Should the AFL ban booing? What they said… ‘Each and every one of us understands there’s a point where it’s a step too far…Pull ourselves back from that, but otherwise enjoy your time at the footy and make sure that everybody feels included and safe’ The AFL's head of football, Steve Hocking, expressing his belief that fans know what is appropriate ‘We know the toll it takes on players; we read about it every other week. We affect to care, but don’t. Concerning umpires, we don’t even pretend. We just boo’ Sports commentator for The Age, Greg Baum, commenting on fans’ indifference to the effect of booing The issue at a glance On April 25, 2019, Collingwood defeated Essendon in the ANZAC Day game at the MCG. After the game, Collingwood captain, Scott Pendlebury, was awarded the Anzac Medal as the game's best player; however, Essendon fans booed throughout his acceptance speech. https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/booing-controversy-hits-afl-as-abuse-of- collingwood-captain-scott-pendlebury-tarnishes-anzac-day-game-as-his-coach-says-fans- should-be-ashamed/ar-BBWhQcW Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley then chastised those that took part in the booing, stating, 'Shame on anyone that booed a champion - (I'd) just like to acknowledge the fact that we are blessed to have an opportunity to play on this day to represent the AFL.’ The booing was seen by some as particularly concerning as it came directly after that directed at Geelong’s Gary Ablett during the game against Hawthorn on Easter Monday, April 22, 2019. The booing incidents also evoked memories of the season-long booing campaign directed against Sydney Swans’ twice Brownlow Medal winner, Adam Goodes, in 2015. Goodes retired at the end of the 2015 season. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has stated, ‘We have to stop it [booing]. Because what happened to Gary (Ablett), what happened to Adam Goodes, we don’t need that stuff.’ https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/booing-controversy-hits-afl-as-abuse-of- collingwood-captain-scott-pendlebury-tarnishes-anzac-day-game-as-his-coach-says-fans- should-be-ashamed/ar-BBWhQcW The debate surrounding how best to respond to what some condemn as ‘weaponised’ booing has been taken up by club officials, players, supporters and commentators during the weeks since the ANZAC Day game. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/afl-crowds- weaponise-the-boo/news-story/17eb77d8cbf1a0bf3cfe2d5892ffdf04 Background The opening information below has been taken from the Wikipedia entry titled ‘Booing’ The full text can be accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booing#Sports Sources for other information are supplied immediately after the information is given. In sports, booing by fans is quite common. They may boo particularly hated players on the opposing team, or any opposing player when there is an intense rivalry between the teams. Unsportsmanlike behavior is also booed, such as intentionally hitting home team batters in baseball or diving in association football or basketball (where it is a technical foul). Booing of referees or umpires after an unpopular ruling is also common. Booing of expelled players after receiving a second yellow card or a direct red card is also common for many reasons. In professional sports, one's own home team, players or coach may be booed due to a poor performance or season. Attitudes toward booing vary significantly between different countries and cultures. Examples of booing in different sports Adam Goodes who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League was repeatedly and loudly booed by opposition fans during the 2015 AFL season at most of the matches whenever he touched the ball. During a match against Carlton, during the AFL's annual Indigenous Round, after he kicked a goal, he celebrated the goal by provoking the Carlton fans by performing an Indigenous war dance in which he mimed throwing a spear in their direction. Afterwards, Goodes claimed that the dance was based on the one he learned from the under-16s indigenous team the Flying Boomerangs, and that it was intended as an expression of indigenous pride during Indigenous Round, not with the intention of offending and intimidating the crowd. The booing escalated after the war dance. Goodes subsequent retirement from AFL football has been attributed to the effect of the persistent booing. The motivation for this booing is still disputed. Brazilian motor racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi was booed when, after winning the 1993 Indianapolis 500, he chose to drink orange juice instead of the milk traditionally drunk by winners of the race. Fittipaldi had made the move in order to promote the Brazilian citrus industry. During professional wrestling matches, most heels traditionally receive boos from the audience as the villain. (In professional wrestling, a ‘heel’ - also known as a rudo in lucha libre - is a wrestler who portrays a villain or a ‘bad guy’ and acts as an antagonist to the ‘faces’, who are the heroic protagonists or ‘good guy’ characters.) Ability to infuriate audiences and draw ‘heat’ (negative reactions such as boos and jeers) are considered essential skills for heel performers. During the 2008 National Hockey League playoffs, the Canadian crowd started to boo during the singing of the United States National Anthem. It was being sung because the league is played in both countries, as well as the fact that a Canadian team was playing the Boston Bruins. Critics of the behaviour saw it as an inappropriate expression of national prejudice. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1127728-the-most-famous-booing-instances-in- sports#slide8 During the 2016 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee asked Brazilian fans to refrain from booing. This request was prompted by the reaction of French pole vaulter, Renaud Lavillenie, to the treatment he received during his competition with Brazilian pole vaulter, Thiago Braz da Silva. The 22-year-old Brazilian beat the defending French champion in a contest during which large sections of the Olympic Stadium crowd booing Lavillenie’s attempts. The hostile atmosphere unsettled the Frenchman, who gave fans the thumbs-down sign between attempts and in his first interview after the event likened his treatment to the reception America’s black sprinter Jesse Owens received at the notorious 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/16/brazil-fans-olympic- stadium-pole-vault-booing-rio-2016 In September 2018, United States women’s tennis player, Serena Williams, pleaded with the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to stop booing during the trophy ceremony after a series of furious rows with officials marred her US Open final against Japanese women’s tennis player, Naomi Osaka. Williams lost the match. As Osaka was being awarded the trophy, Williams stated, ‘I just want to tell you guys [Osaka] played well. Let's make this the best moment we can and get through it and give credit where credit is due. Let's not boo anymore. Congratulations Naomi. No more booing.’ https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/32833/11493673/serena-williams-pleaded-with- crowd-to-stop-booing-during-us-open-trophy-presentation Internet information On May 13, 2019, ABC News published a comment by Offsiders columnist Richard Hinds titled ‘Footy fandom's dark side gives AFL a headache as incidents of violence drag down the game’ The opinion piece examines resent incidents of aggressive and potentially illegal behaviour among AFL football crowds. The full text can be accessed at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-13/the-art-of- barracking-seems-lost-in-dark-side-of-footy-fandom/11105500 On May 1, 2019, The Cairns Post published a comment by Rowan Sparkes titled ‘Boos at Anzac Day match stir emotion but no sinister issues behind them’ The piece is essentially a justification of booing and a defence of fans right to do so. The full text can be accessed at https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/opinion/boos-at-anzac- day-match-stir-emotion-but-no-sinister-issues-behind-them/news- story/d0cceaf4eb61950ca6384970113be808 On April 29, 2019, SEN 1116 published a report based on an interview with Hawthorn club president and former Victorian president titled ‘Constant booing of a player “unsportsmanlike”: Kennett’. The article details Kennett’s objections to sustained booing targeting a particular player. The full text can be accessed at https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/29/constant-booing- throughout-a-game-unsportsmanlike-kennett/ On April 28, 2019, the Advertiser published a comment by Dwayne Russell titled ‘Boos here to stay and will get louder if the AFL continues to tell fans not to’ The comment argues that the AFL will not be able to successfully ban booing and that should it try to do so it will encourage the practice. The full text can be accessed at https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/expert- opinion/boos-here-to-stay-and-will-get-louder-if-the-afl-continues-to-tell-fans-not-to/news- story/d79e6ed65dcca5491df8838bcbfe09b7 On April 28, 2019, Kids News published a report titled ‘Booing at football games shouldn’t target individuals, says AFL boss’ The report details the post-game events of the ANZAC Day match and quotes some of the claims which have been made about the issue of bully. The full text can be accessed at https://www.kidsnews.com.au/sport/booing-at-football- games-shouldnt-target-individuals-says-afl-boss/news- story/0bdac0fb7e957e50916769c4c6f3d1cf On April 27, 2019, The Australian published a comment by Patrick Smith titled ‘AFL crowds weaponise the boo’ The opinion piece is critical of the behaviour of booing football crowds but argues the behaviour will be impossible to ban.