Roar Rookie
Joined March 2010
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I'm disappointed, but not necessarily surprised, that you have chosen to exclude basketball from your list of favourite sports. I guess the reality that of it being the second most played, and possibly most watched, sport in the world is insufficient for it to warrant selection. Par for the course across most Australian media outlets I guess. Odd though, when one considers, for example, most of the Boomers squad who ply their trades in the NBA or European leagues and command salaries and enjoy profiles far far in excess of anything any NRL or AFL player could ever imagine. (Don't believe me? go to youtube and check out the reception Joe Ingles received at his first press conference for Euro powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. That kind of passion just doesn't exist here).
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A document has come to my attention which I think will be of significant interest to NSW Origin fans, particularly at this crucial juncture…
[caption id="attachment_7075" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Uruguay\'s Dario Rodriguez tackles Australia\'s Nick Carle during the Australia versus Uruguay soccer match. AAP Image/Dean Lewins"][/caption] Last week I…
I take on board that this is a complex issue, but you are assuming a lot by saying it’s the race card. I couldn’t care if they were from Pluto. I think it’s fair to say the AFL has limited influence in Middle Eastern communities and perhaps that is the reason these, I’ve no doubt, fine men are making mis-judgements about what is acceptable. You’re the one getting riled up about race.
And just to set the record straight Spruce Moose, I married into a Middle Eastern (Turkish Muslim) family and have been happily ensconsed in that culture for 15 years. So the whole “racist” line is a bit lost. I think you’d be surprised by how accurate and informed my views around this are. I would hazard, more informed than yours.
Gillon McLachlan's press conference was an abject failure in providing clarity to the fans
AFL outsider here, so not coming from an expert perspective. But, as an outsider looking in, I can’t help but dig beneath Jeff Kennett’s comments about the backgrounds of those employed to act as security at the grounds. This will open up the proverbial can of worms, but looking at the ethnic mix of the security they do appear to be of backgrounds in which the AFL doesn’t have a significant presence, i.e Middle Eastern. Is it therefore reasonable to assume many of them have limited exposure to AFL and the culture around the sport? I would think so. While they may be excellent at their jobs in other venues, patrolling an AFL game would require an understanding of the humour and, dare I say it, nuance around crowd interaction. That incident where the security started to enter the field when the two guys were wrestling would only be the act of someone who didn’t know that it is a normal occurrence. So, I think Kennett’s comments have some validity. I’m also not questioning the character of those men doing the security at the games, just their experience and skill-set for that job.
Gillon McLachlan's press conference was an abject failure in providing clarity to the fans
Some good points Tom. Enjoyed the article. Like many, I’m saddened by the demise of the City v Country fixture and, like you, I’m perplexed by the brilliant minds at the NRL choosing to discontinue it while keeping the Auckland Nines (!?!?!).
One approach I thought might raise the value of the game is to elevate it in the minds of the players. As it stands (or stood), it only seemed to mean anything to the Country boys. I assume that is because it resonated with their identity as being from “the Bush” and having the opportunity to represent that part of themselves and acknowledge their roots.
But what the hell does “City” mean to players from Sydney? Nothing. It’s a meaningless term which denotes a range of disparate identities. I’ve always been of the belief that the team needed to be called “Sydney.” Sydney, as a team name, would represent everything from Blacktown to Bondi. By calling the team Sydney, the players would feel they are truly part of the rep footy experience, as opposed to now where wearing the “City” jumper appears to merely be an entity to oppose the Country team.
It’s the same reason the NRL All Stars has become meaningless, yet the Indigenous All Stars remains a highly-prized jersey. The All-Stars team is there to facilitate the occasion so has become less and less important to the players and fans.
Even through the gradual decline of the City V Country game, its existence was justified by media etc as an opportunity to acknowledge the influence of Country Rugby League, and rightly so. But why not attach the same lustre to the impact and history of Sydney rugby league? Off the top of my head I can think of dozens of great players born and bred in Sydney (Raper, Gasnier, Fittler, Coote, Price, Hayne, Gallen et al). I’m certain if the current era of players were made to feel part of a linage and history then they would value the City jersey as much as the Country boys value theirs.
We need to fix the representative round. Here's how
I can see the long term value in the NBL establishing a competition involving the best Australian, Chinese and Philipino teams in an “Asian Champions League” style format. One of the key criticisms of the present-day NBL, particularly from players, is that they don’t play enough, often referring to themselves as “professional trainers.” An ACL competition would provide more opportunities for players to play high-level basketball and I’m sure would also be attractive to potential imports. The A-League’s experience with their own Asian championship appears to have been a positive one. As a fan, I would love the opportunity to see my team play more teams, as opposed to the same 7 year-in-year-out.
As for including a Chinese team in the NBL itself, I can’t see that working. I love Larry Kestelman’s ambition and vision, but wouldn’t there be more value in establishing the NBL as a viable and thriving concern before expanding? I would like to see teams in Canberra and Hobart before looking further afield.
More than anything though, I’m pleased to be involved in discussions about expansion and the sport’s bright future and not more “whatever happened to the NBL?” stories.
NBL Asia expansion is closer than we think
As a basketball supporter who has recently returned to the fold, I’m just glad to see some of these issues being discussed. Some good points made by everyone. As far as I can tell, the NBL needs to focus on those supporters who are already engaged and then treat them accordingly. A sporting landscape as crowded as Australia’s presents some pretty unique challenges and it’s a lot to expect supporters of other sports to start going to NBL games at the drop of a hat. As someone said, the level of recognition among the general public about the NBL is very low, but the mainstream sporting public is not the NBL’s target market. Basketball, despite it’s popularity at the junior level, is pretty much a boutique sport here. Those middle-class, middle-aged white men who control media coverage, and thus in effect what people think, have no interest in basketball. (The ABC “Offsiders” program is a good example. It really should be called “Cricket, Cricket, Cricket, a bit of footy, some racing and some netball to avoid charges of sexism”). The NBL needs to begin a conversation with that dedicated 5% of “the marketplace” (hate that term) who give a damn, find out what they want and then treat them like gold. They will never convert followers of other codes and that’s fine. Best to implement a small target strategy.
Moving to winter is not the panacea to the sport’s ills. When the games are played will have no impact on how the league is perceived. What is important is that people “buy in” to their team in the city and care deeply whether they win or lose. All this talk of marketing etc is just short-term thinking to woo demographics similar to the Twenty20 cricket crowd (enough said). The AFL and NRL works because the fans care about their team. The Western Sydney Wanderers are also a good example of how dedicated supporters can form the foundation of a club. This is what the NBL needs to be working towards. Long-term strategies with planning on ten-year scales, not ten week scales.
Fresh start required for basketball in Australia
I wouldn’t classify Kyrie Irving as an Australian product either, but if Dominic’s words play any part in influencing his national allegiance come 2014 world championships or 2016 Olympics then I say let’s just keep saying it!!!!
Dellavedova's unique tools will keep him in NBA
Hi Art, I do genuinely hope that the diving Australians see in overseas leagues does not affect the future popularity of the A-League. My fear was, and still is, that if fringe fans see it in comopetitions like the ACL then it will just turn them off the local product. This, I think, would be a shame as the A-League has the potential to do great things.
Diving in football the best advertisement for other sports
It’s great to see such spirited debate on this topic. The main point I can take from ait all is that the Australian sporting landscape is incredibly over-crowded. So much so that it seems almost all sports (the exceptions being cricket and AFL) will struggle from time to time.
I have been surprised at how many people have read the two articles as attacks on football, which they clearly were not. I guess the highly-religious will rarely tolerate criticism, especially from one deemed an outsider or infidel. But believe me, I will be cheering on our boys at the world cup and will continue supporting the A-League as best I can. I think it is a great league that suffers from factors outside its control, one of them being diving. Perhaps that was all that needed to be said in the first place.
Diving in football the best advertisement for other sports
Hi Art, trust me I have no problem joining the list of lazy,unoriginal Australian sports writers ha ha.
All good questions though. It seems like the combination of a small population and too many sports means every sport is in a constant state of despair about howto attract more sponsors, more fans, more members. It makes me realise we are still small-time here in OZ
Diving in football the best advertisement for other sports
Hi David, I hope I did not give the impression that the rugby codes and AFL are trouble-free. Far from it. My contention is that even this off-field trouble is considered less of a problem, and even less damaging, than elements they perceive to be the exclusive domain of football i.e diving. All I am trying to offer is a reason for the impeded growth of the game as opposed to an attack on its worth, which I actually think to be very high.
Why football struggles for support in Australia
Sorry “Australian Football”, I am completely non-plussed by your classification of me as a sydney Swan supporter. Like most Sydney-siders I support our team, but I think you may need to enlighten me on what that has to do with the future popularity of football. Even if I was the most one-eyed Swans fan alive, the arguments would still hold true.
And Sam – yes that is exactly what I am saying. If you had to identify the main reason why football will not be the number 1 sport in Australia, it is D-I-V-I-N-G.
Why football struggles for support in Australia
Yeah this is pretty much why I don’t watch AFL. Strange how the little rats have almost become like the enforcers of past eras. They know they won’t get whacked so they irritate and niggle. In the past they knew their place in the natural order of things.
The AFL's newest pest rubs it in after milking another free