Roast Time to drop the pointless aggression from games

[greatwhiteshark]

The game has taken the violence out of it, it could not be less intimidating or less violent if they tried.
A first game player Would once of been crapping themselves about running out the first ever time, now they can run out unimpeded without any pressure at all. Getting in the face of players that stuff up is part of the fabric of the game, intimidation and head games once were also.
Football was always somewhere you could let off some steam in a controlled environment, we got taught at a young age the difference between winning and losing, why doing intimidated will effect your ability to perform. Stand up for yourself and your team mates. These were all vital tools not just for football but also for life.
How does all of this over friendly fluffy stuff we are teaching our kids work for them? Have we not seen how many young people are struggling with life these days. Resilience and fighting your own battles is totally lost on our young generation.
Football these days is the least violent sport I know, watching these players get upset about minor high tackles I just laugh at.
Each to their own of course but in your face intimidation is all this sport has left. If you dont like it because you yhink it’s offensive or you think it will have repercussions on your children’s life then simply hide them and yourself from it. It’s not for you.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

The game is fine. It’s a warrior sport. If it upsets, don’t watch it.

The stuff the OP is on about isn't "warrior". Its the off the ball and dead ball stuff, the little scrags, mini-bumps and half punches that are not about winning the ball, stopping the opponent, or helping a team mate.

The "warrior" stuff is a different thing entirely. In some cases maybe the league and the game has gone too far stopping that, and not far enough with the pointless acts with no direct impact on the play.

 

[HPKS]

no1’s against putting someone off their game
With a good verbal barrage but punching someone in the arm like a 1980’s primary school kid is laughable. Like I’ve always said the world is changing and changing fast. If you want to continue to act like a child and get all giggly about a fight and then pine for the old days of puffing the chest out, the firm handshake, the deep voice or the homophobic chatter you’ll be left behind like the dinosaur you are.

Like has been pointed out it’s the school kid off the ball stuff that the majority people have no interest in anymore.

 

[CheapCharlie]

The game has taken the violence out of it, it could not be less intimidating or less violent if they tried.
A first game player Would once of been crapping themselves about running out the first ever time, now they can run out unimpeded without any pressure at all. Getting in the face of players that stuff up is part of the fabric of the game, intimidation and head games once were also.
Football was always somewhere you could let off some steam in a controlled environment, we got taught at a young age the difference between winning and losing, why doing intimidated will effect your ability to perform. Stand up for yourself and your team mates. These were all vital tools not just for football but also for life.
How does all of this over friendly fluffy stuff we are teaching our kids work for them? Have we not seen how many young people are struggling with life these days. Resilience and fighting your own battles is totally lost on our young generation.
Football these days is the least violent sport I know, watching these players get upset about minor high tackles I just laugh at.
Each to their own of course but in your face intimidation is all this sport has left. If you dont like it because you yhink it’s offensive or you think it will have repercussions on your children’s life then simply hide them and yourself from it. It’s not for you.

Another disconnect with how things evolve and change in life. Bullying and violence and manipulation are traits that some people might have once found endearing and acceptable, but such past virtues are now more commonly seen as vices. If you are resorting to violence , you lack the fitness, physical skills or mental ability to compete under the rules of the game and so you need the bullying or abuse factor to attempt and gain some petty edge back.

Standing up for yourself or your mates doesn't need physical violence or intimidation and the sports field is not the place to learn self defense. Standing up for yourself on the sports field is best done by a display of your skillset is it not?
Winning can be achieved with resorting to thug life behaviour, perhaps using skills that were trained for and earnt, rather than bullying?

Football is about winning and playing the game, perhaps enjoying it eh? For the majority these days it doesn't have to be about letting off steam as you say, or engaging in pointless physical posturing. If you need that, grab yourself a punching bag and workout, or join a boxing or martial arts group of some type.
Why would kids want to play a football game against a player who is there just for biff and violence? You want to come to play football, not to be assaulted.

You are confusing resilience and mental fortitude with violence and bullying

 

[WaywardSonSon]

This is a fantastic thread post, and I whole-heartedly agree with your sentiments! Whilst viewing the game between Melbourne and Fremantle last weekend, I was incensed by the fact the veritable puppets they call "commentators", were so prompt in idolising Kysaiah Pickett

36

Kysaiah Pickett

Age

22

Ht

171cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.0

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

3.3

3star

M

0.7

1star

T

2.6

4star

G

0.6

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

3.3

2star

M

0.7

1star

T

2.6

4star

G

0.6

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.8

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

0.8

1star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.8

4star

's performance, when all I really witnessed was one impressive goal, coupled with many violent off-the-ball shoves and a kick (when opposition players were on the ground). Truly worthy of idolisation!

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Another disconnect with how things evolve and change in life. Bullying and violence and manipulation are traits that some people might have once found endearing and acceptable, but such past virtues are now more commonly seen as vices. If you are resorting to violence , you lack the fitness, physical skills or mental ability to compete under the rules of the game and so you need the bullying or abuse factor to attempt and gain some petty edge back.

Standing up for yourself or your mates doesn't need physical violence or intimidation and the sports field is not the place to learn self defense. Standing up for yourself on the sports field is best done by a display of your skillset is it not?
Winning can be achieved with resorting to thug life behaviour, perhaps using skills that were trained for and earnt, rather than bullying?

Football is about winning and playing the game, perhaps enjoying it eh? For the majority these days it doesn't have to be about letting off steam as you say, or engaging in pointless physical posturing. If you need that, grab yourself a punching bag and workout, or join a boxing or martial arts group of some type.
Why would kids want to play a football game against a player who is there just for biff and violence? You want to come to play football, not to be assaulted.

You are confusing resilience and mental fortitude with violence and bullying

Assault you are calling it now? Mate you run into an open goal and miss from 20m out I would let you know that your skill you just failed at, if you are offended I wouldn’t give a rats toss about it. If the opposite happened and you wanted to come up to me and console me and say good try you will get the next one I would just laugh at you.
It’s not bullying, it’s not violence it’s just simply head games. It’s a part of all sport.
But then again what they call bullying now was not even deemed a confrontation 30 years ago. Yes the worlds changed and you can see it how you like. Kids are not drawn to the skills, they are drawn to the drama of the game. Remove the drama from the sport and they won’t even play it.

 

[Jables]

It is pretty amateurish, doesn't really make us look good even compared to more aggressive sports (and I don't give a piss about Rugby or League, that's not the standard we should be aiming for).

For the people defending it, I think they have a lot of issues that really have nothing to do with the discussion. What do you get out of watching people pinch and punch at each other like 5th graders? And it really helps people gloss over when someone does something nasty and cowardly like punch someone in the back of the head on the ground, that's never been punished as harshly as many tackles that happen to slip high.

 

[Brad Goodman]

What do you get out of watching people pinch and punch at each other like 5th graders?

Doing this on any day other than the first of the month is indefensible IMO.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

It is pretty amateurish, doesn't really make us look good even compared to more aggressive sports (and I don't give a piss about Rugby or League, that's not the standard we should be aiming for).

For the people defending it, I think they have a lot of issues that really have nothing to do with the discussion. What do you get out of watching people pinch and punch at each other like 5th graders? And it really helps people gloss over when someone does something nasty and cowardly like punch someone in the back of the head on the ground, that's never been punished as harshly as many tackles that happen to slip high.

Not seen a pinch in years and years, as for punching what you call a punch I call a minor tap. Is it necessary? Probably not but it’s pretty minor at best these days and it’s not worthy of discussion that it’s so minor.
Maybe playing the team that wins song should go as well because you are rubbing it in to the losing team. Has anyone thought that maybe fans of the losing team are upset by this intimidating behaviour of singing the song by the winners and rubbing it in. Is this really where are heading?

 

[Matsu]

Group of men agree to push themselves to the edge, physically and mentally in competition. I would expect them to be on the edge and nothing wrong with that. Maybe explain it like this to your kid "these men agreed to push themselves beyond their limits and sometimes it results in their competitive spirit going a little too far, it might not look great but see how they shake hands after the game. They left it all on the field and respect each other walking off."

We will slowly rip the heart out of the game in the name of making it better and when we see whole teams playing and diving for frees over the smallest contact we will all wonder what happened to our hard nosed, honest and competitive game.

RIP AFL

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Group of men agree to push themselves to the edge, physically and mentally in competition. I would expect them to be on the edge and nothing wrong with that. Maybe explain it like this to your kid "these men agreed to push themselves beyond their limits and sometimes it results in their competitive spirit going a little too far, it might not look great but see how they shake hands after the game. They left it all on the field and respect each other walking off."

We will slowly rip the heart out of the game in the name of making it better and when we see whole teams playing and diving for frees over the smallest contact we will all wonder what happened to our hard nosed, honest and competitive game.

RIP AFL

It seems pretty clear the competitive instinct and edge is driven out of kids these days by their parents at a very young age, hence here we are today.

 

[Matsu]

It seems pretty clear the competitive instinct and edge is driven out of kids these days by their parents at a very young age, hence here we are today.

You're not wrong. Competitive spirit, resilience and conviction replaced by feels, emotion and waving the moral superiority flag in others faces.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

You're not wrong. Competitive spirit, resilience and conviction replaced by feels, emotion and waving the moral superiority flag in others faces.

And so many of these kids grow up with issues , yet no one seems to be able to work out why. Maybe, just maybe change in parenting the last 20-30 years has something to do with it. it simply can’t be a coincidence the amount of problems our young generation are dealing with.

 

[Matsu]

And so many of these kids grow up with issues , yet no one seems to be able to work out why. Maybe, just maybe change in parenting the last 20-30 years has something to do with it. it simply can’t be a coincidence the amount of problems our young generation are dealing with.

Yeah, it's kinda sad. Somehow we have convinced people that the same male traits that lead us across oceans, over mountains, protected families and take to the skies are now toxic :S Competition, resilience, confidence, and conviction have all taken a backwards step in our safe and overly protective society that rewards emotions, feelings, mediocracy, non-combative, government-dependent, and cancel things we don't like attitudes. Soft as putty if you ask me.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Yeah, it's kinda sad. Somehow we have convinced people that the same male traits that lead us across oceans, over mountains, protected families and take to the skies are now toxic :S Competition, resilience, confidence, and conviction have all taken a backwards step in our safe and overly protective society that rewards emotions, feelings, mediocracy, non-combative, government-dependent, and cancel things we don't like attitudes. Soft as putty if you ask me.

Be careful mate, you might offend some people.

 

[CaptainHowdy87]

"Why is he punching him Dad?"

"Boys are competitive son, and AFL is a physical game"

Was he just curious? Or did it seem to upset him?

Either just try to explain how physical contact sport and competitiveness works, or if he was upset by it then don't let him watch it for a few years. In school he'll discover that boys like to rough house and compete with each other. You know how it is.

 

[CaptainHowdy87]

Thanks Maude Flanders.

The footy gods have a way of taking care of the players who's cheap stuff outweighs their ability.

Sometimes it just go on too much, especially these days when there's no threat of retribution.

But AFL Players aren't responsible for raising your kids and Auskick aged children couldn't rough each other up if they tried.

A disturbing amount of our community thinks UFC is a sport. I'd start by getting rid of that rubbish before worrying about footy players giving the occasional push and shove.

Man, I was in agreement until this last paragraph. That's an awful take mate. MMA is the purest sport there is. What's your issue with it?

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Full back gets outpointed in a one-on-one and the full forward's teammates converge on him. Full forward promptly shanks the kick and the full back and his teammates converge on him. Team kicks a goal and players who weren't involved converge on the opposition player whose turnover started it. Direct opponents ramming into each other and butting shoulders like they're buffaloes or something at the start of the game. It looks s**t and it is s**t.

Start penalising that crap. I'm okay with a bit of banter, but as soon as it becomes aggressive/abusive/physical, that crosses the line. I'm sure people will say that's soft, but that's how things escalate and it's the sort of crap that we don't need under 12s emulating, because that's how their heroes carry on.

Depending on the severity: one warning and then it's a free against. Automatic free against those warriors who go the shoulder bump in the back after a goal has been kicked, or their opponent has shanked a ball out on the full.

Wouldn't you love to see a goal disallowed because some nobody who had nothing to do with it decided to shove an opposition defender to the ground from behind for no reason? The coaches reactions would be priceless.

 

[Fadge]

Great to see Fantasia getting stuck into his old mob this afternoon.

And guess what? Port are right in the mix for the flag this year.

Coincidence? I think not.

 

[Fadge]

Full back gets outpointed in a one-on-one and the full forward's teammates converge on him. Full forward promptly shanks the kick and the full back and his teammates converge on him. Team kicks a goal and players who weren't involved converge on the opposition player whose turnover started it. Direct opponents ramming into each other and butting shoulders like they're buffaloes or something at the start of the game. It looks sh*t and it is sh*t.

Start penalising that crap. I'm okay with a bit of banter, but as soon as it becomes aggressive/abusive/physical, that crosses the line. I'm sure people will say that's soft, but that's how things escalate and it's the sort of crap that we don't need under 12s emulating, because that's how their heroes carry on.

Depending on the severity: one warning and then it's a free against. Automatic free against those warriors who go the shoulder bump in the back after a goal has been kicked, or their opponent has shanked a ball out on the full.

Wouldn't you love to see a goal disallowed because some nobody who had nothing to do with it decided to shove an opposition defender to the ground from behind for no reason? The coaches reactions would be priceless.

Written like someone who has never played the game at any level, ever.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Written like someone who has never played the game at any level, ever.

Yep, that always goes well. If there's one thing anonymous Big Footy posters can be trusted on, it's an honest appraisal of their own careers.

If you really think coming in from 20m away and shoving/bumping someone when the play has stopped and their back is turned is anything other than pathetic by grown adults, I've got news for you.

 

[biggiemediums]

A bunch of men with high testosterone playing a high adrenaline physical sport. Some shits going to happen. For the most part they’re fine.

Your post screams 2021 so bad. Man the * up. Not a single footy player is worried about that soft serve bullshit.

 

[Partridge]

And so many of these kids grow up with issues , yet no one seems to be able to work out why. Maybe, just maybe change in parenting the last 20-30 years has something to do with it. it simply can’t be a coincidence the amount of problems our young generation are dealing with.

There’s mounting research and evidence that it definitely has something to do with it.

 

[Fadge]

Yep, that always goes well. If there's one thing anonymous Big Footy posters can be trusted on, it's an honest appraisal of their own careers.

Didn't realise my post provided any representation of my footy career.

But was I right about yours?

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Didn't realise my post provided any representation of my footy career.

But was I right about yours?

I'm somewhere between "never played in my life" and Leigh Matthews. If you don't think my posts warrant your attention, feel free to use the ignore function.

I just don't really see what any spectator would get out of the pointless antagonistic crap that goes on every game. And for the "It's a man's game, tempers are going to get frayed" crowd, it's pretty convenient that the players invariably know where the line is and stop short of doing anything that will earn a suspension. And that when the likes of Tom Hawkins can't help themselves and take it a step too far, these same people are probably the quickest to label him an idiot and a thug.