Sam Newman’s criticism of the AFL is wrong, their campaigns are something to be proud of
SAM Newman’s criticism of the AFL for being involved in social issues simply shows how out of touch he is, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
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YOU might not like the idea of the AFL entering into social issues, but it’s hard to question the importance of the causes they champion such as same sex marriage, gender equality, anti-violence and anti-racism.
Throw in support for mental health issues, breast cancer research, the battle against motor neurone disease and you’ve got a roll-call of causes any organisation should be proud to support.
And then along comes Sam …
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Sam Newman, regular on Channel 9’s struggling program The Footy Show, had a go at the AFL last week for being “divisive” for allowing two Muslim players toss the coin at the recent Richmond-Essendon game.
During a radio podcast, Newman said Muslims were a “huge problem” and defended Queensland Senator Fraser Anning’s comments about the impact of Muslim immigration.
“They don’t generally nationalise, they colonise,” Newman said. “There are 600,000 Muslims in Australia, they share no common interest with what we’re on about. They have no common values, they preach to a different deity, god.”
Such comments are ignorant and offensive. While there are certain extreme Islamic practices I find abhorrent — particularly their treatment of women — there is no justification for suggesting all Muslims don’t share Australian values.
On The Footy Show, Newman defended his view, saying the AFL shouldn’t be “inserting themselves into the political narrative of the day”.
“I just don’t think people who go to the football want to have a political lecture or political agenda given to them,” he said.
As usual, I’m happy to support just about anything Newman is against.
Let’s not forget Newman taunted US footballer Michael Sam for kissing his boyfriend on TV. He called Aboriginal player Adam Goodes a “jerk” for doing an indigenous war dance during the indigenous round. He has been disparaging to people of colour, Asians and outspoken women.
Regardless of what Newman says, I believe the AFL, clubs and players are in a unique position to bring about positive social change and should be proud to do so.
The brief handshake between Adam Saad and Bachar Houli — which was initiated by the clubs, not the AFL — didn’t dominate the game in any way. It was a brief flash of unity and a symbolic gesture from two members of a religious group increasingly under attack from outsiders.
With more than 400,000 people watching games live each week, plus millions on TV, the AFL is a powerful vehicle for social change. It’s also one way to access a hard-to-reach demographic — young males aged 18 to 35.
That is why it’s good the AFL is in partnership with a range of progressive organisations such as the White Ribbon Foundation, beyondblue, Fight MND and the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. I’m also proud it is promoting the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
“We recognise the power of our sport in tackling and promoting social issues important to Australian society,” the AFL website reads.
I particularly admire its work for mental health which has resulted in high-profile players such as Buddy Franklin and Travis Cloke speaking about their own battles.
I’d prefer to be on the side of the AFL rather than the disaffected outsiders who rail against same sex marriage, Muslims, refugees and certain outspoken women.
In particular, I welcomed the AFL’s strong stance on marriage equality, despite a push from conservative politicians, conservative hacks and some of its own players to butt out of the debate.
It’s not about social engineering or pushing a leftist agenda; it’s about doing the right thing and taking a responsible stand on important issues.
With the Australian political scene in such disarray, and filled with such uninspiring individuals, it’s no wonder we are looking for moral and social leadership outside Canberra.
However, the AFL should do more to get its own house in order. Recent revelations about a toxic gender culture among the executive ranks that led to a few high-profile resignations were disgraceful.
Such behaviour was at odds with the league’s respect and responsibility focus, gender equality framework and family values.
Same goes for the AFL clubs’ reliance on revenue from poker machines and their heavy promotion of sports betting and alcohol consumption due to their sponsorship deals with Carlton Draught, Jim Beam and Bet Easy.
More needs to be done to challenge reliance on such funds.
In the meantime, it’s no wonder The Footy Show has hit a new low of 120,000 Melbourne viewers.
It’s looking more and more dated each week (and I don’t just mean the ageing white male panellists). Its declining popularity is a rejection, not just of Newman, but of the outdated views he expresses.
Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist.
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