There seems to be a great deal of controversy in the ranks of Australian Rules Football these days. As the football nation gets over the all encompassing Ben Cousins drug affair, new players are emerging into the bad behaviour spotlight. Recently we have seen how some football stars have been caught for pissing on police station walls. At the moment the spotlight is on big bad Barry Hall.
Apparently Barry Hall is seeing a Psychiatrist for what he has called his "Mind-snap" and his unprovoked king punch to footballer Brent Staker. Well, the Sydney Swans and Barry Hall are in damage control and using whatever PR to shift focus away from an incident which in my view has brought the game into disrepute.
I have heard of situations where people suddenly "snap". Often kids and teenagers become overwhelmed with feelings and "do something" all of a sudden without thinking. I have two aspergers clients who exhibit this type of behaviour, weekly. Perhaps Barry Hall fits the aspergers profile and his psychiatrist will diagnose him with adult ADHD? Will the Australian football world accept that his actions were a part of his mental illness? But what about other footballers who have to play on Barry Hall after his suspension for the "one punch" on Brent Staker? Will these players be prepped in "psycho" techniques to avoid the wrath of Barry Halls mind snaps?
It is interesting that Ben Cousins received a 12 month ban for bringing the game into disrepute by his drug use and Barry Hall received only seven weeks for his "mind-snap". Then again, Australian football fans tend to enjoy a bit of rough play on the field. Even football commentators in the recent weeks have joked about physically aggressive incidents on the field like it was entertainment.
So it seems Australians, according to social sentiment, prefer knocking other blokes out with king punches rather than blokes "punching themselves" with drug abuse.
So the scoring of this sentiment stands so far as:
One Punch Mind snaps (aggravated assault causing grievous bodily harm) brings a 7 Week suspension.
Using drugs and having a co dependant substance abuse issue brings 12 month suspension and de listing from the AFL.
We Australians are a very funny and interesting lot.
Kenoath
8 comments:
Hi Ken.
I agree. You Australians are indeed a "funny and interesting lot." I couldn't have put it better myself.
Nick
Ken,
It's got nothing to do with violence or drugs. It's all to do with money. So it isn't a game anymore it's business. They don't care about the players and many of the players are gifted so they ride the gift to the bank.
Playing (big money) sport these days like say... football is like taking a bunch of blokes and popping them into the Jane Dally Watkins school for deportment.
It is and always has been a hard, contact sport and to turn it into a barbie doll girly 'kittens, ribbon and bows' type thing is what money can and will do.
The adds show a bunch of guys running around a field in short shorts and long socks. Though Aussie rule players are built differently. They have long limbs like a long distance athelet where as Rugby players are more built like sprinters. The injuries are different too because of the different stresses put on the body.
What the heck am i talking about?!!?
I'm just going to go now Ken.
roses
I enjoy the way you percieve the outcomes; that you do not put the players up on the pedestal and idealizing them.
K: Recently we have seen how some football stars have caught for pissing on police station walls.
M: It sounds like footy players need some growing up to do.
Maryam.
Ditto Nick's comments lol!
I've got to agree with your observations about Ben Cousins' suspension. The AFL went outside its own well-established and promoted drug policies to target one player who admitted a drug problem, despite never having tested positive to an AFL drug test.
Unfortunately, fights pull crowds and perhaps there are some in the AFL who unofficially condone extra violence on the field.
Brain snaps all round!
there definitely seem to be some major inconsistencies in how the AFL handles various 'misdemeanours' in the game.
Hello AFL thanks for your comments. I agree totally about the inconsistency in some of the tribunal decisions. One could say "that is football" but some clubs get more protection than others. It seems political. Demetriou is starting to show his "autocratic slip" though.
kenoath
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