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Are There Too Many Risks Associated with Drafting Indigenous Footballers?
- Thread starter thegdog
- Start date
It's difficult to say what the issue is without bringing race into it. To me it's not about race, it's the background of the player that has to be considered.
There is a risk in drafting any person who comes from a background that makes it more difficult to adjust to the way AFL Clubs are today and given that probably a greater percentage of indigenous boys come from very rural and sometimes disadvantaged backgrounds then that would mean that the risk is higher. It's got zero to do with the colour of their skin however.
We have to be careful that we get to a point where noone can say something like this and I get the feeling now that everyone is so scared of being called a racist that we cannot even debate the issue. To me that is a shame.
I like to think I don't have a racist bone in my body but that doesn't stop me from believing that it is more likely that an indigenous player will have a background that makes it harder for the club to assimilate him into AFL. Of course that doesn't mean that is the case for all indigenous players nor does it mean that it can't be difficult for non indigenous boys as well.
There has to be a reason why indigenous players represent a greater proportion of AFL listed players than they do as a percentage of population. It's because a lot of them are good at footy I would think so to me it's important to get the structures right. The benefits are enormous, not just for the club but the player himself.
There is a risk in drafting any person who comes from a background that makes it more difficult to adjust to the way AFL Clubs are today and given that probably a greater percentage of indigenous boys come from very rural and sometimes disadvantaged backgrounds then that would mean that the risk is higher. It's got zero to do with the colour of their skin however.
We have to be careful that we get to a point where noone can say something like this and I get the feeling now that everyone is so scared of being called a racist that we cannot even debate the issue. To me that is a shame.
I like to think I don't have a racist bone in my body but that doesn't stop me from believing that it is more likely that an indigenous player will have a background that makes it harder for the club to assimilate him into AFL. Of course that doesn't mean that is the case for all indigenous players nor does it mean that it can't be difficult for non indigenous boys as well.
There has to be a reason why indigenous players represent a greater proportion of AFL listed players than they do as a percentage of population. It's because a lot of them are good at footy I would think so to me it's important to get the structures right. The benefits are enormous, not just for the club but the player himself.
Aboriginals make up about 3.5% of all footballers but around 10% of AFL lists. There's a case to be made that clubs are trying too hard to find the next Goodes or Franklin. Otherwise, the evidence suggests that Aboriginals as a rule have more footy talent than the rest of us.
Perhaps it's a storm in a teacup and the ratio of Aboriginals in the AFL should be left to find its right level, rather than ringing alarm bells because that ratio has dropped in consecutive years after two decades of growth.
Perhaps it's a storm in a teacup and the ratio of Aboriginals in the AFL should be left to find its right level, rather than ringing alarm bells because that ratio has dropped in consecutive years after two decades of growth.
LeeToRainesToRoach said:
to measure this properly we would need stats on the background of every player currently going around. The whole thing is distasteful IMO.
Massive Tiger said:
yep. People don't start 'are white footy players worth the risk?' threads when they stuff up. If Clubs don't think a player, any player, is worth the risk, they don't draft them. full stop.
