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Anzac day footy blurs the boundaries between sport and war

23rd April, 2013
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Bravery, pain and victory - there's plenty of cross-over between war and footy. But don't confuse words with a situation. (Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Photos)
Expert
23rd April, 2013
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As Anzac Day approaches, this week’s round of AFL and rugby league matches assume greater significance as they trade upon the heightened sense of occasion.

What once would have been considered disrespectful has quickly become tradition. It’s hardly surprising. Sport and war, unfortunately, have a lasting and sometimes dangerous relationship.

As George Orwell once wrote, “football is war, minus the shooting”.

Tomorrow, millions of sports fans around the nation will tune in to the traditional Anzac Day fixture between Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG.

And for the first time the Sydney Swans will play St Kilda in New Zealand, followed by the Len Hall Tribute match between Fremantle and Richmond on Friday.

At best, the Anzac Day clash is an opportunity for togetherness on an important national holiday, a chance to remember and memorialise those working men and women who died needlessly in battles from Lone Pine to Khe Sanh and Kabul.

The lap of honour for the Diggers before the bounce is a nice touch, as is the minute silence and the rendition of the Last Post.

At worst, however, the event gives a platform for the chest-beaters and the flag-wavers, and becomes an outlet for machoistic nationalism and a glorification of war.

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It is painful to listen to commentators label James Hird a ‘general’, and praise the ‘sacrifices’ of ‘brave’ footballers. It’s a not-so-subtle and highly inappropriate nod to the Anzac legend.

We can do without the Victoria Cross-type Anzac Day medal, given to the player who best embodies ‘the Anzac spirit’. That kind of ritual unnecessarily militarises football.

Worse still, the AFL trades upon Anzac Day as a way of boosting the image of the game.

In 2011, Kevin Sheedy complained about Collingwood and Essendon monopolising one of the AFL’s biggest earners.

Ludicrously, Sheedy claimed it “would be an insult to the Australian Defence Force” to not have the games held in every state.

As the brainchild of the event during his time as coach of Essendon, Sheedy now conveniently feels the spirit of ANZAC should extend to his new club in Western Sydney. Nice try, Kevin.

Such hyperbole only reinforces the suspicion that sporting bodies are only interested in their own turf and the bottom dollar, not respect for the ANZACs.

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Senior columnist for The Australian Patrick Smith puts it well, “the afternoon’s bugler may as well be a busker.”

But it’s not just the AFL that trades upon the Anzacs. In rugby league, there will be an Anzac Day double-header in Sydney and Melbourne featuring the Sydney Roosters, St. George Dragons, Melbourne Storm and the New Zealand Warriors.

In previous years, we’ve seen ridiculous ‘camouflage’ jerseys worn by Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters. And it looks like they’ll reemerge this week when the Roosters play St. George.

This kind of casual militarism blurs the lines between sport and war and, more importantly, blurs the boundaries between respect and exploitation.

While there have been no concrete attempts to establish an Anzac Day clash in football, the FFA have previously announced their intention to introduce an annual Anzac Day clash between Turkey and Australia.

In truth, there has always been tremendous potential for such an event. The fact that, unlike the other codes, football could include Turkey into the fold makes the prospect somewhat more appealing.

It might provide a tonic to what Major-General Jim Nolan once triumphantly but misguidedly labelled “Australian exceptionalism.”

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Indeed, Anzac Day should be about more than just our own.

However, I suspect any such event would lead football commentators to get caught up in the business of Anzac, and the occasion would quickly descend into a platform for muscular nationalism.

No right thinking fan wants the efforts of Tim Cahill, or Nick Maxwell, or Cameron Smith to be conflated with that of dead soldiers and generals.

But at present, they are. The AFL’s marathon telecast milks the spirit of Anzac for all it’s worth.

During his time at Collingwood, Mick Malthouse was known to show his players videos about the Anzacs in battle, before engaging them in “a discussion about fighting spirit and sacrifice” in order for the players “to know the true significance of the contest.”

Similarly, Fairfax journalist Richard Hinds once labelled Wayne Bennett and Mick Malthouse “two old warhorses with a military bearing.”

No. Malthouse and Bennett are terrific football coaches, and their players are tremendous athletes who provide us all with great entertainment on our day off.

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But this kind of hero-worship and militaristic bleating trivialises the efforts and sacrifices of those who have died in war.

The parody is extended further as the very same commentators who make these kind of grandiose statements promise us they realise war and sport are very different. Their doublespeak is perplexing and insulting.

Of course, many fans love the grand final type atmosphere these matches generate, and the traditions that have already been created. Fair enough.

Yet Anzac Day footy will lose none of its significance if we give that kind of silly war-talk a rest.

If we are going to revel in the privileges our soldiers apparently died for, we might want to recognise the responsibilities that come with them.

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