Falling Off Their Perch

I never thought I'd admit this but......

I'm starting to be ashamed of the Eagles.

A long line of unsavoury incidents is really our tarnishing our on-field success. 4-0 is an excellent place to be in the season so far but it's dampened when certain individuals are dirtying their own reputations and that of the club.

I've read plenty of blog posts and news articles on this (particularly concerning the Selwood-Headland incident) . I found this post very constructive as some of the comments on it discuss the fact that there is a much bigger problem than just a few badly behaved Eagles. The problem is Australian football culture as a whole. Sledging occurs at amateur levels so when players reach the AFL it is not new to them.

When I was in student housing, I lived with a couple of guys that played amateur footy - they were the boozy, swearing types who lived like pigs, were disprespectful to their flatmates and made comments about women similar to the one that Selwood was accused of. I don't know where they learnt this kind of behaviour or if it is just limited to footy culture or blokes.

There is far bigger problem than Aussie football culture. The problem is sin. It is not about players just curbing their behaviour on the outside, it's about needing a heart change from the inside out. That's something we all need.

What I liked about Gareth's post is that he talked about AFL footballers as celebrities and how we as fans build them up to be gods in the public eye. Then we get disappointed when they fail us because after all they are sinful human beings just like us. That doesn't excuse their behaviour but aren't we fools for believing they are perfect (or thereabouts).

I'm shocked as I hear about the Eagles' bad behaviour because I naively want to be believe that they are good blokes. And a lot of them probably are. But I expected them to never stuff up (or at least not that majorly). I just wanted to think the best of my team.

A lot of the other posts I read weren't nearly so thoughtful or constructive. Many of them were Dorkers fans, bitter from their Derby loss, crying out loudly for justice and gleefully wanting another chance to point the finger.

I just want to finish off with a few points:

• Whether Selwood is guilty or not of saying what Headland thought he said, we will never know. We weren't there to hear it. Headland has a reputation as a hothead so who knows? Judging by his reaction he obviously thought it was something very bad but again, we'll never know.
• I was disappointed they both got off. Sledging and violence shouldn't be encouraged. I heard on the radio that the partner of a Perth radio announcer used to work for Port Adelaide. He said that sledging was encouraged by some coaches because it gave players the mental edge over their opponents. That is very sad.
• To the Dorkers fans and others who crucified Selwood before he even fronted the tribunal - was your outrage really based on your concern for Headland's daughter or were you using the incident as another reason to point the accusing finger at the Eagles? Would you have reacted as strongly if Selwood were a Carlton player for example? Or if the incident occurred between two Victorian clubs?
• The role of the media is an interesting one here. We hate the media as a rule and regard them as a brood of vipers intent on twisting the truth. Yet so many people blindly believed what the media printed about this incident. It's kind of Catch 22 here. We need the media to inform us of what's happening in the world yet how much of it's the truth? How do we be discerning without being overly sceptical?
• A lot of Dorkers fans accused Eagles fans and coaching staff of overlooking poor player behaviour in favour of ruthlessly seeking success. I'm an Eagles fan yet I don't condone such behaviour. I can't speak for everyone.
• The AFL wants to take charge of player discipline instead of individual clubs. I think this is good but I hope the so-called 'wise men of the east' are just as firm on the Vics as they want to be on us.
• One minute the Eagles get accused of being too professional like it's a bad thing. Then they're accused of being unprofessional. Make up your mind.
• It's unfair to paint all of the Eagles with the same brush.
• Whether players like being role models or not - that's part of the job.

So to all those people whinging and whining - here's a challenge for us all. Why don't you make a positive difference among our culture? Why don't you pray? Dare I say it, why don't you pray that God will be at work in our footy culture as he is the only one who can truly bring change in people's lives after all.

• Pray for James and other like him who are seeking to be a positive influence in their local footy clubs.
• Pray for AFL players who are Christians.
• Pray for club chaplains who meet with the players.

Who knows what might happen....