I’ve found it a little difficult to write about footy this week. Not because there weren’t stories – there obviously were. But rather, they weren’t the type of stories I wanted to cover. Instead, we were bombarded with other sorts of stories, and as a result, I just kind of switched off for a while.
When it comes to the current football landscape, it’s times like this I wonder where we fit.
And by “we”, I mean we, as fans. We, as footy lovers. We, as those who write about the game here at The Mongrel Punt. And we, as people who consume AFL-related media.
Over the last couple of days, the dominant story in AFL circles has been around homophobic comments that were made during the Port Adelaide versus Essendon game. It displaced the story that was probably more pertinent to the season – umpiring ineptitude and the hurt feelings of officials during games – as the number one topic for discussion.
But in the wash-up of a very successful Gather Round, what was covered in terms of actual footy games? In terms of on-field action? What generated headlines?
The Crows capitulated to 0-4 and look like a team that has forgotten how to play. The Magpies fell in against the Hawks, who came storming home. Essendon’s midfield was torn apart by Connor Rozee. The Cats and Dogs played a bit of a sleeper hit. And the GWS Giants looked ominous as they showed Gold Coast just how far they still have to go to be considered top-eight material.
There were some of the interesting stories to come out of those games, but all that seemed to play second fiddle to drama. Those stories got lip service on the talk shows and panel discussions. They were bumped aside to concentrate on drama.
Drama around the umpire making a call based on what he may or may not have heard.
Drama about a player saying something to another player that resulted in a three-match suspension.
Drama around a coach who did something similar in the pre-season and got off with a slap on the wrist.
It seems that unless there is some drama attached to anything in the game, people just are not interested in it. Or perhaps it’s that the media won’t cover it.
Rozee put on one of the performances of the season. Okay, but he didn’t do anything controversial we can drill down on? No, so he rated only a passing mention.
Game analysis?
Who needs it, right? That’s history, and we need to know what’s next! Always, what’s next!
Tactics?
Don’t have time for that – there is some scandalous stuff we have to focus on first.
How about discussion about players, potential match-ups, and what could happen over the upcoming weekend?
But… but… who is offended by that, and how can we sell it to the masses?
Last year, I was told by someone in a pretty influential position within the media that there is no market for serious analysis, anymore. Point blank – he looked me in the eye and let me know that the days of discussing a game, the finer points of footy, the roles of players, and how coaches adapt during a contest is good for an hour after the game and that’s about it. Following that, according to him, everyone is ready to move on and journos need a different hook to keep people interested. This is always why they focus so heavily on what a player did wrong, rather than what a player did right. They need outrage.
I screwed my face up as he told me that. I mean… I like the stuff he said no one was interested in.
Am I that out of touch?
Am i the Principal Skinner of footy?
I like knowing who played well, what they did to play well, who they beat, what they had issues with, and whose performance was lacking. I like to know where games were won and lost, who helped their team win, and who contributed to the loss. I like celebrating the good whilst acknowledging the bad. I like to understand the “why” of the game.
Surely, I wasn’t alone, right? There was me, Rohan Connolly, Mark Fine, and whoever sits in on First Crack on Foxtel.
But as the discussion continued, the person told me that people like me were dwindling in number – I suppose “dying off” was a little too confronting to use – and that most people would rather take a five-second sound bite from Kane Cornes and run with it, using it to stir whatever pot they wanted.
Three weeks ago, all the headlines were about drugs in the AFL, secret off-site tests, and the league apparently covering up players with drugs in their system to help them avoid testing positive on game day. As someone who lives and works in the real world, with real people, it didn’t surprise me at all that players were using drugs. Hell, if you want to talk about a changing world, have a look at the generation now running around in the league – I would guess that PLENTY of them have dabbled, at least. It is simply a societal and cultural shift.
That story struck me as a huge story for journalists – one they wanted to blow up. Not so much for footy fans, and it was treated as such by the majority of the public. A story by the media, for the media.
When I was asked why we weren’t covering it, I just said I wasn’t that interested.
I know we have our little niche here at The Mongrel. And I know that you guys are part of it. For that, I am grateful. Extremely so. That said, I do fear for the way footy coverage is headed. The game used to be viewed as an escape from the issues that people experienced every day. It used to be an outlet for supporters – a haven of sorts. And now, it seems as though the league, and those who cover it, are more determined than ever to use the platform to focus on anything but the most important part of things – the actual football games. Not that all the topics others cover are negative, but they’re weighted heavily in that direction.
Anyway, I know this may come across as a whinge. In a way, it is. I’m aware it could be poorly-recieved as self-indulgent crap. That’s okay, as well. Maybe time really is running out on the way i like the game covered. Maybe I am Principal Skinner, after all. That would make Mrs Mongrel Edna Krabappel… and that’s fine with me, too. Broom cupboard, here we come!
We’ll just keep chugging along, here. We’ll cover footy the way I want to have it covered, writing the stories and analysis I would have liked to read from the media before I started this joint. And I would like for you continue to enjoy it, as well.
Hopefully, we don’t all die off or ‘dwindle” as it was so eloquently phrased, any time soon. I kind of like having you all around.
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
