There is a sport that seemingly everyone in Australia follows except me. The Australian Football League. The AFL season fills me with dread, I think it has only become this bad for me since the inception of social media. I don’t know what it is, but it truly brings out the arsehole in some people. Granted, not every supporter seems to glaze over and become so unpalatable, but from my observations, a reasonable number of them do.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d most probably sit through a game instead of poking my own eyes in, but it would be a close call. Sport is a GREAT thing, it gets kids out and off their butts exercising, and it is a great activity for families to do together and it teaches kids to be part of a team. I have even had people in my own household watch it, yes, I may have left my own abode at the time to escape the running commentary for which I loudly voice my disinterest having fallen on deaf ears.
I have also been to a few games over the years. When one gets offered fully catered corporate seating, one has to accept. I did however once go to a match with my sister, let it be noted that she is a fine upstanding supporter, at Subiaco Oval in Perth, yes, I believe it has some new fandangle shitty name now, but it will always be Subi Oval to me. I have made it quite clear over the years that I hate this venue, it is old and the lack of facilities fill me with dread every time I have to go near the place. I foolishly thought I’d buy a stuffed spud for lunch at said game, only to be ridiculed by the spud merchant that they had run out and I should’ve come earlier, IT WAS HALF TIME! FFS, here’s a concept, make more, sell more, make more profits, support your local spud farmer and make people happy, yeah, I know, out there notion huh? And the toilets, thank goodness I don’t like the game much as you miss so much of it waiting in line.
I was also on holiday in Melbourne, when two sides who I believe hate each other were playing, the lure of pending biffo and interesting people watching sucked me in. The MCG is a great venue, and if you are going to do an AFL game, it would be these two teams, let’s say one team is represented by a Magpie and the other, errrrr Charlie “Blue” (thanks Google), at the hollowed turf of the MCG. It was a great day out, I even managed to get a full strength alcoholic drink, get some tasty food to go with my cherry pie I had bought earlier at a St Kilda cake store and easily go to the toilet in the standard time one would expect. It was bloody freezing though, it is Victoria after all, however, I was grateful for the portly gent sitting next to me to block the wind. Poor buggar though, his team was losing, let’s say he supported the birds team and left early, skulking away and leaving me to finish the match chilled to the bone.
What I find distasteful is the sledging of others teams, I find it bullying in behaviour and I have never encountered such a bunch of sore losers. I get you want to barrack for a team, I truly do, I am team Federer in the tennis after all, however you wont find me posting all over social media what a low life loser scum pathetic piece of shit any losing player is. Well, I do find Nadal does have a freak arm and picks his butt too frequently, however he is NO loser! There is no need for viciousness, just accept that your team didnt play as well that week, and congratulate the better team.
I just find it all so mean spirited and it really makes me feel sick. Some say I have missed the humour and to lighten up, however, I don’t find booing and telling someone they are a loser, amusing. Fair enough, if the player knocked over a nanna to get to the stuffed spud stall before half time, well, yes, boo away people. When some mop haired bloke won the individual medal for being a little bit awesome all season, some social media users posted that they were pleased that his team “finally won something”. Really. Even with my scant knowledge of all things AFL, I’m pretty sure they were on top of the leader board all year, they just didn’t manage to pull off what was to be their final season game. I do believe this dude also played his last game with a broken leg, I guess I will have to give AFL players kudos for being tough buggars, this wouldn’t happen in Soccer, yes, it’s called soccer around these parts, those players seem to roll over in agony by a slight breeze of someone running near them whooshing some air.
Another thing that really pisses me off is people from a certain State of Australia bagging out their own states teams? I get you may go for another team as you have some affiliation with the state or followed another states team before the 2 WA teams came to be, yes, I am a proud West Australian, however, bad mouthing a team from your own state, where you choose to live because it offers you employment and a lifestyle superior to other states is just poor form.
It is frustrating to watch the behaviour of these people, it seems to get even worse when alcohol is involved, drinking is considered part of the culture, I get it, sadly some people think it is their right to get shitfaced drunk when watching this game, hence some ovals only offering mid strength alcohol for sale, sadly some people have even ruined the chance to have a social drink for others. People from other teams who quietly go about their business get verbally and physically abused for wearing their teams colours or supporters outfits etc. Fucking disgraceful behaviour. If someone abused you for being of another sex or race you can be arrested, but it seems perfectly acceptable to abuse someone over their football team, chill the fuck out, sit back and enjoy it if it is your thing. Back in the day on field assault was socially tolerated and TBH, I don’t mind a bit of it, I get that it isn’t legal though, charged up players letting out their frustrations, but as a supporter to someone minding their own business? Let me say, you couldn’t pay me enough to be an umpire either, being called a “fucking maggot” every day you work wouldn’t thrill me.
Anyway, if that wasn’t enough, the marketing surrounding Grand Final also irritates me, yeah, I guess it is only one day a year, thank goodness really as we’d all have type 2 diabetes, obesity, alcoholism and a large gambling debt if it weren’t, oh wait….. Here’s a few snippets from the weekend newspaper. Sheesh!
Anyway, thank goodness it is done until next year. I always unfollow a large number of footy following peeps on my FB news feed, as it causes me anxiety, now to make the decision whether to start them up again? Who needs the negativity, not me! Until next year, when I have to give people my blank stare and silence when asked to be involved in the footy tipping contest.
Bloody awesome post.
why thank you 😀