The Roar
The Roar

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Service, sacrifice and, um, selling the game

23rd April, 2014
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Gareth Widdop is tackled by Konrad Hurrell during the NRL round 7 match between the New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Brett Crockford)
Expert
23rd April, 2014
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I understand it’s about to change, but I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that the AFL has, so far, declined to play games on Good Friday.

Yes, the AFL. The code which otherwise cannot bear to let a square centimetre of the sporting landscape go unpopulated, will be the last football code in this country to schedule a game on the key Christian holiday.

On ABC Grandstand last weekend I asked for listener feedback on the issue. I was surprised that there is still a small but strident core of opposition to games of any code being played on the day held sacred by many.

Having had a nice convent schooling myself – “Bless me father, for I have seen naked men in dressing rooms…” – I’m well aware of the significance of the day to the Christian faithful. But having lived a lot in areas of Sydney with large east Asian and Arab populations, I’m also well aware that it’s a business-as-usual day for many Australians.

And anyway, for as long as I can remember Good Friday has been a crazy-busy day at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney. If there are complaints about the general public gorging on Pluto Pups, wagering on laughing clowns, riding ferris wheels and eating fairy floss on this solemn day, I haven’t heard them.

So why not schedule sporting events?

There’s nothing to stop believers attending a service in the morning and a football match in the afternoon. And, if you truly believe that a football match on Good Friday is disrespectful, well no-one is going to make you attend.

Granted, South Sydney playing Highway to Hell as the players took the field for the second half last Friday at ANZ Stadium might’ve been testing the boundaries a little more than necessary, but divine retribution was delivered in the form of a Trent Hodkinson field-goal late in the game.

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God, like the obstruction rule, moves in mysterious ways.

Given my relaxed attitude to Good Friday football, you will perhaps be surprised at what I do have a problem with – and I fully expect to be flying in in the face of many flag-waving fans when I say this – but for many years I’ve felt a tad squeamish about the way football, especially the NRL and AFL, deal with Anzac Day.

In terms of scheduling I’ve got no issue at all. Same logic applies as Good Friday: there’s nothing to stop fans attending dawn services and marches early in the day and then rocking up to the footy in the afternoon or evening.

What makes me feel squeamish is the way commemoration of Anzac Day has been incorporated into game day.

I can’t escape the feeling that paying tribute to the men and women who’ve served Australia in war zones is used opportunistically as pre-match entertainment, and the Anzac message is co-opted as a marketing and publicity tool to help hype up Anzac Day games.

War and sport are poles apart, and playing up the parallels between the two is not helpful or realistic. It makes light of war and affords a seriousness and importance to sport that is way out of perspective.

I’m sure there are ex-servicemen and currently serving military personnel who love their football and appreciate the recognition given them in connection to Anzac Day fixtures. It’s a great idea to give them free admission and maybe fundraise for Legacy or similar causes at those games.

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But don’t use pre-match ceremonies that summon the emotion and patriotism of wartime sacrifice to artificially inject drama and meaning into a football match. And don’t sell tickets under the purview of ‘a chance to pay tribute to those who have served’.

I’ve been to dawn service at the Cenotaph in Martin Place and that’s the appropriate place to recognise those who suffered in war. It takes some effort to get there before dawn and it’s an event that is dedicated to one purpose.

A quick tribute wheeled out in front of you while you’re standing with a beer in one hand and a tub of chips in the other as you wait for a couple of premiership points to go on the line is cheap and all too convenient.

I know there are players and coaches who genuinely find stories of combat and war inspirational and who embrace the Anzac spirit and history in the lead up to Anzac Day fixtures.

I’m equally sure there are players and coaches who find their Christian religious beliefs a source of inspiration, but thankfully no-one has used the opportunity of Good Friday football to stage a pre-match crucifixion extravaganza to add some drama and feeling to a holiday blockbuster.

Play holiday football by all means, holidays are meant to be enjoyed. But let’s not conflate the true meaning of the day with entertainment that’s scheduled to take advantage of a bit of extra leisure time.

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