Let's face the facts, footy is a business now

The old creed of playing for your jumper has been ripped to shreds.

This trade period, the AFL has never looked more like a business. Those who don’t like it may have nowhere to turn, because it will only continue.

Compared to sports around the world, the AFL has remained rather egalitarian. It has carefully-crafted policies in place, such as the equalisation policy, to ensure the gap between the haves and have-nots remains relatively small.

And, for the large part, it has worked. Over the last twenty years, eleven different clubs have won the flag. Only Richmond, and the two newest clubs, the Giants and Suns, have not played in a Grand Final.

But the reality is the game will keep evolving. It will follow the lead of other more commercial and commodified sports around the world. And money will be at the heart of the matter.

Romantics despise business terminology weaselling its way into the footy vernacular. But brace yourself, because words and phrases such as industries, markets, consumers, key performance indicators, assets and agents are no longer restricted to the business pages of papers.

Likewise, you may have to read between the lines to learn of notions of die-hard fans, communities, club legends and loyalty.

This has been coming for some time. After all, money was perhaps the most significant factor in eight clubs breaking away from the VFA to form the VFL at the end of the 1896 season. Furthermore, many believe Ron Barassi’s decision to defect from Melbourne to coach Carlton in 1965 was the moment the game changed forever.

Plenty of the game’s biggest stars have defected from one club to go to another. Tony Lockett did it. So did Gary Ablett Junior, Buddy Franklin, Patrick Dangerfield, and over the last few seasons, a swag of Geelong premiership players have finished their careers with other clubs.

But there’s been something about this trade period that appears to indicate the floodgates of business have opened.

That Sam Mitchell has left Hawthorn to play for West Coast is a shock. But it was rationalised by all parties in business terms. For Mitchell, is was about his future. He’s already got one eye on his coaching career. He wants to learn his coaching trade outside of the club he’s been part of for 15 years.

And so it is that to become a career coach, he will sacrifice being a one-club player.

For the Hawks, they have freed up space in their salary cap, much needed space to snare another prize recruit to help them on their way to another flag. Yes, they have had to say goodbye to a four-time premiership player who clocked up five best and fairest awards along the way, but it’s about the future, not the past, right?

The players and their clubs accept it. In fact, they are driving the new business model forward. There appears to be no hard feelings when a player gets up and leaves to go to another home, and players also seem to understand when their teammates are moved on by their club to improve the team’s list. It’s about opportunity, planning, and the salary cap.

But what about the fans?

Many yearn for the simple days of yesteryear, when it was about the game, not the money that can be made from it. Anyone who has barracked with their heart and soul for a club and its players will know how gut wrenching it can be to see those same players running around in different colours the following year.

But there’s a new breed of supporter who seems to love the cut and thrust of the trade period. They appear fascinated by the monetary value of players, the list machinations, the wheeling and dealing, the business of it all.

They are entertained.

All of this just two weeks after the Western Bulldogs held up the premierhship cup to their adoring fans, many of who had waited 62 years to see. It was story that had us all gushing, swept up in the emotion and romance that only sport can deliver.

A week is a long time in football. Two weeks is an eternity. Things move so fast.

Romance in football may not be dead, but it’s certainly copping a hiding this trade period.