Costello vs the AFL

Sometimes the wretched cynicism of politicians surprises even me - and I treat the species like they were a particularly poisonous variety of redback spider.

Today the former treasurer and failed wannabe prime-minister, Peter Costello, from the conservative Coalition defeated in 2007 declared:

''Footballers are not chosen for their moral principles. They do not go into a national draft for budding philanthropists. They can run and catch and kick a ball. What are the clubs thinking when they send them to schools to give guidance on life skills? Any right-thinking parent would quake with fear to hear that footballers were coming to their daughter's school to give a little bit of inspiration."

This is the wake of an incident where young players then had a dalliance with a 17 year old girl.

He overlooks of course all the cancer wards they visit, all the times they turn up at junior league training sessions to give kids a chance to meet their heroes, all the charity work they do.

And this guy actually professes to LIKE football.

Now... In response to Costello's massive and grossly unfair slur, and with vastly greater class, someone said this:

"...given Mr Costello's background, I thought he would be a bit more diplomatic with his opinions. It is disappointing to see someone with a great deal of influence make generalisations on all AFL players....(they) aren’t immune to the challenges that society has and (are) just a reflection of society.... But I can confidently say that the vast majority of AFL players are responsible and fantastic role models to society and do amazing work. The amount of people that AFL players are able to reach is amazing,"

Now who said that...?

Someone with Costello's vaunted "moral principles"? A "budding philanthropist"?

Actually an AFL footballer.

One who is incredibly popular among children.

Magpie's Football Update

The pre-season competition started this weekend and Collingwood won their round-robin against Richmond and deadly rivals Carlton.
Yeah it's not the season proper, but there's a feeling of beginning to the quest to go back-to-back premiers in the AFL.

Still not keen on this last touch boundary rule and it's rather strange to see three teams go at it in one night... but it's footy.
Glorious Australian Rules football.

I've had this video lined up for a post. If you don't know our game, consider this a sample.
THE most exciting spectator sport in the world.



and this promo from 32 years ago, with that famous anthem... lot of memories here:

Alan Shearer

The legend...

After the stunner against Everton on December 1 2002, the commentator bellows "cometh the hour, cometh the man", and for Newcastle United supporters that's pretty much the story.

Nice compilation (but lower volume control - audio is loud...)

Magpie's Football Update

The international game (soccer):

Australia against Japan in the Asian Cup final at Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
It's the Socceroos sixth game in three weeks. Japan is hot after downing South Korea, though it cost them striker Shinji Kagawa to injury. South Korea will play Uzbekistan, whom Australia defeated 6-0, for third place.

Captain Lucas Neill says everyone is calm. I wish I could believe him.
Either me or my wife is going to be happy. By tomorrow we should know who.


Update January 30th:
Japan won 1-0 in extra time.
"As long the young guys take the hurt from this day and turn it into a positive, I'm sure the future's bright," Neill said.

Political note:

Apparently the Qatari authorities met ticket-holding fans with riot police. Estimates range up to 5000 people being shut out.
These were people from Australia and Japan and elsewhere who were well-behaved and just wanted to see the match, as they had paid for. Rows and rows of empty seats inside Khalifa stadium. People who did get in noted not one person checked tickets and the bar code readers weren't working.

If Qatar can't deal with this properly how the heck are they going to manage the World Cup in 2022?
Tolerance for the host nation just doing it as a investment promo and not taking the game and its fans seriously will be nil... and THOSE fans aren't going to be so calm about it.

The Green and Gold

The action...

I don't dig cricket but Shane Watson catching England's Ian Bell out off Watson's own bowling is pretty impressive:



Harry Kewell gets the header for Australia to take out Iraq in the Asian Cup 118 minutes into the match:

Magpie patiently awaits his Australian Rules Football, and World Cup Rugby....

" I'd love for it, in ten years' time, not to even be an issue in sport "

I like all codes of football, but Welsh Rugby Union is rather far off and obscure to me.

That said, even I know who Gareth Thomas is. He's the most capped player in Welsh history. A very tough customer in a very hard sport.

What I didn't know - till I was casually scanning for Rugby news today - was that he outed himself as gay in December 2009, although his closest friends and team mates have known for years.

This is the news item.

An interview.

His onfield brilliance.

It's probably not everyone's cup of tea ( and, no, I'm not gay ) but I found it an interesting tale of a man in a very macho world coming to terms with something he's denied all his life.

Very notable is how his team mates reacted. Thomas' worst fears... were not realised.

related

Akermanis

There are Australian Rules Footballers who are gay. The odds alone guarantee it.
I'm not interested in who or how many because another man's sexual inclination is of no interest to me.

So far as I am aware, though, none are openly gay.

The sport's highest level, the Australian Football League, prides itself in its inclusiveness. There are as many women in the spectators stands as men. Kids, families, grandparents.... it's for anyone. Sportsmanship is paramount. Reputation - when it comes to the crunch - is more important than talent. The League goes to great lengths to be politically correct, if only because millions of dollars are at stake. Every club is a high-powered corporate entity.

It's capitalist system with egalitarian soul. Arguably a slice of the spirit of Australia.

Today.... former Lions player Jason Akermanis got sacked from the Western Bulldogs.

Yes he had tensions with the coach and had improper disclosures about the inner sanctum and this and that... but it is his comments in media that gays in football should stay in the closet that will be remembered.

He's still a talented footballer but with his age and history at both the Bulldogs and the Lions... no club would go near him. His career is over.
He's probably calculated that it's okay because he's got something in the media ahead of him.

Yes he does - but for how long...? He's good, no doubt of that, but he's not exactly a legend of the game. A few years away from the limelight of football and his profile will not be what it is now.

It is only a matter of time before a woman takes the field as an AFL umpire. The days of the yob are over if you're serious about playing in the AFL.

Sooner or later a player will come out. If he still has a job in the media Akermanis will probably get airplay from it, but his comments are going to seem very 'old'.

Unless, of course... Akermanis was talking about himself.

Superstitious nonsense of the day

The kiss of death?

Mick Jagger is being blamed for Brazil bowing out of the World Cup on Friday.

" Internet sites noted that Jagger had backed the five-time champions to beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, but the Dutch went through 2-1. The rock star had previously lent his support to the United States and England...." The curse of Mick Jagger continues," said sports daily Lance ".

You can't be both wrong about football AND be a rock god, it would seem, unless you are some sort of witch.

Somehow I don't recall him backing Ghana, Japan, Portugal, Honduras, Australia, New Zealand, North Korea...

Not a cockfight

Some days ago philosophy teacher and author Damon Young wrote a lyrical defence of competitive Mixed Martial Arts - what John McCain called "human cockfighting".

The context is that cage fighting is illegal in the state of Victoria. Like me, Young is resident in Victoria. Not so in New South Wales and therefore can be seen in Sydney.

Young writes: "Anyone who perceptively follows this sport, or who participates, quickly realises this is not a free-for-all. It is not a brawl. It is two well-trained, disciplined athletes trying to win a match through skill, guile and endurance."

For myself I mostly agree with Young's position. Young is a bit more 'elevated' about it than I would be, but he correctly percieves the patience, commitment, respect and humility that a competitor who has not been "corrupted by pride, warped by money-lust, or simply crushed by the corporate and technical demands" must have in order to cultivate his skills and attitude.

Nonetheless there are a great many people who don't agree at all, and Young's article drew a lot of hostile comment, most of it equating MMA with mindless violence.
One guy - 'Mike'- wrote "You are no philosopher Damon - you are a barbarian. This sort of violent public spectacle is the antithesis of civilised sports. It is never beautiful to see people injuring each other and it should be entirely banned in Australia and elsewhere - as should boxing and kickboxing."

While 'Mike' obviously hates all combat sports, others might single out competitive MMA alone.
Some people who actually do MMA don't like UFC. The variance in opinion is endless.

Intent and perception...

I'd observe that gentle and doting parents take their kids to karate lessons, where they make new friends, get fit, have fun... etc etc and have nice photos taken of them wearing neatly pressed white uniforms. It's part of the after-school landscape - like soccer and piano lessons. Harmless joyful photo album stuff.

But within karate forms is everything you need to kill someone. There are in-close moves designed specifically to inflict total and fatal damage. Techniques that, if fully applied, leave no chance of the opponent surviving. It's lethal and it's all there... for those who have had that depth of instruction.
Kids just don't get taught those particular bits, is all.
They get the Ralph Macchio version.

Personally I take UFC or equivalent as being one facet of something much bigger. My main interest is in martial arts per se, not competitive fighting.

As another commenter wrote "MMA encourages violence about as much as Formula 1 encourages hooning your car".

What about all the screaming mobs watch and yelling for blood...? some might ask...
Well... like drunks at a football match, they have nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of the sport itself.
I'd also add that it's hard not to watch ANY sport you are excited by and not yell something.

AFL Season Starts

It begins...

Here are some moments from last year's finals. The song is Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC, which seems to be popular lately.