There isn’t really a single plant, animal, mineral, or abstract concept that is liked by everyone.
There isn't really anything in society we uniformly agree that we like.
No one expected AFLW to change this, to be something that 7 billion of us could bond over.
People don’t have to like AFLW, right? So what’s the problem?
There’s a big difference – huge, as it turns out – between not caring about something, and actively disliking it.
It seems those who are fans of the men’s code but not the women’s can’t live and let live.
They are frustrated every time a generic AFL page, like 7AFL, posts anything to do with AFLW, and they are confronted with the simple existence of women playing footy.
IF they don’t care about the AFLW, why do they post hateful, condescending comments?
They are pretty good at turning a blind eye when confronted by news on a men’s team they don’t care about. Stories about Fremantle flash up on such pages from time to time, and they go largely ignored, by Victorian audiences who aren’t usually too interested in the Dockers.
Then they are shown a photo of Tayla Harris and their patience for things they don’t care about runs out; they fire up, they’re angry.
Is that the right interpretation?
It’s more likely the trolls DO care. It is not that they’re apathetic to AFLW and are simply frustrated that it keeps being forced on them, what it is, in fact, is just plain, simple contempt.
This contempt is born out of entitlement. And perceptions of superiority.
Someone recently remarked of me that when looking at my newsfeed I spend most of my time not looking at posts, but looking at the comments.
I am fascinated to see how people react to content.
The AFL Facebook page has been counting down to tonight's Season Opening game for the men (a joke of a season-opener, read last year’s article) by showing a photo of a player wearing the number of days left before round one on his back.
So when there were four days left, Marcus Bontempelli with an ostentatious #4 was shown.
Boy oh boy: people couldn’t believe washed-up, did-his-dash-in-2016 Bontempelli was chosen, ahead of some other #4 who would have been more deserving.
'Dustin Martin!' cried Tigers. 'Dom Sheed, the flagwinner!' cried the Eagles. 'Ablett!' 'Grundy!' 'Josh Jenkins!'
Football fans feel entitled, especially when they think their candidate for any frivolous comparison is the superior candidate.
But when the opposite gender come along and try to play their sport, then their entitlement and superiority manifest in bullying and degradation.
Then Tayla Harris goes on to say these trolls ought to be reported to the police, and, obviously not bothering to listen to or read about the context of that quote, they then claim they also sometimes bully and degrade male players too, so it’s all okay.
If there’s one thing certain footy fans feel entitled to more than anything else, it is the ability to dehumanise athletes without their retaliation.
Adam Goodes retaliated, and they didn’t like it one bit.
Tayla Harris said the police should investigate them, and they thought she was just having a sook – which is a big no-no in their eyes. No sooking tolerated.
What she actually meant was if they could have such disrespectful and insulting things to say about women in full view of the watching world of social media, and be proud of these comments, what sort of menace could they be to the women in their own lives?
It’s probably for the best they misunderstood: imagine the furore if these trolls thought she was accusing them of domestic violence or sexual assault!
Anyone who knows me knows I can’t get enough footy; my summer has been consumed by watching the 2018 Grand Final replay, over and over. I could chew your ear off about that game.
I don’t really mind saying I am obsessed with AFL.
It is extremely embarrassing that so many other followers of this weird sport that means so much to me can’t behave with respect. As fans, we ride the bumps, and feel the highs and lows along with the players, but this does not entitle us to bully.
We are not entitled and we are not superior. We have no right to look down on AFLW.
Although, even if some of you out there DO look down on it, I’d have thought you would have the common decency just to shut up if you saw a photo of a woman kicking a footy.
Live and let live.
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