David EdwardsVictorians - the "overprotective parent"
May 1st 2008 04:17
Being a young disillusioned male, i am one of many citizens who is considering a fresh start in a new city. The city i am thinking of fleeing to is Melbourne, the one i am abandoning is Sydney.
Whilst much has been made in the papers about the "Sydney Crisis" - the fact that thousands of "Gen-Y'ers" are leaving in droves to saviour the supposed cultural utopia that is Melbourne, i am going to look at Melbourne and Sydney purely from a sporting perspective.
Is it fair to say Syndey-siders are fickle when it comes to sport, treating each code like a businessmen treats a sex-worker - enjoy yourself, leave the money and disappear, no strings attached? Do Sydney-siders have a emotional capability to invest themselves in a code the way that Melbournites seem to do in regard to their beloved AFL?
It is arguable that rugby league fans are superficial in their support for the code. Go to a game and this is beyond doubt. A crowd at Brookvale oval on a Saturday night will consist of a large percentage of teenagers trying to pick up, a bunch of lecherous 20 something males ogling the "Jim Beam" girls, and a handful of genuine rugby league supporters. The game is basically a starting-off venue, a pre-cursor to the inevitable binge-drinking/under-age sex that will occur once the game has finished.
The media too is quite fair and equitable in regards to its sports coverage. Whilst rugby league undoubtedly gets the most press, there is also a decent section on AFL, rugby union and soccer. Rugby league clearly is the people's game in NSW - and this is justified through its media attention.
Contrast this with AFL in Melbourne however, and we see complete media saturation in regard to AFL. The sports pages are littered from front to back with AFL wrap-ups and complete ignorance of any other code in Victoria - let alone Australia. AFL is literally force-fed to youngsters, and it is true that it is a classless game. Rugby League in Sydney is restricted to the "bogans", wheras AFL has a mass appeal in Victoria amongst all of society. But surely this is only to Victorians having a closed mind in regards to other sports?
They say that they don't need another sport in Victoria, that they are happy with AFL and AFL only. The Melbourne storm - whilst winning a premiership last year, still don't rate much mention in the media. The experiment hasn't really exposed a city to a new sport - rather the supporters in Melbourne are mostly NSW expats - people that previously enjoyed rugby league.
This stuck-up approach in Victoria to anything besides AFL reeks of elitism, and a belief that all sports are beneath in the peking order. Clearly the support base for rugby league will never develop properly in Melbourne - because it would require a shift of population. I would suggest that it is unlikely for people living in low-cost housing in Western Sydney to suddenly want to move to Melbourne and bring with them a league culture, principally because they can't afford to move interstate. So the game remains a NSW/Qld game - incapable of expansion.
Sydney has been accomodating to AFL, and has grown to love the sport. Whilst Victoria has its cultural artefacts and heritage listed buildings, it needs to have a slightly more open mind regarding sport. Even the constant bagging by the AFL of the Sydney Swans demonstrates a anti-interstate clubs ideology that is inherent in Victoria - some sort of protective instinct against "their sport" being tarnished by unaesthetically pleasing styles of football.
AFL is a great spectacle, but Victoria and Victorians mustn't claim it as its only child. They should try for another child - perhaps they might grow as a family in the process. Australian Rules is fast growing up to the be the spolit only child - and Victoria, the overly protective parent who thinks their little brat can do no wrong.
Whilst much has been made in the papers about the "Sydney Crisis" - the fact that thousands of "Gen-Y'ers" are leaving in droves to saviour the supposed cultural utopia that is Melbourne, i am going to look at Melbourne and Sydney purely from a sporting perspective.
Is it fair to say Syndey-siders are fickle when it comes to sport, treating each code like a businessmen treats a sex-worker - enjoy yourself, leave the money and disappear, no strings attached? Do Sydney-siders have a emotional capability to invest themselves in a code the way that Melbournites seem to do in regard to their beloved AFL?
It is arguable that rugby league fans are superficial in their support for the code. Go to a game and this is beyond doubt. A crowd at Brookvale oval on a Saturday night will consist of a large percentage of teenagers trying to pick up, a bunch of lecherous 20 something males ogling the "Jim Beam" girls, and a handful of genuine rugby league supporters. The game is basically a starting-off venue, a pre-cursor to the inevitable binge-drinking/under-age sex that will occur once the game has finished.
The media too is quite fair and equitable in regards to its sports coverage. Whilst rugby league undoubtedly gets the most press, there is also a decent section on AFL, rugby union and soccer. Rugby league clearly is the people's game in NSW - and this is justified through its media attention.
Contrast this with AFL in Melbourne however, and we see complete media saturation in regard to AFL. The sports pages are littered from front to back with AFL wrap-ups and complete ignorance of any other code in Victoria - let alone Australia. AFL is literally force-fed to youngsters, and it is true that it is a classless game. Rugby League in Sydney is restricted to the "bogans", wheras AFL has a mass appeal in Victoria amongst all of society. But surely this is only to Victorians having a closed mind in regards to other sports?
They say that they don't need another sport in Victoria, that they are happy with AFL and AFL only. The Melbourne storm - whilst winning a premiership last year, still don't rate much mention in the media. The experiment hasn't really exposed a city to a new sport - rather the supporters in Melbourne are mostly NSW expats - people that previously enjoyed rugby league.
This stuck-up approach in Victoria to anything besides AFL reeks of elitism, and a belief that all sports are beneath in the peking order. Clearly the support base for rugby league will never develop properly in Melbourne - because it would require a shift of population. I would suggest that it is unlikely for people living in low-cost housing in Western Sydney to suddenly want to move to Melbourne and bring with them a league culture, principally because they can't afford to move interstate. So the game remains a NSW/Qld game - incapable of expansion.
Sydney has been accomodating to AFL, and has grown to love the sport. Whilst Victoria has its cultural artefacts and heritage listed buildings, it needs to have a slightly more open mind regarding sport. Even the constant bagging by the AFL of the Sydney Swans demonstrates a anti-interstate clubs ideology that is inherent in Victoria - some sort of protective instinct against "their sport" being tarnished by unaesthetically pleasing styles of football.
AFL is a great spectacle, but Victoria and Victorians mustn't claim it as its only child. They should try for another child - perhaps they might grow as a family in the process. Australian Rules is fast growing up to the be the spolit only child - and Victoria, the overly protective parent who thinks their little brat can do no wrong.
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Comment by Mick D
But you're right, Victorians must learn to get off their high horse when it comes to football. Apparently even rugby union has a bigger following in Melbourne. People are much more likely to migrate from Mosman to Toorak than they are from Campbelltown to Frankston.