ON the TAKE T O N Y J O E L a N D M at H E W T U R N E R
Scandals in sport AN ACCOMPANIMENT TO ON THE TAKE TONY JOEL AND MATHEW TURNER Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University February 2020 he events that enveloped the Victorian Football League (VFL) generally and the Carlton Football Club especially in September 1910 were not unprecedented. Gambling was entrenched in TMelbourne’s sporting landscape and rumours about footballers “playing dead” to fix the results of certain matches had swirled around the city’s ovals, pubs, and back streets for decades. On occasion, firmer allegations had even forced authorities into conducting formal inquiries. The Carlton bribery scandal, then, was not the first or only time when footballers were interrogated by officials from either their club or governing body over corruption charges. It was the most sensational case, however, and not only because of the guilty verdicts and harsh punishments handed down. As our new book On The Take reveals in intricate detail, it was a particularly controversial episode due to such a prominent figure as Carlton’s triple premiership hero Alex “Bongo” Lang being implicated as the scandal’s chief protagonist. Indeed, there is something captivating about scandals involving professional athletes and our fascination is only amplified when champions are embroiled, and long bans are sanctioned. As a by-product of modernity’s cult of celebrity, it is not uncommon for high-profile sportspeople to find themselves exposed by unlawful, immoral, or simply ill-advised behaviour whether it be directly related to their sporting performances or instead concerning their personal lives. Most cases can be categorised as somehow relating to either sex, illegal or criminal activity, violence, various forms of cheating (with drugs/doping so prevalent it can be considered a separate category), prohibited gambling and match-fixing.
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