OPINION: Going to the footy and boisterously supporting your team while jovially taking the mickey out of the opposition should always be a part of Aussie Rules.
But in light of the AFL's recent crackdown on verbal abuse, The Rushed Behind's Jack Alfonso undertakes a sustained examination of the role abuse plays in the modern game and why there's strong retaliation in stamping it out.
In this four-part series, we'll look in-depth at the numerous issues which have divided fans and caused a great deal of controversy across our game.
“The apple never falls far from the tree”.
An idiom - dating all the way back to 1830 - which expresses the idea that a person, inevitably, will reflect and personify specific traits that exist within those who are physical and mental guardians over them.
People will always be idols; no matter what socio-economic background, no matter the financial status, what suburb you live in, the clothes you wear; the chances are fairly high that someone, somewhere, is looking up to a person.
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Thus, what our behaviour depicts will reflect itself in those who idolise us.
Take, for example, a child attending their first match.
Nervous? Sure. Overwhelmed? Potentially. Excited? Most likely.
Impressionable? Definitely.
How the guardian of that child conducts themselves at the game is more than likely going to show itself in how that child conducts itself in future attendances at the game.
It’s not just reflected in football, by the way.
Advertisements of late suggest the best way to stamp out misogyny is to tackle the problem at an early age through education and leading by example, while the same applies with the issues of excessive drinking, physical violence, drug abuse, et al.
So why is it that when someone enters a football ground, the rules shouldn’t apply anymore?
Do people believe that when they are screaming out whatever comes to their mind, that it is only them that hears it?
That no one else in the vicinity, either right next to you or three rows down, will pay close attention to the behaviour being exerted and start taking notes from that?
There are still kids everywhere; watching, listening, learning.
Whether it be a child who’s watching their parent scream vehement abuse at an umpire, or an early teenager residing within earshot of someone explicitly telling an opposition where to go, if someone has not yet been shown the right path, they will eventually come to accept that conducting themselves in the aforementioned manner is not only acceptable, but the right way to go.
The stories of Frankie (the supporter who labelled umpire Mathew Nicholls a “bald-headed flog”) and the Richmond supporter who received their marching orders for calling an umpire a “green maggot” have now become the face of the supporters’ movement to retaliate against the AFL seeking to keep the crowd in line.
Supporters are now uniting as one to keep the game in its glory days (see Part One) of being able to belt out whatever profanities come to their mind without the fear of consequence.
I disagree.
Having been a passionate supporter of AFL for the last 15 years of my life, I believe these cases that have come to light recently are only the tip of the iceberg.
Much worse gets said and much worse gets done away from the limelight, either in the top tier, in some local pub, or in the comforts of one’s own living room away from prying eyes.
The more this kind of behaviour isn’t called out, the more it will fester into a cancer that will prevent people coming back to the AFL.
People are starting to feel intimidated by going to the footy.
A first-hand look at some of the issues present in our game. Credit: @cloxic
Many are starting to voice their concern that it has never been worse in the stands, with a toxic environment casting a huge shadow over what the game is meant to be about; the chance for people to go and support their team while having fun.
It should not be that way.
People - regardless of gender, age or race - should be able to feel comfortable going to the football without having to worry about what should be a fun, social outing turning into a nightmare because some buffoon feels the need to cuss out and discriminate multiple sections of society in order to get his or her point across.
Furthermore, this issue now carries the potential to be of gross devastation to the AFL industry, not just through fan involvement, but also through junior/grassroots footy.
An overzealous parent mentally torturing a 15-year-old umpire because he made a dodgy call carries the ability to ruin the kid's love of the game.
Because who would want to be on the receiving end of abuse like that?
The next Jeremy Cameron, Gary Ablett, Josh Kelly or Alex Rance could now be opting for other sports because their love of watching their heroes play was constantly ruined by people in the crowd constantly, unnecessarily and unfairly sledging them.
Thus, if the AFL deems it necessary to crack down on abuse from the stands, no matter how flimsy it may seem, so be it.
Abuse is abuse; call it out for what is is.
It sends the right message to those who are not only the most impressionable, but also to those who cast such impressions.
The stance must be that any form of abuse will not be tolerated, and if implemented, then the game and match-day experience will prosper.
Ultimately, people must be constantly asking themselves whether or not they would like to see the way they act reflected in those looking up to them, whether or not they would condemn their actions if it was reflected in the impressionable youths of society.
Actions have consequences.
That is something I firmly believe sectors of the AFL community refuse to fully grasp, and it is something that is imperative for them to grasp.
Or else, it could just be the death of our game.
Revisit all four parts of The Rushed Behind's exclusive series, 'Abuse in the AFL' below:
Jack Alfonso is a passionate Carlton supporter, writer for 'The Rushed Behind' and lover of our great game. See more of Jack's writing here.
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