Broadcaster Steve Price ‘sorry’ for controversial AFLW comments after daughter’s emotional plea
Shock jock Steve Price hit headlines for declaring he “wouldn’t cross the road to watch AFLW” before labelling the league a waste of money. But now he’s revealed the emotional text that’s changed his stance on the issue.
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Broadcaster Steve Price has apologised for saying the AFLW is a waste of money and he wouldn’t cross the road to watch it.
Price said an emotional message from his daughter forced him to rethink his controversial remarks.
Appearing on Triple M Hot Breakfast on Tuesday, Price said: “I normally wouldn’t do this, but I think I need to put this into some sort of context.
“My eldest daughter is overseas at the moment, living in Brussels and she’s in her last year of a law degree.
“She sent me a WhatsApp message which I am going to read out, because of what I said last week. It is a form of an apology from me.
“She said ‘Dad, I have to say I started to cry reading your views on AFLW.
“‘I’m incredibly disappointed, and it makes me very angry. You raised me to love the game of AFL, and thanks to the AFLW competition, I finally got the courage to join a club and play last year.
“’Having a woman’s league encouraged me to get involved with the sport I’d watched and admired my entire life.
“Without it, I never would have played it, it makes me pretty furious to know you don’t care.’”
A contrite Price told radio hosts Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy: “That struck home for me. I’m not changing my view that I think a lot of money’s been spent where it perhaps shouldn’t be, but I must say when you get one of your children saying that to you, it pulls you up pretty sharp.”
Last week, while appearing on the same show, Price said an AFL club official told him the spend on four AFLW games is $1 million.
“Is that a good spend?” Price asked. “I wouldn’t cross the road to watch it.”
He added: “I love female sport, but the amount of money we’re ploughing into this is ridiculous.”
McGuire, who is also the Collingwood Football Club president, told Price membership numbers were up because of AFLW.
“You will never get a dollar of government money for any infrastructure unless you’ve got female sports involved,” McGuire said.
“We’ve just done a deal which will be announced in the next couple of months … and the key part of that was the women’s sports.”
Price responded: “So governments are shaming you into supporting women’s football so you can get infrastructure built?”
Darcy then countered with the number of girls and women playing AFLW: 530,160.
He said AFLW is as “pure as a game you’ll see … we’re building something special.”
Price said many were “unwilling” to criticise the AFLW “because it’s not politically correct.”
Darcy responded: “It’s just not educated Steve.”
McGuire agreed: “Women are not being carried along by the AFL. Quite the opposite. They are propelling this game to new heights.”
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