Despite last weekend’s A-League grand final being a bit of a snoozefest, plenty of online fans would prefer to believe it was one of the greatest games of all time.
My wife and I had a few personal as well as professional reasons to be in Perth last weekend, so we were happy enough to head west and mix some business with pleasure.
I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of the occasion on grand final day and thought Optus Stadium looked a treat with more than 56,000 fans packed in.
The game was pretty ordinary though, wasn’t it?
For the second season in a row the low point was video technology failing to correctly adjudicate on a goal.
To happen once is a travesty – particularly when Video Assistant Referees were supposed to stamp out these sort of mistakes – but to happen in two grand finals in a row smacks of total incompetence.
Imagine my surprise, then, to read back some of your comments regarding my thoughts on the game and discover that plenty of them were disapproving.
I even saw the old chestnut usually only saved for the big occasions when someone suggested that if I didn’t like the game, I didn’t have to write about it.
And that’s fine. If I wanted to win friends and influence people, I’d join the Toastmasters.
As someone who’s always been willing to dish it out, I’m just as willing to take it – and the whole point of these columns is to generate some online debate.
But with that being the case, perhaps it’s time we cleared a few misconceptions around the A-League with a little honesty session.
Sydney FC fans. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Starting with the idea that the A-League would be better supported if only it received some positive media coverage.
Newsflash: that’s a myth.
To start with, the A-League creates positive media stories all the time.
It gets daily coverage on The Roar, it puts out its own stories on aleague.com.au, it’s covered in depth on Fox Sports and every major metropolitan newspaper in Australia and New Zealand has at least one dedicated football reporter.
And guess what? In the grand scheme of things it makes next to no difference.
I’ve never once picked up a newspaper, read a feel-good story about how Matt McKay tucks his shorts in and decided on the spur of the moment to attend an A-League game. Have you?
The ability of the media to influence decision-making is one of the most overblown myths in the modern world. Just look at the last federal election.
You’re either an A-League fan by now or you’re not.
That’s not to suggest that the A-League receives equal coverage with other codes. Having once worked in a national newsroom, I can guarantee that’s not the case.
But the AFL and particularly the NRL receive their fair share of negative headlines and it doesn’t seem to stop fans from filing through the gates.
What makes the A-League so special?
The fact is that if wasn’t for mistakes continually being made – like the VAR failing to overturn an incorrect offside call in the biggest game of the season – there wouldn’t be so much negativity to report on.
VAR controversies have dogged the A-League for some time. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
However, I suspect we get so many things so wrong so regularly in the A-League that I reckon many of us suffer from a sort of ‘incompetence fatigue’.
Yet the answer, in my humble opinion, is not to bury our heads in the sand.
Nothing will ever change that way, no matter how unpalatable some of the game’s headlines are.
The A-League won’t disappear simply because someone wants to call a spade a spade, but it may well do if enough fans use trivial excuses to no longer support it.
That’s just my opinion. And the beauty of The Roar is that you can agree or disagree as you please.
Pedro
Guest
Another record attendance for AFL 6.8 million
oldpsyco
Guest
How Naive Mr Tuckerman! Rugby League is only as big as it is because Channel 9 push it down everyone's throat telling them it is the greatest game of all. Look how cricket has grown since it left the ABC. Only a fool would suggest that Advertising does not work, otherwise why does every succesful company in the world use it! Its called Positive reinforcement, if you tell people often enough something is good, they WILL believe it. The reverse is also true, if you tell them it is Crap often enough it does affect the image! Throw enough mud and some of it will stick! The privileged few who call themselves journalists have a duty of care to ensure they don't damage the very golden goose that pays their wages! That is not to say they should sanitise their work, just keep in mind that unsubstantiated claims can do a lot of damage, brings us back to the Duty of Care! You are in a privileged position to report the news Not invent it!
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Sorry Buddy, yes i didn't have it quite right. My bad. Apologies for inferring otherwise.
Punter
Roar Rookie
No idea, don't blame me, it was an ex boyfriend!!!!
josh
Guest
Exactly, and he always has to mention WSW. Just look at this article, there's a pic of Roly. I'm surprised he didn't use that pic of the WSW clad kid sitting in an empty stand (long before kick off).
Matsu
Roar Rookie
Dont know if this deserves a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" . . . . .
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Whats interesting is that the A-league is the only sport that has articles urging people need to get Foxtel and blaming the A-league for the 400 million cash injection that News had to put in. Foxtel made the decision to allow the A-league to go free to Telstra in order I assume to get cricket off Telstra. Foxtel made the decision to put the A-league on Kayo at a much cheaper price. Foxtel decided from paying nothing for domestic cricket to pay 120-140 million for it, while allowing test cricket to be on free to air because of all those articles based on how T20 was what people were interested in followed by one day cricket. Whats happened shouldnt the spending of 120-140 million dollars just on the rights attract 150,000 new subscribers to pay for just the rights. The big difference is what is important to the dedicated cricket fan and what they are prepared to pay for and what they will watch if its free on the side. They got record ratings for Game of Thrones and then had to offer people Foxtel at 10 dollars a month to keep them on directly after the finale. Foxtel also paid over the top for AFL while allowing more than enough games per week on free to air and also on Telstra . Particularly with AFL their deal makes sure that each state features the teams from that state on free to air , the major incentive for a fan is to watch their teams matches above all else. I think AFL generates very few subscribers for Foxtel. did their subscriptions grow when they paid heaps more to show all AFL games no. Their 120 million dollars to get 8 channels versus 1 on free to air for the Olympics was also a massive failure.The NRL deal is better for Foxtel but still they still have enough games on free to air for people to avoid subscribing plus its on Telstra and they are paying over the top. If News Ltd dont want to promote the sports they have most exclusivity and incentive to subscribe to Foxtel which would be the A-league and Super Rugby then they have made their own bed and deserve to lie in it.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Again zero self awareness Mike. Re-read your GF article. And the comments. The vast majority of posters, many non regulars, felt it was overtly negative and "nit-picky"
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Yes, but your daughter is clearly interested in the AFL to be asking the English about it. Is she a Swans or GWS fan?
Punter
Roar Rookie
My daughter is now in England & she just told me, the English don't know what AFL is, neither the game nor the competition.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Ye of little faith!!!!!
Waz
Roar Rookie
““The AFL has an issue with Foxtel ratings. Down 5.8% on last seasons first 10 rounds, and down more than 17% on 2017s. Second lowest average for this time of the year since the 9 game Fox simulcast deals started in 2012 (beaten to the bottom only by 2015” ... it’s almost like they’re, you know, WATCHING ON KAYO or something ;)
Buddy
Roar Rookie
RK - you must have picked up the wrong thread. I didn’t make any comparison between any competitions. To me it is akin to saying the players were more skilful, or fitter or whatever when I was a boy. Besides I consume vast amounts of A League both live and on tv.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Somewhere close to the mark there Mr T. I consume vast amounts of football coverage from a real mixture of sources - plenty of podcasts included but unfortunately there is little concerning A League and nothing below that (in my world) which I believe reflects the level of interest. There’s nothing wrong with that. It is a young league with a handful of teams and a relatively small population. I believe the interest is growing but it is slow and nowhere near the pace many of us would like. There is a lack of funding and household names and associated scandal or pieces written about players just to sell copy. So we make do with what we have and enjoy it for what it is and we debate the negative and sometimes enjoy the positive. What I’d really love to see though is a weekend football expo each year at the end of the season, rotating through capital cities each year and as part of that, have a morning, afternoon and evening event where some of the hot topics are debated. Guest speakers, people from governing bodies, A League representatives, and Q&A sessions on certain topics. It doesn’t have to be about policy making - it is just a forum for football passionate people to meet up with like minded souls who may agree or disagree........but who would turn up?
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
That's precisely my mantra when I sit down at the keyboard.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
That’s irrelevant Mike. Silence is not an option.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
The whole the "A-League is the equivalent of the Championship/League One/League Two" argument is another of the silliest/most pointless debates in our football landscape, but geez, having watched a bit of the EFL playoffs recently, the football isn't half agricultural! The goals is last night's League One playoff final spoke volumes.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Indeed, and with the June 30 deadline looming on A-League independence, it's hard to see anything but another Football Federation Australia-controlled campaign next season.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Redondo, you've commented on this one a couple of times yourself!
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
The more coverage focusses on actual football, the less it seems to interest readers. Funny that!