The AFL are apparently worried about falling crowd numbers. And while nobody hates the screaming banshees at quarter and three quarter time more than me, I'll add one more thing.
Players move clubs too much. And because a player can never be sure who they'll be playing for next season, they have to be nice to everyone. So although there is some theatrical chest beating, there is none of the out and out animosity of yesteryear.
And being a supporter is a tribal thing. But it gets hard to fire up my tribal enthusiasm when half the bloody team either came from somewhere else, or are soon off to play elsewhere, and several of the opposition used to play for us. And I know this is selfish. I want them to bash each other up on my behalf. I don't want them smiling and chatting after the game. I want them thinking how much they hated getting beaten, and how they'll get even next time.
If you want bums on seats, then you need passion, and that passion starts with the players. If the AFL wants to run it as a business and wants everybody to be nicer than Jordan de Goey and Toby Greene, then they'll have to dress it up as "entertainment" and we'll all take it as seriously as Wrestlemania.
