Can crowds do anything these days?

"The problem is Slane, some people can not separate the sporting field and life." I certainly can, and I say & do things at the football that I wouldn't elsewhere. Are you seriously trying to say that bigger crackdowns on fan behaviour will create a better overall society?

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-08-30/goodes-hit-or-bad-acting Boooo!!!

The problem is Slane, some people can not separate the sporting field and life.

Still have nothing intelligent to say mattyb, obviously not.

I've rarely seen a woman bellowing out boos at the footy. No gluten free, fair trade leftist filter running here champo. Just anecdotal evidence.

You sure showed me. You haven't bothered addressing any of my points and you seem to be confusing booing with verbal abuse. Pretty sure I made it very clear that there is a giant distinction between the sporting field and the rest of life, but you chose to ignore that.

Eh,warren.you've been told why people don't like goodes.rack off and troll your own article.plenty of people there to ridicule or congratulate depending on the Cooper laws of nonsense.

"Actually, no booing at the game would be surreal. Total silence from a 50,000 crowd." You'd fit in well at a ballet performance. We should also ban people from going to the toilet during play, or eating in their seats because it gets the floor dirty. Seriously.

No Eddy, most people don't boo their own friends. What's your point?

According to you Bosk, Goodes had no right in a civilised society to point to the person taunting him? Even though it came out after the fact she was a 13 year old girl. Goodes didn't know that at the time. Plus the adults who were with should have taken more responsibility with her. The fact is Goodes response to finding out it was a 13 year old girl was very compassionate and sympathetic. But let's not talk about that when irrational hysteria gets more traction, eh?

Why blame me? I'm not responsible for the way spectators behave themselves. It's not just the do-gooders who are causing the divide in society, it's indifferent attitudes, prejudice, lack of understanding and empathy. Some people seem to think they can just say whatever they like to people and think it does not have consequences. No player has the right to be subjected to abuse from over the fence, whether it be racist, homophobic, or just straight out abuse. Just like fans have the right to go to games and not cop abuse from opposition supporters, which has been increasing. I merely asked a question, "What has Adam Goodes done to become the target of incessant booing?" Most Swans supporters have noticed it has increased compared to previous years. Lance Franklin was booed while he played at Hawthorn, Hawks fans know that. I never once inferred the booing Adam Goodes receives was related to racism. I merely mused the thought that is has become more noticeable since the incident occurred with the 13 year old girl last season, and his Australian of the Year Award. I mused it in hope that it was not the reason why he was getting booed. I said if it was, then we have not learned anything from what happened. I also mused the possibility of it being linked to the fact Goodes plays for the Sydney Swans, and the fact the Swans had been heavily attacked and criticised in the media for signing Tippett and Buddy over the COLA. I wonder if Goodes had of been a Collingwood, Hawthorn, or Geelong player, if the same events that occurred last year happened, if the view would have been different? Imagine if it was Travis Varcoe or Josh Gibson, and they copped it from a Sydney supporter?

How about a players right to not to experience taunts, as opposed to booing? I generally believe booing in the context of a match, like poor umpiring decisions, a player milking it for a free (in the instant), foul play, or something of the like is legitimately fine. But booing players for the sake of booing? I'm not actually sure the booing of Stuart Broad during the Ashes Series gave us a good look, just like the old "Hadlee's a W**ker" chant's never really use to reflect well on us. Maybe the Broad booing was done in the spirit banter. And then there have been occasions in Sydney where Australian representatives, wearing Australian colours, have been booed. Wally Lewis was booed in a rugby league Test in Sydney in the 80's, and Australian Test Cricket Captain Michael Clarke was booed in his first Test as Captain at the SCG, how is that a good look? I posed the question this week regarding booing of Adam Goodes or Lance Franklin, because I'm suspicious that the booing of Goodes just relates to his "playing for free kicks." And if that is all they are booing him for, why aren't they booing him when he actually does it, not just every time he runs with the ball? I think there is a big difference between booing of player in the spirit of banter, such us trying to put him off his kick, or he is considered a bit of a "villain" in the Ballantyne sense, and targeted booing of player. Even then, just booing a player for the sake of booing, why not cheer on your team first instead?

Looks like there are more fools in the world than I suspected. I've played more sports than you've had hot dinners. I was a champion AFL player (in my opinion, of course). But I can't stand stupidity and abuse at the football. It's got nothing to do with whether I understand sport or not. It's basic human decency. But there's an idiot born every day. I didn't say don't cheer, make noise, or enjoy yourself at a game. But why make the experience terrible for other people at the ground? Or the players? Go for it then. Abuse people, hurl racial abuse, denigrate people that do good. Do it at the football, do it to your family, do it to your friends. Make a fool of yourself.

So why cheer them.if I walked down Bourke st cheering those I thought were wearing fashionable attire,I would look just as stupid as booing people.The fact is when I'm at the footy or any sport I'm not walking down the street,I'm not at work.

Lol johno I yell 50 way to much.if I receive my beloved 50 and the opposition don't happily waltz off I get even more uppity and call for two 50's.when my team gets one of those second 'free' shots at goal after being infringed after the first goal I go berserk,cheering for the rest of the game for another one of those free goals.

Not much of a sport guy? The entire point of watching a sporting contest is to experience the roller coaster of emotions that comes with it. They were booing at the colosseum and they'll be booing at space derbies on Mars. Deal with it. Just to hammer home a point here, please name another time/place where it is acceptable to jump onto another mans shoulders to grab a ball? They abandoned the hip and shoulder at my work place years ago. See how ridiculous it is to want a sporting event to mirror an office workplace?

"Can you please let me know which other pubic forums you can go and hurl abuse and behave like an absolute pig?" First thing you need to wake up to is the fact that booing is not abuse. It just a Boo BFD.

"Can you please let me know which other pubic forums you can go and hurl abuse and behave like an absolute pig?" Politicians cop it all the time. Remember when Kim Beazley had a pie thrown at him simply because he was a politician? And there's plenty of bullying in schools that goes unaddressed. Racial incidents aside, players are usually booed because they've done something that is against the interests of football. Or because they're having an important shot at goal that could win their team the game, and fans have a right to test their nerve out. The "sit down, shut up and only clap every half an hour" tradition of an orchestral performance has never applied to football. Get some understanding.

Goodes has done plenty wrong, you just happen to be far too biased to see it Michael. Unless of course you genuinely believe the thousands of fans who voted him the Most Hated AFL Player in a recent facebook poll are all closet racists? Sheesh even most St.Kilda fans weren't so deluded that they couldn't see why everyone hated Stephen Milne's guts. Goodes is a very dislikeable character and if you're too dense too see it yourself I suggest taking off the Swans blinkers.

How interesting that nobody ever complained about Franklin being booed until he pulled on a Sydney jumper! Surely the Swans logo should entitle him to 9.8% Less Fan Abuse?