it's never going back. My kids have never known a world without an internet on a mobile phone.

Players want to be paid what they worth. Not only is that reasonable it's actually old news. You probably recall Len Thompson & co's stand in the 1970's. The players deserve what they get but it has to come from somewhere.

Money is a driver. Commiunism doesn't feed the people.

What I don't like is competion engineering.
 

Baltimore Jack

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#11
Enjoyed the OP but can’t agree with it being better than today. Certainly in some aspects it is, but in others it’s not. For example, I don’t miss having people blow cigarette smoke in my face for two hours.

To be brutally honest, I don’t even miss Victoria Park. The MCG is a far better place to watch The Pies, IMO.

I think the main problem these days is around fixturing. We need a conference system to ensure a fair draw.
Yep agree with this

The game now is light years ahead of where it came from.
I enjoy it now far more than I did going all the way back to 70's
 

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jonbe54

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Don't get me wrong peoples - I still love my Pies and my footy but the nature of the game has changed.

Whereas years ago supporters were a valued and vital part in the machinery of both the club and the league we are now regarded as mere consumers.

That saddens me greatly.
 

Kappa

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Don't get me wrong peoples - I still love my Pies and my footy but the nature of the game has changed.

Whereas years ago supporters were a valued and vital part in the machinery of both the club and the league we are now regarded as mere consumers.

That saddens me greatly.
And an example of this would be...?
 

magpiewarrior

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#15
As with JonB there are aspects of the game that I truly miss. The preponderance of high flying marks, for one and for another, the genuine 1 on 1 match-ups without a 3rd man up or blocking. There was also more daring runs with multiple bounces, there was 60yard drop kicks (some of which were deadly accurate and spinning properly and a thing of beauty to see), acts of supreme dedication in the face of what would now been seen as unbelievable brutality.
On the other hand, the sheer athleticism, the endurance levels, the speed (both of movement and decision making) have all improved to the nth degree. Shame about the kicking standards!
The one constant has been the Pies. Regardless of how we have gone during our season ( on the ladder or in finals ) we have always had at least a couple of players that were exciting to watch and capable of leaving us and other people in the footy world in awe. This year we have a wealth of players that are capable of such feats. They simply need to play for each other (and Bucks) and the Pies will have the most successful H&A season since 2011. It could be beautiful.
 

sr36

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#16
Today is vastly different and the game is MUCH the poorer for this vacuum left by corporate and legalistic stringencies.

.
I agree with much of what you've said about the average footy-goer having lost a lot from the corporatisation of the game. It really annoys me that enormous amounts of money has flowed into the game from tv deals and corporate sponsorship, yet at the same time, clubs and the AFL have also been asking for more and more from their members and footy goers. The way I see it, crowds and their noise and atmosphere are an enormous part of what makes footy great in general as well as a great tv and corporate advertising avenue. It's time the administrators of the game recognised this and started giving back to crowds. To be honest, with the amount of tv money and subsequent corporate sponsorship flowing in, I can't see why there is still a need to charge admission for attendance. It's time to encourage attendance. Give back to the crowds, as they are a big part of the what makes the game entertaining. Rather than giving players, coaches and adminstrators massive pay raises every year or two, give back to the people who really make AFL a massive competition. Make it free to attend.

But I don't abide by your claim that the game itself is poorer. I love the modern game. Modern footy is much more skillful, tactically interesting and entertaining than it's ever been.
 

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#17
Viewing the competition from a lens of 50 years support it's saddening to see how much of the game has been taken away from the average supporter.

My first taste of the elite level Aussie rules was a trip down to sleepy hollow with my old man in 1964, the dear old Victoria Park stands and outer were jam packed of a Saturday and fish and chips were the standard Saturday evening dinner of many a family after the game.

I had an autograph book signed by giants like our captain Terry (sticky fingers) Waters chock full of Pies players signatures, well wishes and funny stories. All written with a light heart whilst kneeling down beside a star struck young fan and his proud but blushing dad. That was NOT unusual, players were accessible and the club was accountable to the supporter base in ways not conceivable today.

Today is vastly different and the game is MUCH the poorer for this vacuum left by corporate and legalistic stringencies.

EVERYTHING about the game was structured around the wages and free time of the common working man, with matches scheduled weekly after Saturday morning overtime and memberships scaled to suit the working mans pay packet.

The real reason behind 'block busters' and special event rounds such as 'Anzac day' 'Queens birthday' 'Indigenous round' 'Pink ribbon' etc., etc., etc. is that said AFL are terrified to expose the falling live attendance figures without propping them up by mounting spectaculars.

Gentle reader this is just the tip of the iceberg, domination and failure are not to be tolerated by the AFL anymore, with the league mandated trade circus regulating the rise and fall of the various clubs - except newest franchises - and the game cast to satisfy the corporate media interests.

What about the average supporter???

The AFL and their media masters don't give a stuff.
Yeah, I find it depressing. The constant search for profits, the inequality in the fixture and TV rights, free agency and turning players into commodities to be bought and sold, the way its impossibly to get GF tickets because 50% of the crowd are corporates who don't give a shit. Every not and then I think: is this the game I loved when I was growing up? I barely recognise it.
 

Chief Ten Beers

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#18
Footy is now commercial, of course.

I just wish the fixture was fair as Pies get used a fair bit with the fixture. Let me guess, we'll be playing Sydney in Sydney again this year?
 

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#19
I agree with much of what you've said about the average footy-goer having lost a lot from the corporatisation of the game. It really annoys me that enormous amounts of money has flowed into the game from tv deals and corporate sponsorship, yet at the same time, clubs and the AFL have also been asking for more and more from their members and footy goers. The way I see it, crowds and their noise and atmosphere are an enormous part of what makes footy great in general as well as a great tv and corporate advertising avenue. It's time the administrators of the game recognised this and started giving back to crowds. To be honest, with the amount of tv money and subsequent corporate sponsorship flowing in, I can't see why there is still a need to charge admission for attendance. It's time to encourage attendance. Give back to the crowds, as they are a big part of the what makes the game entertaining. Rather than giving players, coaches and adminstrators massive pay raises every year or two, give back to the people who really make AFL a massive competition. Make it free to attend.

But I don't abide by your claim that the game itself is poorer. I love the modern game. Modern footy is much more skillful, tactically interesting and entertaining than it's ever been.
Not sure if tongue in cheek but we'll never see free entry. Those $$$'s are needed for more than just salaries after all, there's ground development and maintenance for instance. I'd settle for a reduction in the overall costs making it more affordable for family attendances.

Other than those few years where flooding became the accepted norm, I'd agree the game as a spectacle has never been better (in my time watching since the mid '60's). Faster, cleaner, and generally more skillful.

My 2c worth on the corporatisation of the game... it was inevitable as soon as clubs and the league started pulling big bucks from corporate sponsors and ground rationalisation became accepted. My only real issue is that this corporatisation makes games like the GF inaccessible to mug punters.
 

sr36

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#20
Not sure if tongue in cheek but we'll never see free entry. Those $$$'s are needed for more than just salaries after all, there's ground development and maintenance for instance. I'd settle for a reduction in the overall costs making it more affordable for family attendances.

Other than those few years where flooding became the accepted norm, I'd agree the game as a spectacle has never been better (in my time watching since the mid '60's). Faster, cleaner, and generally more skillful.

My 2c worth on the corporatisation of the game... it was inevitable as soon as clubs and the league started pulling big bucks from corporate sponsors and ground rationalisation became accepted. My only real issue is that this corporatisation makes games like the GF inaccessible to mug punters.
I agree that it won't ever be free, well at least not in the current global economic spirit, but it wasn't tongue in cheek. There's been a massive increase in revenue from Aussie Rules, due to tv and corprotisation. That increase could have been spent in a huge variety of ways. Clubs and the AFL have decided that massive pay rises for those in the industry is the way to use the revenue increases and each time there is a further increase in revenue, there is a further increase in wages. Revenue and payment models could have just as easily been restructured and increased revenue could have gone towards paying for the things that you claim must be paid for by ticket admissions.

Rather than acknowedging the enormous role that fans play in making football an industry that attracts corporate sponsors, massive tv deals etc. The industry has only acknowldged the insiders. Scott Pendlebury gets paid twice as much as the Prime Minister of Australia. Whilst it may be justifiable in his case:p, surely nobody could justify it in the case of Tom Lynch. It's bloody ridiculous.
 

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#21
I agree that it won't ever be free, well at least not in the current global economic spirit, but it wasn't tongue in cheek. There's been a massive increase in revenue from Aussie Rules, due to tv and corprotisation. That increase could have been spent in a huge variety of ways. Clubs and the AFL have decided that massive pay rises for those in the industry is the way to use the revenue increases and each time there is a further increase in revenue, there is a further increase in wages. Revenue and payment models could have just as easily been restructured and increased revenue could have gone towards paying for the things that you claim must be paid for by ticket admissions.

Rather than acknowedging the enormous role that fans play in making football an industry that attracts corporate sponsors, massive tv deals etc. The industry has only acknowldged the insiders. Scott Pendlebury gets paid twice as much as the Prime Minister of Australia. Whilst it may be justifiable in his case:p, surely nobody could justify it in the case of Tom Lynch. It's bloody ridiculous.
I’d vote for Tom Lynch over Scott Morrison.
 

jackcass

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#22
I agree that it won't ever be free, well at least not in the current global economic spirit, but it wasn't tongue in cheek. There's been a massive increase in revenue from Aussie Rules, due to tv and corprotisation. That increase could have been spent in a huge variety of ways. Clubs and the AFL have decided that massive pay rises for those in the industry is the way to use the revenue increases and each time there is a further increase in revenue, there is a further increase in wages. Revenue and payment models could have just as easily been restructured and increased revenue could have gone towards paying for the things that you claim must be paid for by ticket admissions.

Rather than acknowedging the enormous role that fans play in making football an industry that attracts corporate sponsors, massive tv deals etc. The industry has only acknowldged the insiders. Scott Pendlebury gets paid twice as much as the Prime Minister of Australia. Whilst it may be justifiable in his case:p, surely nobody could justify it in the case of Tom Lynch. It's bloody ridiculous.
Not sure what we pay the Prime Minister is a useful measure, maybe when we get a good one.

The salaries paid to entertainers (and I include sports men & women in that) are obscene but I'm not sure restricting the salaries of elite AFL footballers would have achieved what you want. More likely we just lose the very best players to sports that do pay the big salaries, Pendles to basketball for example.
 

sr36

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#24
Not sure what we pay the Prime Minister is a useful measure, maybe when we get a good one.

The salaries paid to entertainers (and I include sports men & women in that) are obscene but I'm not sure restricting the salaries of elite AFL footballers would have achieved what you want. More likely we just lose the very best players to sports that do pay the big salaries, Pendles to basketball for example.
Pendles isn't a good enough athlete for pro-basketball. It's why he switched to footy.
 

MarkT2

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#25
The industry has only acknowldged the insiders. Scott Pendlebury gets paid twice as much as the Prime Minister of Australia. Whilst it may be justifiable in his case:p, surely nobody could justify it in the case of Tom Lynch. It's bloody ridiculous.
We don't pay our politicians enough and we get what we pay for. Then again we don't demand enough of them and we get what we ask for. Regardless, players deserve what they get. It's a short career that shuts out any other full time and most well paid options and sometimes it is physically debilitating. Many players don't play 5 years at AFL level. The ones that do might be lucky to last 10 or so years.

If the show they put on wasn't good enough you wouldn't be here posting because you wouldn't follow the game they put on. The players aren't bigger then the club but there is still no club without the players playing the game.
 
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