Secret Footballer

[ShockOfHair]

Anyone else enjoying the Secret Footballer column?

Well-written view from inside the bubble. No doubt inspired by the Guardian SF column.

Today's effort (which throws out some hints as to his identity):

During my career I?ve been involved in a club that has been caught in that death spiral and it resulted in the sacking of our senior coach. It was a disastrous period.

How losing creates culture of misery and selfishness

A more titillating one a few weeks back about how social media killed off group sex.

[dimelb]

A really worthwhile series.

Today's item picks up the indigenous theme. Goodesy gets a well-earned guernsey.

Racism on the field has all but been eradicated

[liz]

I haven't been generally reading this series of articles but did read this one last night. I confess that my response was that this person would likely not be aware of most on field vilification. I have little doubt it is much rarer than it once was, but I think it is optimistic to think it has gone away. And that's especially relevant at junior levels and country football, where the scrutiny and support available to players who are vilified on field is nothing like the same as it is at AFL level. That's one of the reasons why it is so important for the AFL to take a very public stand against vilification - on field and off field - because these attitudes filter down to the grassroots of football.

[ShockOfHair]

I think footballers have learnt that racial vilification is a non-starter these days. It's nothing but trouble. But I suspect it's fairly recent.

Perhaps Australian athletes took a lesson from the Darren Lehmann incident of ten(?) years ago. Although it struck me as odd at the time that it was thought OK to call an opposing player a four-letter word, just not to bring race into it. To my ears, vilification generally is pretty puerile, though it seems to be stock in trade for footballers and cricketers. I don't know if it's true, but Paul Roos' line apparently was 'you wouldn't say it to someone at the bus stop, so why say it on the footy field?'

[liz]

I think footballers have learnt that racial vilification is a non-starter these days. It's nothing but trouble. But I suspect it's fairly recent.

Perhaps Australian athletes took a lesson from the Darren Lehmann incident of ten(?) years ago. Although it struck me as odd at the time that it was thought OK to call an opposing player a four-letter word, just not to bring race into it. To my ears, vilification generally is pretty puerile, though it seems to be stock in trade for footballers and cricketers. I don't know if it's true, but Paul Roos' line apparently was 'you wouldn't say it to someone at the bus stop, so why say it on the footy field?'

I think the answer to that question from (some) sportsmen (used to mean people who play sport, rather than people who are sporting) is that anything goes on a sports arena. If you can find a way to put an opponent off their game by getting under their skin, why not? It's not an attitude I support - after all, it's not "sporting" - but I think some highly competitive people would argue it is perfectly justifiable.

[Matt80]

I think the answer to that question from (some) sportsmen (used to mean people who play sport, rather than people who are sporting) is that anything goes on a sports arena. If you can find a way to put an opponent off their game by getting under their skin, why not? It's not an attitude I support - after all, it's not "sporting" - but I think some highly competitive people would argue it is perfectly justifiable.

On an amateur AFL sporting field I started calling my opponent a ?clown?. He was carrying on, arguing with the umpire and giving my team mates some stick. A ?clown? is another term to mean ?idiot? or ?tool?.

He started remonstrating with me and I continued to call him a ?clown?. I then realised that he had big red hair and that he actually looked like a ?clown?.

I always wondered if I over stepped the mark in calling this person a ?clown?.

[dimelb]

On an amateur AFL sporting field I started calling my opponent a ?clown?. He was carrying on, arguing with the umpire and giving my team mates some stick. A ?clown? is another term to mean ?idiot? or ?tool?.

He started remonstrating with me and I continued to call him a ?clown?. I then realised that he had big red hair and that he actually looked like a ?clown?.

I always wondered if I over stepped the mark in calling this person a ?clown?.

But was he wearing Ronald McDonald socks?
If not, you were undoubtedly way over the top.

[ShockOfHair]

Sure Liz, I accept that 'mental disintegration' is a part of professional sport. I don't see anything wrong with reminding an opposition player that he's just missed an easy set shot. It's the sheer childishness and banality of personal abuse I loathe.