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.
Times in the modern world have changed radically in recent years.
People can stream any video imaginable, message others halfway across the world in the blink of an eye and put something out on the world wide web to reach hundreds, thousands and in extreme cases, millions.
As always, such a platform boasts many benefits - connectivity, immediacy, engagement - but as we're all well aware, it can be equally as dangerous.
Tune into The Rushed Behind this Thursday at 6:30pm for more...
We become impressionable by what they see: if a specific view posted on social media gains a lot of attention and support, people will generally accept it as the ‘correct’ or ‘right’ view, as it apparently seems the most universally held belief.
And, when this belief is countered, it is generally met with a volatile reception that leaves an ugly, poisonous feeling behind.
Take, for example, the case of ex-footballer Harley Balic, who retired from the game due to “falling out of love with the game” at 21 years of age.
A completely fair decision, one would assume; after all, people in their mid-30s still aren’t entirely sure if they’re on the right career path.
But as it became apparently clear, a certain corner of fans did not agree with the decision, and instead of applauding - or at the very least, acknowledging - a young man for making what would have been an incredibly tough decision, decided to slander him with various verbal barbs.
“Shit decision”, wrote one user. “F*** him”, suggested another. “Mentally weak”, “you won’t be missed”, and varying sledges of drug and behavioural issues completed what is only the surface of these barbaric taunts.
A selection of the abuse Harley Balic was subjected to on social media.
The despicable manner in which these ‘fans’ reacted to this news rallied the football community, with an outpouring of support from both fans and professional players Adam Tomlinson, Tim Taranto, Billy Gowers and Todd Marshall all coming out swinging in support of Balic.
However, it would appear that this achieved little in dissuading the aforementioned keyboard warriors, with recent examples such as the Tayla Harris photo - something that should be remembered for a sensational shot of a professional athlete in full flight - being tarnished by the comments of some brute hiding behind a screen thinking they are hilarious when, in actual fact, it does an excessive amount of damage.
One only needs to look at the increase in players taking breaks from footy due to mental-health reasons to realise that these professionals are suffering under the extreme microscope that is placed on their careers, exacerbated by the amount of power a keyboard warrior feels with a discreet identity and a screen to take cover behind.
The unfortunate, high-profile case of Tom Boyd only works to substantiate this point; again, we have a young man, placed with the burden of huge expectancy on his shoulders through no fault of his own, being forced out of the game through pressure, expectation, and nothing short of cyber-bullying.
Unfortunately, we now live in a world where if a player cannot get himself into the right mindset, because of the spotlight they are pinned to, they are labelled a “f***ing sook” or, in Boyd’s case, “biggest waste of money in football”.
People seem to forget that players can’t select themselves in the national draft; the club does that.
They also forget that players don’t offer themselves an amount of money; sure, they can have requests, but at the end of the day they can only accept what is put in front of them.
The media, too, does not help.
In an age where it’s becoming less about the facts, and more about what is posted first, producers, radio show hosts, columnists and panellists alike resort to sensationalism in order to gain the most views, grab everyone’s attention and get them tuning in to whatever they are purporting.
The cost, however, is a much more high-profile scrutiny of said players.
In a results-driven business, the pressure ramps up after even the slightest of failures due to the ever increasing spotlight on the big stage, and unfortunately people are driven to a breaking point; just look at Tom Boyd.
So why do people do it?
What gives someone the urge to post online a tweet, or a status, a photo, anything that, in essence, might not be the straw that breaks the camel’s back but certainly contributes to the massive bundle of hay piling up on it?
Behind a screen, why is it that people feel a sense of impunity to post whatever they want - whether it be about race (look at this season's atrocious examples alone), sex, religion or sexual orientation - and feel justified in their actions?
Is it a rush of adrenaline obtained from getting a few laughs, a retweet, a reaction from like-minded individuals?
Is it the aura of invincibility they feel after posting something so vile, yet getting away with it due to operating under a different guise?
Who knows, but more must be done to halt the darker aspects of social media.
There are efforts being made; Melbourne, in an attempt to raise awareness of the issue of cyber-bullying, ran through a ‘Mean Tweets’ banner earlier this year.
In 2015, a series of high-profile AFL players recorded a video of themselves reading out abusive tweets, followed by the Channel 7 panel reading out some of theirs as well.
Additionally, there have been efforts from Gold Coast, Carlton and the AFL to call out this behaviour this season, resulting in several punishments.
But more must be done.
The time for the AFL is now; off the back of the ever-increasing amount of players withdrawing due to mental health issues, more needs to be done to protect these young athletes who are putting themselves in the spotlight by playing the game that they love.
It began with players taking leaves of absence.
We are now at the point where players are retiring. I fear where we could be headed next.
If you or someone you know requires help, please contact lifeline on 13 11 14.
'Part Four: The Butterfly Effect' releases tomorrow at 6:00pm, exclusively on The Rushed Behind.
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