While New Zealand was taking strides in human rights by passing legislation to acknowledge homosexual marriages, Australia was celebrating the retirement of a horse.
Australia is a nation shaped by its sporting culture.
Our colloquialisms, our jargon and our metaphors used in everyday day life have common ties to sport and national identity is considerably shaped by it.
The equal rights debate is one that will not be going away due to the pending national election in September. Both major parties have been scrutinised for their stance on marriage equality but neither possess the initiative to support the movement.
Although not an official political party, the AFL is deceptively powerful when it comes to shaping public opinion.
Over the years, the AFL has been societal innovators within the sensitive subject or equality.
The AFL has widely acknowledged the importance of women to the game and have implemented educational programs in an attempt to eradicate the difference in social order between AFL players and women.
Of greater impact though, AFL events have been etched in the history of racial tolerance within this country. Nicky Winmar and Michael Long have been defining figures in the establishment of racial tolerance in the football community and beyond.
They also provide an insight into what can be expected by the public if the AFL were to get behind the equal rights movement. It’s a touchy subject which becomes even more controversial within the testosterone heavy AFL.
The message from the AFL has always been to promote tolerance, without declaring a steadfast stance on the gay marriage issue. With sponsorship deals to contend with, their stance is understandable and the same as the majority of citizens.
Everyone falls into one of three groups over the issue. They are either for equal rights and the recognition of gay marriage, vehemently against it, or the largest group – they don’t care enough about the issue but acknowledge people are entitled to do whatever they want.
The majority of AFL players fall into the third group and there is no problem with that.
Most AFL players make lifestyle choices to play football and live ‘blokey’ lives and because of this, they are not affected by equality rights and hence don’t care enough to actively promote their stance.
Homophobia and gay marriage are two separate issues but if the sport industry is still tackling homophobia issues while the rest of the nation tackles gay marriage reform, the sport industry is relatively primitive in its humanitarian progress.
Although assumedly heterosexual, Brock McLean and Daniel Jackson are players with personal ties to the issue. The duo put their football differences aside and joined friends and family to be the first AFL players to take part in the gay pride march in February.
When interviewed, both were adamant there were homophobia issues among the playing ranks of the AFL.
“They’ve done such great work with racial vilification and respect and responsibility for women. So if they could fit in the gay movement and anti-discrimination as a whole, I think that’d be great for the Australian community,” Jackson said.
It has been speculated that any AFL player who publicly declares his homosexuality will be met by hostility and potentially exiled by teammates.
All this is still speculation but the AFL provided an insight into their stance when Stephen Milne was punished for sledging Harry O’Brien with the words “f***ing poofter” during a match.
Milne was forced to apologise to O’Brien, fined $3,000 and required to attend an AFL education program.
The sledge was caught by umpire Dean Margetts and O’Brien, an active philanthropist, admitted he was unfazed by the sledge and would not have raised the issue after the match.
So what can the AFL do to influence the debate without declaring a political hand?
No one is asking for the AFL to celebrate homosexuality but rather, outlawing the vilification of it should be the number one priority.
As one of the best, the AFL’s stance on racism should be applauded.
Policy applies not only to players but also administrator and most importantly, fans. Supporters form the largest segment of the football community and the AFL have had little hesitation punishing fans who voice or display racial intolerance.
The same approach could be applied to homophobia.
Being a touchy subject that is only considered new to the sport industry due to the masculine qualities supposedly required to succeed in the industry, the AFL can show some initiative.
There is a lack of case studies and therefore a lack of precedence. If the AFL choose to evict fans or even ban them for making homophobic comments towards players or fellow fans, it would be a mammoth step in promoting tolerance to the largest segment of the football community.
As racism has shown us, there is no quick fix to intolerance. Overcoming it is a long process and one which requires commitment to the cause. With societal trends confirming the positive impact homosexual tolerance has had on the world, it’s a no-brainer that the cause is worth committing to.
Long John silver
Guest
Of course they shouldn't be banned. A few off the cuff remarks shouldn't be translated by the politically correct into something entirely different. A lot of people are making mountains out of mole hills. Lets not forget the bawdy humour that makes Australians great, gay or not.
micka
Guest
The 70's, such a period of open mindedness and enlightenment. When a bloke could still drive drunk and bash his wife for getting lippy without much concern. They knew how to do social policy back then. 1967 referendum mean much to you TCC? To be honest, there is no need to make token, apologetic gestures if you never did anything wrong. I would argue that there is an indigenous round based on the fact Indigenous players and the community at large were treated like sh*t for so long. Now the AFL has to go the extra mile to make amends. If I'm wrong why is there no italian or greek round? Every heritage is a heritage worth celebrating right? Why should one minority be regarded as different from another unless one of those minorities wrongly copped it extra hard in the early days? What is behind the women's round? Surely football hasn't had any issues with relationships with the fairer sex over the years? "I don’t think its impossible to imagine a Gay-F-L round in the year 2030 therefore." There may be, but I'm pretty confident there won't be any gay blokes playing in it if the status quo holds, so ultimately it would look very, very, very empty and hypocritical. There shouldn't need to be special rounds or cups or any of this crap. The AFL should ensure there is nothing to apologise for by making sure people don't have to worry about anything that isn't related to playing or supporting the game.
micka
Guest
"Obese people? Who protects them from slurs? What about ugly people? They can’t help it. Where are the laws to protect their feelings. What about tall people? They are sick and tired of people asking “what’s the weather like up there”. " If it is in the work place - Anti Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity laws..... There is literally nothing in the article about "marketing to gays". Literaly nothing. It is about ensuring that people aren't excluded from the game for reasons that have nothing to do with the playing or support of the game. I think the proof of the problem is that there are already a great number of Aussie rules fans in the gay community but apparently absolutely no gay players in the AFL... or VFL.... or most local comps.... Either they don't feel welcome to play, or they play and feel the need to hide their identity. how bad would it be if an INdigenous player was walking around feeling the need to hide his heritage, or someone like Bachar Houli or Todd Goldstein had to walk around saying they were catholics to not cop it.
The Critics' Choice
Guest
They said something similar in 1970 when they said "no one is proposing gay marriage here". I don't think its impossible to imagine a Gay-F-L round in the year 2030 therefore.
The Critics' Choice
Guest
Obese people? Who protects them from slurs? What about ugly people? They can't help it. Where are the laws to protect their feelings. What about tall people? They are sick and tired of people asking "what's the weather like up there". In any case, I think you missed the article's point. It is about marketing to gays, and one argument was "gays in Melbourne". I argued how is it that gay people in Melbourne supposedly don't follow Aussie Rules. I then asked for percentages in Sydney to justify marketing there.
micka
Guest
Jeez, give an inch... No one is proposing a homosexuality round. I imagine just being able to play and watch the game without being called a f****t or p**f or being chased out of the club (like that trainer near Bendigo) would probably be good enough progress for these folks for a while. There doesn't need to be a white heterosexual male round, I've never heard of anyone being bashed up the street for being born a white, heterosexual male.
Jez
Guest
Simply answer is that the afl doesn't want to 'take sides'. I think they are doing a great job...if there ever is a gay round I sure as hell will be hoping there is a hetrosexual white male round, and an Indiana round, and an Asian appreciation round! Far out the statas quo is fine!
micka
Guest
The percentage of homosexual people in any city is irrelevant. It is always worth not alienating a demographic of people through lax attitudes to their abuse denigration in the game, whether it is a demographic "worth pursuing" or not. I imagine the percentage of homosexual people in the population is larger than the percentage of Indigenous community. Would you not protect the Indigenous players and fans against racial abuse because they only represent 2-3% of the population? Hardly a demographic of any material size... Why should they be protected and gay people not? The numbers are completely irrelevant. No one should have to put up with being abused and denigrated over something they have no control over and that is irrelevant to other people while going to watch or participate in a sport.
The Critics' Choice
Guest
Your first response regards "gay friendly" cities. This was not my question. You still havent provided gay numbers in Melbourne. Are they really at a level (say 8% of the pop) worth pursuing, and who is saying gay men in Melbourne don't follow footy there? Your second link to the tickets is a shocker. You state "If the crowd numbers are declining, then there must have been people who previously could afford to regularly attend games but no longer can". You didnt even read the article you provided. It mentions nothing about "working class image" and the story is more about paid up members not turning up (maybe they bought Foxtel as well???). Come on mate. You can't guess these things. You need to do the research first and then draw the conclusions.
The Critics' Choice
Guest
No Cigar Alfred. As a political commentator myself, bias in the media is largely evident in the print media though seldom in TV media. Seven has no "strong political affiliations" with the Coalition that is reflected in their news broadcasts. I don't really want to get into an argument over this. I am just pointing out that if you are going to make wild claims you need to back them up with something more than hunches.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Sydney is the second most gay-friendly city in the world and Melbourne is the tenth. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-city-world-favorite-gay-destination-vacation-beating-san-francisco-paris-article-1.144198 AFL can not be ignored as the prominent sport in Melbourne. It would be ignorant to assume that with a considerably large (on the global scale) gay population in a city where AFL is the prominent sport, that there is no overlap. The AFL still has a working class image? Andrew Demitriou acknowledged that high priced tickets are the reason for poor crowd attendances and the AFL will be looking to reduce the price of admittance in 2014 to appeal to more supporters. Source: http://au.sports.yahoo.com/afl/news/article/-/16391047/afl-may-lower-ticket-prices/ If the crowd numbers are declining, then there must have been people who previously could afford to regularly attend games but no longer can, or choose not too. It sounds like they're appealing to the working class who are a demographic critical to the AFL which they cannot afford to lose.
Moonshine
Guest
AC Stokes is a Liberal party suporter but plays both sides of the political fence. The Packers havent been even part owners of the Nine Network for at least 5 years so I calll your judgement into question...Part owner of Ten which is why Bolt etc are on there but still he is only one of many conservative owners...
Moonshine
Guest
The Swans have/used to have a significant number of supporters who were from the gay community but I think they have moved on to something else.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Kerry Stoke, chairman of Seven West Media, is politically conservative. In my opinion (bias is assessed on personal prejudice so technically everything is biased in some way), it is reflected on the news coverage which Channel 7 broadcasts. The Packers are big supporters of the Liberal Party and I also believe this is reflected in Channel 9's news coverage, eg timeslots, length of coverage, selective quoting and guest selection.
The Critics' Choice
Guest
"strong political affiliations" Channel 7 with whom?
The Critics' Choice
Guest
Alfred, can you back up some comments please. What percentage of Sydney people are gay? What is the percentage of middle class people in Sydney and Melb compared to Adelaide/Perth/Brisbane? What percentage of gay people like AFL in Sydney or Melbourne? What are you basing the comment "The AFL still has a working class image" on?
Alfred Chan
Expert
Great idea Peter but the TV networks all have strong political affiliations which would probably stop them from doing so.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Commercially, I believe the gay community are an underestimated market of the AFL. The young professionals who have two streams of income and no children are the kind who can afford to purchase premium memberships. Melbourne and Sydney are two of the world's most gay friendly cities in the world and that is strongly due to the prominence of the middle and middle-upper class where tolerance has been engrained from a young age. The AFL still has a working class image which is why I think they are the perfect tool to promote tolerance by setting an example and holding intolerant fans accountable for their words.
Brendan
Guest
What do you advise the Afl to do Andrew? Many words have different meanings to various age groups.So should a supporter who yells get on with you wanker ( indicating timewasting) or a person under 25 yelling that was a gay piece of play(indicating that gay means lame or useless as many youngsters use it ) be ejected.Sexuality is covered under the law and the Afl has clearly indicated that sledging on this basis isn't acceptable .I attend the footy most weeks and rarely hear comments referring to a players sexuality or race.Given that to the best of my knowledge no Afl player has stated that they are homosexual its hard to determine the true ammount of intolerance in the football community.
Peter Fletcher
Guest
They should mic up Brendan Goddard this week. He'll be the leagues number one target for such slurs after the interview he gave on Saturday night.