Re: Adam Goodes

[Bunnerz]

I boo when he has the ball.
Not because of his skin colour but because I don't like him, I know he doesn't like it, and I hope he makes a mistake.
Jobe Watson got booed every time he touched the ball too after he admitted to taking drugs.
Nobody questioned whether that was racially motivated. Nobody questioned how many weeks the booing lasted for.
Karl Langdon was booed continually at matches I saw him play. Andrew Jarman was similar.
No AFL mandates or special jumpers were worn for these other players.
It's a sad day in football when you can't boo anymore.

very ture..i always boooed libba and it was because he was Italian

 

[Chelsea]

very ture..i always boooed libba and it was because he was Italian

I booed him because he was short.
Can I still do that?

 

[Coburgtiger]

I honestly don't know why anyone Boos at all.
I never boo at the footy. It just seems weird. Cheer your team on! And then swear a lot when Houli gets the ball. But don't boo. And cheer his next spoil!

 

[IanG]

Hi Baloo
I think it is a combination.
I think the media has made it to be about race.

Given the booing got out of control after his AOTY award and perceived outspokenness thats not actually correct. And I'll say again are you going ignore the clear stand made by the Richmond FC in this matter? Not to mention all the players not just indigenous:

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/players-to-take-up-social-media-cudgels-for-goodes-20150729-gin8xy.html?stb=twt

 

[CarnTheTiges]

To be honest it is A great PR exercise by Richmond...

but it still makes me angry that we are wearing the aboriginal jumper for GOODES on Friday night...

Adam Goodes and what is being done to him by the crowds may have been the catalyst for us wearing the jumper on Friday night, but it's about more than that, and the players aren't wearing it just for Adam Goodes, they're wearing it as a show of support for him and any other indigenous person involved with the game who has been affected in some way by crowd behaviour. I have booed players for certain acts in the past, but what's being done to Adam Goodes is ridiculous. It's constant throughout the game every time he goes near the ball. At worst it's indicative of a mindless hatred for an individual for any reason, and at best it's a sheep mentality. I don't like the way Adam Goodes plays the game, and I never have, but I also think that what is being done to him has gone a step too far. It damages the game and the perception of it from others outside of it. Rather than divide the football community in the country I think it's actually made it closer now, the players and coaches have banded together and said we're going to take a stand here and we're going to do it as one. Every player in the league, regardless of ethnicity and beliefs has stood up here and said 'It's not on.'

 

[Chelsea]

Given the booing got out of control after his AOTY award and perceived outspokenness thats not actually correct. And I'll say again are you going ignore the clear stand made by the Richmond FC in this matter? Not to mention all the players not just indigenous:

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/players-to-take-up-social-media-cudgels-for-goodes-20150729-gin8xy.html?stb=twt

Hi again IanG.
I think people expect footballers to be footballers and to not use the game as a political or racial forum to air grievances that are outside the game.
Being outspoken is one thing. But doing that, you have to expect criticisms, different opinions, and for footballers who are out in the middle then they will cop booing for people who disagree.
That is not racial. It is simply a way for people to show their disapproval with whatever was said or did.
The same goes for the war dance.
If he did it to the Carlton players before the game like the All Blacks do the haka then I think it would have been admired more.
Doing the war dance to the Carlton fans who can't do anything back but show their disapproval by booing or swearing then that also incites further booing.
Dermott Brereton was right.
Yes, I will ignore what my club says about not booing because as long as I know in my own heart why I boo certain players then I know it is not racially motivated and therefore I have a clear conscience.
The club, the AFL, the PC brigade all have their own agendas and do not want to upset anybody. Players usually stick together as well as we see at the tribunal.
So I am not surprised by the support Adam is getting. It is a popular pastime now.

 

[Chelsea]

I honestly don't know why anyone Boos at all.
I never boo at the footy. It just seems weird. Cheer your team on! And then swear a lot when Houli gets the ball. But don't boo. And cheer his next spoil!

The umpires were booed heavily last weekend.
Last week they showed an old game on Foxtel.
It was Richmond v Eagles at the MCG with the likes of Richo and Campbell playing.
The umpires were booed more than Goodes.
I think the umpires get booed most weeks by all supporters.
I still cannot remember a complaint about being booed every week for the past 100 years.
Adam has a long way to go.

 

[IanG]

Hi again IanG.
I think people expect footballers to be footballers and to not use the game as a political or racial forum to air grievances that are outside the game.
Being outspoken is one thing. But doing that, you have to expect criticisms, different opinions, and for footballers who are out in the middle then they will cop booing for people who disagree.
That is not racial. It is simply a way for people to show their disapproval with whatever was said or did.
The same goes for the war dance.
If he did it to the Carlton players before the game like the All Blacks do the haka then I think it would have been admired more.
Doing the war dance to the Carlton fans who can't do anything back but show their disapproval by booing or swearing then that also incites further booing.

For that match but as a constant for ever after. Nope. Same with your other points, booing for a time but not to the level it has been. I do not think you truly understand how out of control its got which is why the stand is being taken by all in the industry.

Yes, I will ignore what my club says about not booing because as long as I know in my own heart why I boo certain players then I know it is not racially motivated and therefore I have a clear conscience.

What about knowing you contribute to having debilitating effect on a persons welfare?

The club, the AFL, the PC brigade all have their own agendas and do not want to upset anybody. Players usually stick together as well as we see at the tribunal.
So I am not surprised by the support Adam is getting. It is a popular pastime now.

So it is your contention that the club and other players do not necessarily believe in what they are doing it is just for the sake of showing solidarity. Sorry but I would hope the club and players are better than that.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

very ture..i always boooed libba and it was because he was Italian

Speaking of Libba... a bloke rang Rex Hunt and asked him to stop referring to Liberatore as "Libba", because it was the Maltese word for sperm. Does something become offensive as soon as one person is offended?

Australia was far more openly racist 30-40 years ago yet Glenn James was widely regarded as a good umpire. I don't recall any racist insults directed at him from the crowd, other than the most light-hearted quips. Over time, as Aboriginal activists have been given a public platform, I think many have simply tired of the incessant grievances and criticisms of mainstream Australia which seem to stem from colonial days, a tradition that Goodes has continued.

It's tragic that the spirit of Aboriginals has been crushed. If it wasn't the English, it would've been the Spanish or the Dutch or some other nation. The tragedy lies in Aboriginals assuming a victim mentality almost from birth. Correcting it was partly the motivation behind the "stolen generation", of whom Goodes' mother is a member. While it appears horrific in retrospect, it was well-intentioned.

I'll cop flak for this but... Australians don't owe you. It's 2015, accept the situation for what it is and strive for a better life. Other Australians will support you.

 

[smasha]

Proud of the club for sticking up for Goodes. :clap :stopwar

 

[Chimptastic]

What a sad time for football. Such a shame it's been politicised so much. Disappointing reconciliation has been set back so far. There's never been such division in AFL circles. There's never been such name calling and judgement of others. There's never been such ugly crowd behaviour. I hope Adam has a different approach in working for his cause in his future life because using his career as a footballer to do it has backfired bigtime and he's paying the price. So disappointing all around. I long for the day people are just people regardless of the colour of their skin.

Beautifully said, Rosy.

IMO, the solution lies in reducing racial consciousness. Indigenous teams, etc, sound like a great idea, but they encourage the identification of individual to racial group. Therefore, they also encourage the individual to conceptualise others in terms of which racial group they belong to.

Unwittingly, most Pro-Indigenous action is inherently Pro-Racial Categorising.

This needs to stop.

 

[Chimptastic]

There have been plenty of stagers over the years, most recently Boomer, as well as serial head-duckers like Selwood but they don't get booed.

The booers claim they're not racist, so I can only conclude that they're bogans whose lives are so small that they're hanging onto the memory of a poor umpiring decision a year ago.

I think it's Adam's general attitude of disgust towards the Australian public that has most inflamed the booing by opposition supporters.

Do his feelings + clumsy anti-racism speeches make everyone else racist? Of course not. If they did, then why wasn't Nicky Winmar booed for standing up? Why isn't Michael Long booed for standing up? These guys are rightly universally admired and loved because they were better at embracing the Australian public and less clumsy at talking about Indigenous issues.

Adam gives the impression he hates everyone, so they hate him back. It's simple, and childish, but that's the emotional reaction you get from the great unwashed. It's definitely not racist, though.

 

[Chelsea]

For that match but as a constant for ever after. Nope. Same with your other points, booing for a time but not to the level it has been. I do not think you truly understand how out of control its got which is why the stand is being taken by all in the industry.

What about knowing you contribute to having debilitating effect on a persons welfare?

So it is your contention that the club and other players do not necessarily believe in what they are doing it is just for the sake of showing solidarity. Sorry but I would hope the club and players are better than that.

I think the booing has gone on because he is playing a different club each week and therefore each week is a new set of supporters who want to boo to show their disapproval.
I am concerned about Adam's welfare but he is a grown man. He needed to think about what the ramifications should be for the various actions he has made.
We are not talking of one incident. It is various incidents that have polarised many different fans for many different reasons.
If you asked 100 people why the boo Goodes, you could get 20 different reasons.
That is why a complicated issue such as this has been sensationalised and simplified to calling everyone a racist like the Swans president did.
Of course the players and clubs do it for solidarity. They are all in the business of AFL together. Everyone is a cog in the wheel.
Why do you think they want the fans on board too?
It is all about branding, commercial success, and sponsors.
We cannot upset the apple cart.

 

[Chelsea]

Speaking of Libba... a bloke rang Rex Hunt and asked him to stop referring to Liberatore as "Libba", because it was the Maltese word for sperm. Does something become offensive as soon as one person is offended?

Australia was far more openly racist 30-40 years ago yet Glenn James was widely regarded as a good umpire. I don't recall any racist insults directed at him from the crowd, other than the most light-hearted quips. Over time, as Aboriginal activists have been given a public platform, I think many have simply tired of the incessant grievances and criticisms of mainstream Australia which seem to stem from colonial days, a tradition that Goodes has continued.

It's tragic that the spirit of Aboriginals has been crushed. If it wasn't the English, it would've been the Spanish or the Dutch or some other nation. The tragedy lies in Aboriginals assuming a victim mentality almost from birth. Correcting it was partly the motivation behind the "stolen generation", of whom Goodes' mother is a member. While it appears horrific in retrospect, it was well-intentioned.

I'll cop flak for this but... Australians don't owe you. It's 2015, accept the situation for what it is and strive for a better life. Other Australians will support you.

On social media there have been posts from Aborigines who disagree with Adam and what is happening.
It is why I am disgusted at being labelled racist because I booed him.
Maybe some Aborigines who support the Eagles booed him on the weekend too. They did not boo him on skin colour so why is it assumed people like me do?

 

[Chimptastic]

Then it's not for his onfield antics. It's similar to when Jobe got booed over in the West, it's for what he stood for/represented.

Correct, it's not all about his on-field antics. But it's not because he's standing up for his race. If Australians didn't support Indigenous people standing up, then Michael Long would have been getting booed for years. Yet he's universally admired.

It's because of about 10-15 different things he's said or done. The cumulative result is the way he's gone about it has created an impression he hates a majority of Australians.

 

[lukeanddad]

Very proud of RFC for supporting Goodes this weekend.

This is what leadership is about.

The gesture will not change the minds of many of those who boo (for whatever their reasons), but I could not be more proud in the club than I am today.

 

[Chelsea]

Correct, it's not all about his on-field antics. But it's not because he's standing up for his race. If Australians didn't support Indigenous people standing up, then Michael Long would have been getting booed for years. Yet he's universally admired.

It's because of about 10-15 different things he's said or done. The cumulative result is the way he's gone about it has created an impression he hates a majority of Australians.

For me it is about his on-field antics.
It is why I am disgusted and dismayed at being labelled a racist by the broader football community and some of my fellow Richmond members on here.
I think people are simplifying it too much.
If you boo you are racist.
Sorry, you are wrong. I am not. But I will boo.
People boo him for many different reasons.
I do not understand why people cannot see this? ???

 

[bruntonave.]

I'll cop flak for this but... Australians don't owe you.

Indigenous australians ARE Australians.

 

[bruntonave.]

Disagreeing with Goodes' politics doesn't make you a racist.

For those who 'disagree with his politics', what's the other side of the argument?

 

[Chimptastic]

"If Adam feels it's racist, then it's racist"

Let's apply this logic to other areas in life.

"If you bumped into Jessica and she feels you are a pervert, then you are a pervert"

"If you take a photo of a child and a bystander thinks you're a pedophile, then you're a pedophile".

"If someone thinks you wanted to start a fight with them, then you've provoked them and they had every right to punch you without warning".

Adam is one person, and his feelings matter. Additionally, the feelings of every single person that feels falsely accused of being a racist matters. The fact there is a huge uproar over the masses being labelled 'racist' shows how repulsed the masses feel about racists. This shows they understand being labelled a racist is one of the worst things you can be.

For me it is about his on-field antics.
It is why I am disgusted and dismayed at being labelled a racist by the broader football community and some of my fellow Richmond members on here.
I think people are simplifying it too much.
If you boo you are racist.
Sorry, you are wrong. I am not. But I will boo.
People boo him for many different reasons.
I do not understand why people cannot see this? ???

It's like one giant South Park episode where the adults go over the top in their stupidity and eventually destroy the entire town.