Booing of Adam Goodes by fans of Melbourne clubs

[dimelb]

It ought to be called "The 13 Year Old Girl Excuse" in the context of booing. As we all know, Adam didn't know she was 13 until well after he made the call. After that in my opinion he handled it about as well as anyone could.

The bottom line is that he'd had it up to here with the racist cheap shots and drew the line. Good on him.

[magic.merkin]

It ought to be called "The 13 Year Old Girl Excuse" in the context of booing. As we all know, Adam didn't know she was 13 until well after he made the call. After that in my opinion he handled it about as well as anyone could.

The bottom line is that he'd had it up to here with the racist cheap shots and drew the line. Good on him.

Agreed.

[mcs]

I find the connotation that the booing of Adam Goodes is racially motivated, to be inappropriate and offensive. Through a prior arrangement, I had to sit in the Hawthorn members area on Saturday night and the few friends and family who booed Adam did not do so because he is indigenous. They did it for a variety of reasons, which I did not entirely disagree with. Including, making a 13 year old immature and unwise school girl the public face of racism, his prior use of knees when sliding into contests, his perceived protection from the tribunal, knocking into opposition players when facing the other way and strangely enough opposition supporters find his left and right hand high 5's a bit cringeworthy. I don't agree booing Adam for these reasons to be sufficient and made that clear to those sitting around me, but I don't believe it was racism.

I have no doubt that there are plenty of them booing him on that basis you suggest, but I also have little doubt that there is a proportion, however small it may be, that are booing him on the basis of it being racially motivated. As long as that proportion is above zero, then we have a problem that as a nation we need to address. Goodes is the most high profile case given his standing in the game, but there are plenty of other incidents in recent years to show, however small it may be, there is still an issue with racist behaviour in the AFL.

Why was Goodes wrong to point out racism in 2013, no matter who it came from and what her age was? Someone led her to a position to think that saying what she did was 'ok'.

The only way racism will be stamped out is if it is constantly pointed out, constantly raised when it occurs, so that it becomes unacceptable to all within society, not just those that are willing to stand up and say 'enough is enough'. Staying silent on it because she was a '13 year old immature and unwise school girl' is a cop out in itself. That it was a 13 year old that did it points to a deeper issue - that clearly there are still significant people out there that are acting in such a way that impressionable children are taking it to be 'ok behaviour' -> kids will learn behaviour from their 'role models' (said loosely in that case), and until its stamped out at that level, what chance is there of stopping the generations that are growing up now from accepting it as acceptable behaviour.

[neilfws]

Swans website weighs in:

Goodes: "You'd have to ask them" - sydneyswans.com.au

Given how it then leads into the main topic of the article, Indigenous Round, I'd say they're making a not-so-subtle suggestion as to the cause.

[Muffler]

I find the connotation that the booing of Adam Goodes is racially motivated, to be inappropriate and offensive. Through a prior arrangement, I had to sit in the Hawthorn members area on Saturday night and the few friends and family who booed Adam did not do so because he is indigenous. They did it for a variety of reasons, which I did not entirely disagree with. Including, making a 13 year old immature and unwise school girl the public face of racism, What she said was racist and should have been called out on it. Simple as that.his prior use of knees when sliding into contests, Yet they applaud Jordan Lewis and all his thuggery. Can't costantly criticise another when one of your own is worse, and you condone it.his perceived protection from the tribunal, Perception that was perpetuated by one of their own in Leigh Matthews, (perhaps the biggest thug ever to have played the game) by labelling Goodes a protected species.knocking into opposition players when facing the other way Again ask them to look in their own backyard at some of the illegal tactics of their own such as Lake, Mitchell, Rioli (chickenwing tackler) and Lewis, to name a few. I don't hear them booing any of these players.and strangely enough opposition supporters find his left and right hand high 5's a bit cringeworthy. Oh no surely not.I don't agree booing Adam for these reasons to be sufficient and made that clear to those sitting around me, If they weren't sufficient then why were they booing. One reason my red & white friend, one reason. Its a good way to disguise your racist thinking.but I don't believe it was racism. Then what do you believe it was if as you state the cited reasons are not sufficient to warrant the constant booing.

Racism will forever be a part of our culture as long as we allow it to be disguised. We need to call it for what it is at every opportunity and then and only then will it disappear from our society.

[magic.merkin]

Maybe because people will act however they wish to? It doesn't have to be inline with your thinking or come from a place of racial hatred.

[AnnieH]

I think it's a combination of a few things.

1) The finger pointing incident.
2) Australian of the year.
3) The fact that he's a good player.
4) Fans of other teams think he's overrated.
5) Underlying racism by a few fans.
6) Outspoken about indigenous issues.
7) Opposition fans think he gets a favourable run by the umpires.

I think most people boo him because there's a perception that he's condescending and thinks he's above everyone else. Australians love to cut down a tall poppy and the racists boo extra loud when given the opportunity.

If it was merely racism alone, Jetta and Cyril would be booed just as hard.

I like to think Goodes has the Wayne Carey effect. Carey was booed because he was just a good player.

No.
Carey is a wanker.

[magic.merkin]

Swans website weighs in:

Goodes: "You'd have to ask them" - sydneyswans.com.au

Given how it then leads into the main topic of the article, Indigenous Round, I'd say they're making a not-so-subtle suggestion as to the cause.

Geez, a carefully selected pic to headline that one...

A shame the mouth breathers will see the article headline, maybe gloss over the contents and continue to dribble on about him making waves and bringing the topic up.

A press conference, they ask questions of the players? Relevant topic? wha?....

[stevoswan]

It ought to be called "The 13 Year Old Girl Excuse" in the context of booing. As we all know, Adam didn't know she was 13 until well after he made the call. After that in my opinion he handled it about as well as anyone could.

The bottom line is that he'd had it up to here with the racist cheap shots and drew the line. Good on him.

Spot on, and when he realised her age/immaturity he publically made sure she wasn't vilified herself, he said it was all about 'educating' the ignorants, the type of morons who are booing him now. But the horse had bolted, already hijacked by the same ignorants, who constructed a bigger issue, a grown man 'bullying' a girl, to detract from the real issue, racism. It let them off the hook as it's far easier to blame someone else, instead of looking within, and is the exact reason why people continue to boo him. They take his challenging of society's attitude personally.....I wonder why?

[CJK]

It's definitely racism.

[Ampersand]

There is a complete logical disconnect between the reality of Adam Goodes the man - a proud, well-spoken and fundamentally decent man, not to mention a champion footballer - and the level of hatred and vitriol directed towards him by opposition fans. The only thing that bridges that gap is racism.

Buddy also cops it regularly. Funny how you rarely hear Tom Hawkins or Matthew Pavlich being consistently booed every time they go near the ball.

[Untamed Snark]

No.
Carey is a wanker.

It's even in his name

[Chilcott]

Muffler, I take your comments on board and agree with you, to a degree. One question, in response to my post, you make the comment - "it's a good way to disguise your racist thinking". I assume you mean - their racist thinking.

[Ludwig]

These people booing are well aware that it is widely interpreted, especially with media personalities, as being racially motivated. If it were not racially motivated, you would think these people would take extra care NOT to boo Goodes. They are well aware of how it looks and they are happy to get their message across. They can't use racial epithets any longer so they just boo the highest profile indigenous rights advocate in the AFL. Easy and cowardly behaviour.

[top40]

I find the connotation that the booing of Adam Goodes is racially motivated, to be inappropriate and offensive. Through a prior arrangement, I had to sit in the Hawthorn members area on Saturday night and the few friends and family who booed Adam did not do so because he is indigenous. They did it for a variety of reasons, which I did not entirely disagree with. Including, making a 13 year old immature and unwise school girl the public face of racism, his prior use of knees when sliding into contests, his perceived protection from the tribunal, knocking into opposition players when facing the other way and strangely enough opposition supporters find his left and right hand high 5's a bit cringeworthy. I don't agree booing Adam for these reasons to be sufficient and made that clear to those sitting around me, but I don't believe it was racism.

There is a famous line from the 1967 movie 'Cool Hand Luke':

"What we've got here is failure to communicate"

Whatever the reason why those Hawthorn supporters choice to boo Adam Goodes, the message that comes from that form of communication to many people is that it is a racist slur. It may not impact on you, you may perceive its related to Goodes staging a some minor free kick in Round 21 Season 2002 or whatever. But the MESSAGE this form of communication sends to me and many other people is that it is highly offensive and related to politics and race. There was no such booing prior to 2013 when the Collingwood incident occurred.

Personally I hate booing generally, least of all to champions of the game, and in this case a great Australian. That said, I distinguish it from the booing of Buddy, who left the club and who has never been associated with politics and racial issues in the community.

If the message is being sent to the community that the might be a racial aspect to it, it puts those who do it, and broadly the Hawthorn Football club in a very bad light.