With all due respect, the game we love is made up of a number of key elements that stoke a passion in supporters that makes it unique. A disproportionate key element is the crowd and the atmosphere that gets the adrenaline pumping and makes the game what it is. It’s not about watching the crowd instead of the game itself. These games, regardless of how my Tigers fare (when / if games return), will be well and truly confined to back of mind, never to be watched again. Just my opinion
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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Footy to Return
- Thread starter Stig
- Start date
I was going ok without footy but after listening to the Tiger Talk podcast today and seeing the boys on the news has flipped me. I’m fanging for football. Watched both finals highlights when we beat Geelong to appease the beast within but I need fresh saltiness from the Charlie Chaplin coach From down the highway.
There's a couple that feel real good to watch when you need a lift ....both the finals against the Cats and the bashing of the Bears last year.
The Prelim against Gee Whiz in 2017 took Tiger Fans to a place where dreams are almost reality!!
The GF's are obviously the others.
I'm on the fence and can see both sides, hanging out for footy and I'll take what I can get, I'm a junkie, but agree with a lot of what Craig says. Don't trust the league, I'm really pissed off they have been let off the hook for their crap corrupt Christopher skase management style and will cynically use this one-off crazy outlier scenario, and greed and in competence, to stuff with the game.
Bollocks. Game can be played with no fans, obviously, but to stretch that to unessential and making no difference is ridiculous. Footy is an emotional game, if it wasn't, what's the point?
I understand the distrust, but let me assure you, they don't really care about your specific concerns. Their KPI's are increase revenue, increase fan engagement, build every market. They've been very successful at this. We seem to be having this conversation a lot recently - there is always change, and a person's position on that change largely reflects their own point in life, not the broader community opinion. I understand and agree that you're entitled to your opinion and hey, this is just a forum, our opinion really doesn't matter. It does however concern my when people argue that this push to get the game going is 'just about TV and money'. Of course it *smile* is. It's a professional entertainment business. You're pushing to bankrupt the business and close it down, in the name of nostalgia and a fear of 'they'll change things'. It's like the Kodak collapse. It's really unhelpful.
So to your point - things might change, based on the success or failure of the things they test. Things might change, some for what you or I might perceive as better, some worse. For instance, your point on the season - the season as it stands now is about as uneven as any in the world, any sport. It's objectively uneven. 18 into 23 doesn't fit. We play home games at Docklands, others rightfully complain about having to play home finals at away grounds. All of this can be improved significantly. The season would be much better if they can find a way to have everyone play each other twice. So if they decide at some stage to shorten games a bit and instead play 34 rounds (or lengthen them and play 17) then I'm all for it. It would improve the balance of the league, and any objection to that is a subjective desire to keep things the same, despite the obvious flaws.
Likewise, if we have to play a shorter season this year without crowds, the only reason to be against it is some nostalgic view that we should wait until things are 'normal'. Things might not be 'normal' for years. Next season could crash as this one has, and is almost certainly going to have at least some type of restriction in place. If we don't try and get something going and proactively adjust according to ever-changing events, we'll be waiting for something that might not ever happen. The league will be shattered if they don't start generating revenue soon and clubs will start dying. Is that the normal you're waiting for?
We watch movies and TV shows all the time without cheering over the top of it. You can be emotional without parroting a laugh track. When I watched round 1, I was totally into it, the lack of crowd just didn't even register after 5 mins.
I don't really care that much about TV shows and movies. I took issue with the idea that it isn't a big deal. It is. Its a huge deal. yes you can still play footy and yes we will still watch and care. But it is not the same.
No, you're right, it's not the same. I think the point of those of us arguing for the restart isn't that it will be the same (at least me) but that it will be adequate to achieve the main goal, which is games=revenue=survival, until we can eventually get back to something like normality.
I agree. I'm not missing footy at all. You can't miss what you don't have. plus i haven't been watching old replays (except the 95 semi final last weekend, what a cracking game that was).
and returning early in crowdless hubs is 100% about the broadcasters and 0% about the fans. which is why i keep banging on about not starting until some fans can go.
Broadcasters are the #1 source of revenue for the league and the clubs. So yes it's about broadcasters, they are the primary customer of the AFL, they literally keep the Richmond football club alive. Broadcasters are also the primary source of access to the games for the vast majority of fans, including Richmond fans.
I guess it depends on what you are used to experiencing with footy. Being in QLD, I'm very accustomed to watching the game on TV. it's my standard experience. It's not the same as being in the crowd but I have become used to it as my standard experience. I definitely miss it. To be frank, I am struggling with the mental health of isolation, working from home while home schooling etc. The footy on TV would be a very welcome experience for me to distract from what is going on. I'm sure I'm not alone
Without crowds interested in the game there is no TV audience. You can't really have one without the other as interest in the game is what drives the TV revenue.
They need to get the crowds back. I reckon the games without crowds have a fairly short life before people turn off and it would only work if they can play a few rounds without crowds knowing that the crowds will be let in after, say, 4 rounds. Even if we have to limit crowd numbers you need the crowd back.
You don't want to turn people off the game and I reckon a long period of games in empty stadia would do that after about 4 weeks.
DS
They need to get the crowds back. I reckon the games without crowds have a fairly short life before people turn off and it would only work if they can play a few rounds without crowds knowing that the crowds will be let in after, say, 4 rounds. Even if we have to limit crowd numbers you need the crowd back.
You don't want to turn people off the game and I reckon a long period of games in empty stadia would do that after about 4 weeks.
DS
Dont accept the suggestion that there will be no - or presumably you mean significantly reduced - TV audience numbers
In fact I can’t see why the TV numbers won’t be right back up towards normal high ratings. Certainly there’ll be thousands of members who usually watch live games who will now add to the TV audience. Now the actual numbers will obviously be affected by the frequency and scheduling of games but once it’s back on footy fans will watch however they can.
For instance can you really see yourself not watching one of our games on TV?
The AFL is in the middle of a few things right now. The future of the 2020 season and the renegotiation of broadcast rights are probably the two biggest.
I share the concerns of those who fear the input of the likes of Hocking and Scott. They are two men who like Demetriou, and others before them, desperately want to leave their personal imprint on the game.
And the willingness of the Commission to go along with change without a proper and full trial of proposed changes, is a scary prospect. (Consider for example the high handed manner in which these well intending folk agreed to the introduction of the 666 rules). But at the moment this is only a secondary issue.
But make no mistake, our game is really at the cross roads.
We have never had a season like this and there is every likelihood that in the years to follow the same sort of public health issues, are going to present again, - (inexplicably) with leaders like, and you can almost now bet it in, President Trump continuing to be part of the problem.
Nearly as big a threat to the games future is the fact that possibly 8 clubs are insolvent and shouldn’t be operating at all, with these clubs now apparently guaranteed by the AFL, an independent entity.
Games must go ahead. TV rights and income to the clubs and players, are inextricably associated with that future, which until now everyone has taken for granted.
However things are changing quickly and imo this agreement needs to be signed quickly, ie before competing conglomerates put their heads together, change their priorities, and wait again for the AFL game to prove its worth as a central part of our future.
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All the games used to be and maybe will be, on Fox.
Channel 7 only show limited games.
Those without Foxtel will only see a few games, just like in the past, and will have to hope for a Tigers game to be shown.
Don't know, of course, how much revenue is raised by Fox and channel 7.
This revenue will be just so important to the future of the AFL and the clubs, in particular, that are in debt.
Couple of things with some merit. .... and also a couple without!
Much prefer they tinker with the broadcast than the game.... I for one am concerned with what the all knowing, all seeing Evolution Manager, Brad Scott is cooking up for us!
www.theage.com.au
Much prefer they tinker with the broadcast than the game.... I for one am concerned with what the all knowing, all seeing Evolution Manager, Brad Scott is cooking up for us!
New angles and 'Gogglebox' fans: how to televise footy without crowds
Games with no crowds could be soulless affairs, but veteran TV producer David Barham has come up with a plan to revolutionise the way football is televised.
