ramblings of a hypocrite
The AFL's gamble with my fandom
A few months ago, with the fortune of a complimentary ticket courtesy of my Uncle, I ventured to the city to watch the Sydney Swans vs Geelong Cats AFL game at the Sydney Cricket Ground. I have always loved going to the footy and have done so alone many times, including since that game. I like to soak in the atmosphere, quietly analyse the game in my head, and when I am a neutral, cheer for whatever is most upsetting to both sets of fans.
The hour and a half train journey to the city is mostly pleasant. The Blue Mountains line, typically quiet and peaceful, offers splendid views. It’s not until the Penrith and Blacktown stations that the train fills up and becomes less tranquil. This trip would be no exception. Throughout the journey, a toddler could be heard mumbling the national anthem, at another moment a man shouted that he would stab someone if they didn’t share their beer, and a group of teenagers towards the back of the carriage were kicking seats and swearing needlessly in their conversation.
It was simply just another day in Western Sydney on what is supposed to be the quiet carriage. The saddest thing about all this is I was at least happy to see most people taking a break from their phones to see what the commotion was about, myself included. After doing nothing but briefly lament the lack of social etiquette, I returned to scrolling through YouTube Shorts. I’m so grateful that I’m not like those pesky kids addicted to TikTok these days.
Once I arrived at the ground, the hypocrisy continues. It’s hard to miss all the “pride” scarves with rainbow tassels the Swans have sold, and equally hard to miss the plethora of Qatar Airways advertisements around the ground. The airline is owned by the government of Qatar, a country where being a homosexual is still a crime punishable by a prison sentence, and is listed as a premier partner on the Swans’ website. The team don’t seem to take much heat for this obviously conflicting partnership and have said in the past that the link does not compromise the club’s values. No further questions from an increasingly uninquisitive media class.
It’s the same with the anti-gambling ads that play at the ground. The Swans are happy to “reclaim the game” by telling us we won’t see any gambling ads at the match but in the background, through handouts that every club receives, the club is making plenty of money from this destructive habit. The AFL makes millions per year from its sponsorship with Sportsbet, and even more money from product fees that are paid by gambling companies for the rights to gamble on AFL matches, meaning the AFL makes money on every single bet placed on their competitions.
Without this money, I imagine the dividend the AFL pays to clubs (well over $10 million per club) and the player’s share from the collective bargaining agreement would significantly decrease. I am certain the anti-gambling tune from the Swans would change if it meant their balance sheet was adversely affected. Just as they would end their relationship with Qatar Airways if their fans boycotted their matches because of it. You only have to browse social media during a game to realise how much fans dislike gambling advertising, but enough of us are betting that public perception is simply irrelevant to the league.
Where is the industry media in all this? Too compromised by gambling money themselves to ask questions critical of the AFL.
Right now media companies are lobbying the Australian Government, along with major sporting codes and gambling companies to prevent additional regulations on gambling advertising. According to the most recent data, Australians are the biggest per capita gambling losers in the world. Roughly $1200 per adult per year. That is a scary number. The Australian Government is already caving on the proposals put forth by a bi-partisan committee last year.
I don’t really have an argument here. I feign disgust that the game I love commercialises everything it possibly can, from Indigenous recognition in the Constitution to ANZAC Day, but I still give them my money and my time. I tell people how angry I am about the proliferation of gambling into sport’s culture but I’m part of the problem. The Olympics Games that just finished I knew all the betting odds. I wasn’t placing bets but so much of my assessment of an athlete’s performance was tied to where the bookies expected them to finish. It isn’t healthy or conducive to human flourishing for us to think like this.
Am I supposed to boycott the game I love watching because I believe they’re hypocrites? I’d have to boycott a lot more than sport if I set that rule in place. Almost every cultural institution is like this now. The quiet carriage on my train ride was a microcosm of societal decay, where social etiquette is so easily ignored without fear of consequences. The corporate power that pervades the AFL, and indeed many of our institutions, mirrors the chaos on the train. Both are spaces where people prioritise their immediate desires over the common good, whether it's kicking seats or kicking morals to the curb.
Corporate power has only grown in my lifetime, filling a void left by inactive regulators, much like the empty seats on the train filling up as it leaves the mountains. The state is often too hesitant to act, even when it would be in service of the people who elected them. And so, like the unruly passengers on the train, the AFL and gambling companies continue unchecked, exempt from questioning because they subscribe to the default liberal order, or even set it. How do we resist these forces? Is it my job to police the train?
Next time: I get upset about the terrible working conditions in the third world while wearing the cheapest shirt and track pants I could find at Big Department Store.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this please consider sharing. And if you’re an Australian citizen, I urge you to write to your local MP and encourage them to lobby their party to ban gambling advertising in Australia.