To boo or not to boo? That is the question. And haven’t we all been musing over this one across the past two days.
As in life, it is all contextual. If it is game-related and linked to the match – such as not agreeing with an umpire’s decision or putting off an opposition player lining up for goal – most would agree that is acceptable.
Passionate support is one of the things that we love about sport and in particular the game of Australian rules football. These forms of distraction from fans has been and should always be a part of sport.
But the booing of Swans great Buddy Franklin on Sunday at the MCG reminded me of a famous Winston Churchill quote, where the former UK prime minister said: “I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught”.
Unfortunately, this is true of most of us at one stage or another.
That said, the AFL industry looks as though it might have learnt after being taught a harsh lesson over the treatment of Adam Goodes towards the end of his career.
In the wake of another AFL booing controversy, are we showing the maturity that is required in learning from our failures?
Lance Franklin was booed by Collingwood supporters on Sunday.Credit: AFL Photos
Collingwood quickly got on the front foot and issued an apology after Sunday’s events, with Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly, together with coach Craig McRae and captain Darcy Moore condemning the behaviour. Magpie legend Nathan Buckley branded it as “ignorant and bigotry”.
The AFL also put fans on notice with a statement from CEO Gillon McLachlan, not only about the Franklin issue, but also the recent treatment from rival fans of Port Adelaide recruit Jason Horne-Francis after he was traded from North Melbourne at the end of last season.
It was a swift and coordinated approach that was exactly what the game and maybe even our country needed.
Some will say we are getting too sensitive and “we always used to do it to the opposition’s best players”. To those people, please wake up. Times have changed. It is time to open your eyes, ears and hearts to the bigger issue at play.
The notion of being able to do or say whatever you want at a sporting event “because you have paid for your ticket” is archaic and uneducated. Society’s expectations have changed for the better.
The booing last Sunday took me back to the unsavoury situation that Goodes dealt with in late 2015. In hindsight, we should have acted earlier, as the industry did this week, and done more to help.
After being vilified at the MCG by a young Pies fan earlier in the season, Goodes then suffered weeks of torment, reaching tipping point at Subiaco Oval against West Coast in round 17, where Goodes and teammate Lewis Jetta were subjected to incessant booing and jeering from the crowd.
As the president of the AFL Players Association, I vividly remember receiving a call from CEO Paul Marsh asking if I had heard what had happened at the Eagles game. I had not.
We had just returned from Melbourne after playing in a four-point win over Richmond at the MCG, thanks to a late David Mundy goal, and I had spent my Sunday afternoon quietly recovering with my wife Lauren and our young family. At that point, I was oblivious to the major issue brewing.
Paul and I were trying to gather as much information from the players impacted and the Swans officials as to how they were feeling about it all, while asking ourselves what the booing was actually about. Was it because Goodes was a great player and playing well? Or was the issue much deeper, with racial undertones?
Those same questions were again being asked about the Franklin abuse at AFL House and on every talkback radio station on Monday.
The day before the Goodes incident in 2015 (and at other times in my career), I was subjected to plenty of booing deep into a tight last quarter after being awarded a free kick inside 50. As I lined up for goal, it felt like every single one of the 40,000 Tiger fans inside the MCG were booing in an attempt to make me miss my crucial shot.
Adam Goodes stepped away from football due to the treatment he received.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
The difference was, it was to do with the umpire’s decision and trying to put me off. It was game-related and had nothing to do with my race or colour of my skin.
Of course, we don’t know the intentions or exact reasons why someone is booing. We simply cannot be inside every person’s head.
Booing may not have racial undertones. But then again, it might. And if the booing is targeted and without game-specific context, who is to argue with someone who says it is racially fuelled?
We don’t know either way. So perhaps it is best we don’t do it.
Don’t get me wrong, if there is a game-related reason to boo, go for it. There should always be a place for loud, passionate and direct support in our game. A player who leaves one club for another opportunity will always be fair game for fans. So, too, the player who has injured one of your team’s stars.
But targeted and unnecessary booing and jeering by thousands can leave anyone feeling exposed and vulnerable.
With a name like Pavlich in this country, I too was vilified. As a youngster growing up I was bullied about my name and appearance at school, and as an AFL player I was abused by fans from across the fence. Did it hurt me? Yes. Did it overwhelm me? No.
The fact that it was so rare and mainly isolated events made it easier. It was not a relentless barrage that others in our game have suffered – and continue to suffer.
As a spectator growing up, I booed. In fact, I did it plenty of times watching sport. At the umpires and the opposition.
But as an adult and parent, I can see that at times it was ignorant of me to do so. Ultimately it was just a way to fit in with others. After all, we are just animals, and pack-like behaviour, no matter how unsavoury and incorrect, can sometimes help us fit in.
But we need to be better.
We may not always want to be taught, but if we can collectively learn from our mistakes we might just be able to keep a young star in the game long enough to see him shine brightest and allow one of the all-time greats to finish his career in the way he deserves.
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