tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/footy-3946/articlesFooty – The Conversation2023-06-08T02:57:52Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2058462023-06-08T02:57:52Z2023-06-08T02:57:52ZHow the Tasmanian AFL team turned into a political football<p>Some say we should keep sport out of politics. But that seems to be almost impossible in the case of Tasmania. </p>
<p>The announcement that Tasmania will get its own AFL team has become the centrepiece of one of the fiercest political battles the state has seen – and it’s about a stadium.</p>
<p>As part of the deal to launch the 19th AFL team, the league required Tasmania to build a fresh stadium, which was agreed to be a new precinct on the Hobart waterfront.</p>
<p>Premier Jeremy Rockliff has pledged $375 million from the state government to build the precinct, about half the $715 million price tag. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also pledged $240 million from the federal government, plus $65 million for an upgrade to Launceston’s York Park. And the AFL has promised $15 million towards the stadium.</p>
<p>But Rockliff has come under fire from all directions for the cost of the new precinct. It has led to him losing his majority in the lower house after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/12/resignations-over-hobart-stadium-plunge-tasmanian-government-into-minority">two Liberals resigned over the stadium</a>, pushing the nation’s only Liberal state government into minority.</p>
<p>Tasmanian Labor has argued the government shouldn’t be committing to the stadium <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-29/pm-announces-funding-for-tas-afl-stadium-at-macquarie-point/102209420">amid a cost-of-living crisis</a>, although the party still supports a Tasmanian AFL team.</p>
<p>The Tasmanian Greens also <a href="https://tasmps.greens.org.au/media-release/greens-withdraw-tripartisan-afl-bid">withdrew their support</a> for the team based on the costs of the stadium, while the disaffected Liberals say they <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-12/tasmania-liberal-government-in-minority-mps-defect-over-stadium/102333446">want more transparency</a>.</p>
<p>There have also been <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/thousands-rally-to-denounce-715m-tasmania-afl-stadium-20230513-p5d857.html">public protests</a> on the grounds that Tasmania shouldn’t be building a new stadium precinct when it has a health and housing crisis, with some people being forced to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-02/hobart-rivulet-homeless-camp/102040248">live in makeshift campsites in Hobart</a>.</p>
<p>While it was hoped that having an AFL team at last would bring Tasmanians together, some believe it has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-04/tasmania-afl-team-dream-is-now-a-political-nightmare/102396576">split them politically</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/devils-in-the-detail-an-economist-argues-the-case-for-a-tasmanian-afl-team-and-new-stadium-204678">Devils in the detail: an economist argues the case for a Tasmanian AFL team – and new stadium</a>
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<h2>Stadium economics</h2>
<p>Despite the understandable concerns about health and housing, some misconceptions have formed about the economics of the Tasmanian team.</p>
<p>Tasmanian government research suggests there will be knock-on benefits from the new precinct in terms of extra economic activity, estimated at <a href="https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/Transport_and_Infrastructure/major_stadiums/Tasmanias_new_Arts,_Entertainment_and_Sports_Precinct,_Macquarie_Point,_Hobart">$2.2 billion over 25 years</a>, including 6,720 new jobs and a potential boost to tourism of around 123,500 international and interstate visitors per year, plus visitors from elsewhere in Tasmania coming to watch the games in Hobart.</p>
<p>Queensland is getting <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/infrastructure/queensland-confident-canberra-will-share-any-olympic-budget-blowout-20230324-p5cuyb">$3.4 billion from the federal government</a> for stadium upgrades for the Gabba and other facilities for the Brisbane Olympics 2032. So the Commonwealth’s $240 million for Tasmania is relatively cheap. This is especially the case when you consider this sets up the Tasmanian team for the rest of the century, while the Olympics and Paralympics are held across just four weeks.</p>
<p>What’s more, the precinct in Tasmania is cheaper than recent stadiums built in the United States for NFL teams and in Europe for soccer, where price tags routinely <a href="https://www.stadiumsofprofootball.com/stadiums/us-bank-stadium/">top A$1.5 billion</a> and are often partially financed by local and state governments. </p>
<p>In some ways, building a new stadium precinct is like building a new bridge. Because of the huge initial outlay, it can only be done by government, as the returns are public and cannot be totally captured commercially. No private-sector funder could make a return on it, and nor could a sporting organisation. Like the AFL itself, it’s a public good.</p>
<p>Having a team in Tasmania is a significant social investment. In assessing the value of the new precinct, we should look at its creative and community potential in addition to the excitement of the Tasmanian team in the AFL. </p>
<p>Yet the political stakes are undeniably high. If the stadium precinct is blocked by the parliament, Tasmania will lose its AFL team – likely forever. And the stadium’s opponents, whether it be the Greens, the independents or Tasmanian Labor, will likely get the blame.</p>
<p>The death of the Tasmanian team would then be worn like a crown of thorns for at least a generation or two.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205846/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Harcourt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While it was hoped that having an AFL team at last would bring Tasmanians together, some believe it has split them politically.Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1851322022-07-15T00:28:49Z2022-07-15T00:28:49ZThe Barassi Line: a globally unique divider splitting Australia’s footy fans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471991/original/file-20220701-16-ue86sm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C32%2C1140%2C848&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikidata Fellowship</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A particular eccentricity of the Australian sporting landscape is that, culturally, our football codes remain strongly tied to their geographic origins. </p>
<p>Australian rules originates from Melbourne, with the southwestern states as heartlands. The rugby codes made their Australian sporting debut in Sydney, with northeastern states as heartlands.</p>
<p>This phenomenon was dubbed “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barassi_Line">the Barassi Line</a>” in 1978, describing a cultural dividing line based on football preference proposed to run from Eden, NSW, through Canberra and up to Arnhem Land. The term was first used by historian Ian Turner in his Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture that year.</p>
<p>The Barassi Line has been a focus of <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.405891829523236">my research</a> and has recently been <a href="https://thepeoplesrepublicofcouch.org/the-barassi-line/">plotted and visualised</a> by Brett Tweedie as part of his <a href="https://wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Inaugural_Wikidata_Fellows_announced">Wikidata fellowship</a>.</p>
<p>In a country that has largely avoided political and cultural hyper-partisanship, the <a href="https://thepeoplesrepublicofcouch.org/the-barassi-line/">Barassi Line</a> is perhaps our strongest sociogeographic dividing characteristic, and certainly novel in the global context.</p>
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<h2>Red states and blue states</h2>
<p>Where one is raised has a remarkably strong bearing on likely football preferences.</p>
<p>If you walked down the streets of Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart or Perth, every third person you walked by would be interested in Australian rules and no other football code.</p>
<p>If you entered a Melbourne pub filled with people interested in football (of any variety), <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.143058285756777">82% of them would AFL supporters</a>. </p>
<p>In a similar Sydney sport pub, <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.143058285756777">73% would support a rugby code</a>. Notably, however, support for the rugby codes <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2020.1807953">varies significantly across Sydney’s geographic subregions</a>. For example, rugby league interest is nearly half as prevalent in North Sydney (28%) as compared to Sutherland (52%).</p>
<p>If you’re Australian, you might be thinking, “Yeah – of course!” But this is not the international norm.</p>
<p>In the United States, for instance, where terrain can range from snow fields to desert landscapes, the variance in popularity between mainstream professional sports leagues is comparatively minimal. </p>
<p>While basketball’s popularity is linked to inner-city urbanisation and baseball <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Wpg6AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT15&dq=a+companion+to+american+sport+history&ots=ehVE6bWB12&sig=x7X2EoOhYBmpAzQol_alxZH622s#v=onepage&q=a%20companion%20to%20american%20sport%20history&f=false">retains a rural stronghold</a>, <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=AU">Google search volume data</a> nonetheless reveals that 48 of America’s 51 states exhibit an identical hierarchy of sport league popularity (being gridiron, basketball, baseball and ice hockey).</p>
<h2>Where is the Barassi Line and how has it changed?</h2>
<p>Australian rules authorities have actively attempted to shift the Barassi Line. </p>
<p>As early as 1903, Australian rules administrators began investing in game development, <a href="https://www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/products/code-wars-the-battle-for-fans-dollars-and-survival">spending more than £10,000</a> on footballs, jumpers, and school coaches to promote the code in Sydney. </p>
<p>In the past decade, the AFL has distributed <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-funding-ladder-revealed-100m-gap-between-top-and-bottom-clubs-20220304-p5a1yp.html">A$220 million in additional funding</a> to its four northern expansion clubs (the Sydney Swans, GWS Giants, Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns).</p>
<p>Yet despite ever-increasing media coverage and professionalisation, it is remarkable how intact the line remains.</p>
<p>Come 2019, AFL free-to-air telecasts averaged <a href="http://www.footyindustry.com/?page_id=142139">261,000 Melbourne viewers</a>, compared with 21,000 and 23,000 in Sydney and Brisbane, respectively (when not featuring a local team). </p>
<p>Similarly, NRL matches held an average rating in Sydney of <a href="http://www.footyindustry.com/?page_id=145474">about 197,000</a>, compared with ratings typically between 5,000 and 20,000 across southern markets. </p>
<h2>Mapping the battlefront</h2>
<p>Given the Barassi Line represents a metaphorical battlefront, however, real progress is perhaps best measured at the frontline.</p>
<p>Here, the <a href="https://thepeoplesrepublicofcouch.org/the-barassi-line/">Wikidata fellowship work visualising community football clubs</a> is insightful. This mapping identifies 1,504 Australian rules and 861 rugby league clubs nationally. (Of course, as primarily a creative work, it is possible some clubs were missed in this mapping project). But the distribution of clubs is particularly illuminating, noting:</p>
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<p>where Aussie rules was dominant, it was clearly dominant, with league making up just 15% of the two-code-preferred at most in Aussie rules states […] League on the other hand, even when the dominant code, still had a much higher percentage of Aussie rules clubs.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=622&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=622&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471992/original/file-20220701-14-jjfh4j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=622&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">This mapping identifies 1,504 Australian rules and 861 rugby league clubs nationally.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikidata fellowship</span></span>
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<p>The conclusions outlined in this <a href="https://thepeoplesrepublicofcouch.org/the-barassi-line/">data visualisation</a> align with those in my book <a href="https://www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/products/code-wars-the-battle-for-fans-dollars-and-survival">Code Wars</a>. </p>
<p>Australian rules is successfully creeping the Barassi Line northward, with the border-straddling region of Murray in NSW aligned with Australian rules. </p>
<p>Significantly, this <a href="https://thepeoplesrepublicofcouch.org/the-barassi-line/">mapping</a> work suggests Australian rules is also advancing in the adjacent Riverina region.</p>
<p>These regions, while small in population, are of high strategic importance to the football codes because such regional areas produce a disproportionate amount of elite athletes. </p>
<p>Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina is known as the “City of Good Sports”. It not only produces a very high number of elite athletes per capita (<a href="https://www.waggawaggaaustralia.com.au/visitor-information/city-of-good-sports/">“the Wagga effect”</a>), but does so across an amazing diversity of sports.</p>
<p>Luminaries include Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, Alex Blackwell, Wayne Carey, Paul Kelly, Peter Sterling, Nathan Sharpe, as well as the Mortimer and Daniher families.</p>
<p>The Barassi Line is hence not just of academic interest, but of vital importance for our football codes in terms of maintaining vibrant junior participation bases. This helps secure the nation’s best future athletes.</p>
<h2>The Barassi Line and the broader NSW-Victoria rivalry</h2>
<p>A noteworthy feature of the Barassi Line is how it reflects more broadly upon New South Wales and Victoria, which remain fierce cultural, political, and economic rivals more than 120 years after federation.</p>
<p>This was brought into particular focus by political barbing over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2021/jul/20/victoria-premier-daniel-andrews-takes-swipe-at-nsw-for-not-implementing-ring-of-steel-video">COVID management</a>, but is otherwise most regularly overt in <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsport/formula-one/a-loss-for-f1-nsw-premiers-gibe-over-really-disappointing-melbourne-news-drivers-debate-supercarsstyle-penalty-system-pit-talk/news-story/703226c411767e4e74d8eb5ef7c82f22">sport</a>. </p>
<p>Sporting barbs fuel the state rivalry because Melbourne consciously targeted becoming Australia’s sporting capital in the 1980s. This was a means of <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.7202/029575ar">economic salvation</a> by diversifying from manufacturing. Sydney, by contrast, positioned itself as the nation’s <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523367.2012.746816">preferred financial centre</a>.</p>
<p>While Melbourne’s sport attendance culture is <a href="https://theconversation.com/aussies-are-sports-mad-but-victorians-are-the-clear-winners-45761">widely lauded</a>, Sydney advocates have previously quipped this reflects the city’s otherwise <a href="https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19911890225">dullness</a>. </p>
<p>Irrespective of our individual sporting preferences, the Barassi Line is something to honour. </p>
<p>It not only puts Australia among the world’s most unique sports cultures. It also explains why we have so many professional football teams and leagues to support. </p>
<p>That Australia’s relatively small population can sustain such an abundance and diversity of football is worth celebrating.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185132/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hunter Fujak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In a country that has largely avoided political and cultural hyper-partisanship, the Barassi Line is perhaps our strongest sociographic dividing characteristic, and certainly novel globally.Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1241572019-09-26T20:12:42Z2019-09-26T20:12:42ZThe odds you’ll gamble on the Grand Final are high when punting is woven into our very social fabric<p>With the AFL Grand Final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney this Saturday on the hallowed turf of the MCG, punters around the country will be encouraged to place their bets hoping they can score a sweet victory. </p>
<p>Many will even have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-08-13/gambling-operators-are-invading-your-smartphone/11405678">personalised messages</a> to bet sent to their phones.</p>
<p>But there have been major concerns at the links between sports betting and the AFL this year. In recent months, Collingwood’s Jaidyn Stephenson <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-20/jaidyn-stephenson-afl-betting-collingwood-magpies/11228156">bet on AFL matches</a>, which led to him being banned for ten games. This brought the issue back onto the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/qld-grandstand-saturday/queensland-sport/11214106">public radar</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-a-kick-sporting-statues-can-enshrine-players-and-also-capture-pivotal-cultural-moments-123516">More than a kick: sporting statues can enshrine players and also capture pivotal cultural moments</a>
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<p>Stephenson announced during a press conference he was regretful, would take responsibility for his actions, and promised to <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/collingwood-young-gun-jaidyn-stephenson-learns-his-fate-after-betting-probe-c-173782">do better in the future</a>. </p>
<p>But what if Stephenson was merely reflecting the norms of Australian society, which has seen the establishment of sports betting as an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01482963150013007">everyday social practice</a>?</p>
<p>Australia is the gambling world leader by a mile. Australia’s betting losses per adult are the highest in the world, and they’re around <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/world/australia/australians-gambling-betting-machines.html">50% higher</a> than the country in second place, Singapore.</p>
<p>And with sports betting heavily marketed and apps making it easier than ever to bet, punting will only become more deeply entrenched in Australian culture. If we really want to do something about tackling gambling related harm, we need to de-normalise sports betting as an everyday social practice in Australia. </p>
<h2>A season of gambling debates</h2>
<p>Debate about the AFL’s relationship with sports betting has raged all season. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley called the punishment of Jaidyn Stephenson a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-20/nathan-buckley-accuses-afl-of-hypocrisy-over-gambling/11228402">hypocrisy</a> given the AFL has a long-standing sponsorship deal with <a href="https://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-12-01/beteasy-named-exclusive-afl-wagering-partner">BetEasy</a>. </p>
<p>Brisbane Lions have announced betting company Neds will appear on their <a href="https://www.lions.com.au/news/2019-06-26/neds-extend-with-the-lions">guernsey</a> from next season. And concerns about AFL’s relationship with gambling companies even led Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood to say he would support players taking a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-27/afl-urged-to-cut-player-pay-to-curb-gambling-advertising/11251154">pay cut</a> to end gambling sponsorship.</p>
<p>These concerns are related to the effect gambling has on society. Gambling expenditure in Australia was estimated <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/latest-edition-australian-gambling-statistics/">at A$23.7 billion</a> in 2016–2017, an average of A$1,251 per adult who gambled. Research estimates between <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/gambling-2009/report">80,000 and 160,000</a> Australian adults suffer from severe gambling problems; and between 250,000 and 350,000 are identified as at moderate risk. </p>
<p>Problem gambling can lead to a severe harms for the partners, families, communities and employers of gamblers – including <a href="http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/3/307">financial hardship</a>, family breakdown, headaches and nausea, stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, the social cost of gambling harm is conservatively estimated at <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/gambling-2009/report">A$4.7 billion per annum</a>.</p>
<h2>Australians associate sport with betting</h2>
<p>While gambling and related harm has traditionally been understood as an <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296315001307">individual issue</a>, this is changing with growing recognition forms of gambling such as sports betting are becoming <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/sports-betting-embedded-australian-sporting-culture/">normalised</a>.</p>
<p>Sports betting is now the fastest growing sector of the gambling market. What’s more, sports betting is heavily marketed, especially during the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2012.00856.x">television broadcast</a> of sports like the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjt1LOZy-vkAhXegUsFHUHiCogQFjAAegQIAxAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidegambling.com.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf_file%2F0016%2F23083%2FResearch-report-Brand-community-and-sports-betting-in-Australia.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3E0EKimeN41COuCzvliGhu">AFL</a>. And a recent report pointed to how Sportsbet – one of the biggest players in the market, has spent nearly <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-05/sportsbet-documents-reveal-millions-spent-on-marketing/10833196">half a billion dollars</a> over the past five years on marketing to Australians.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-long-and-complicated-history-of-aboriginal-involvement-in-football-117669">The long and complicated history of Aboriginal involvement in football</a>
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<p>Technological advancements, such as the introduction of mobile phone sports betting apps, now mean Australians can bet on sports <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9671-9">anywhere, anytime, and on anything</a>. </p>
<p>Australians now punt on their phones in the home, at work, at the game, or out with their friends. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296315001307">Research</a> has shown sports betting apps relate to social grouping, passion, mateship, competition, and knowledge of the game, creating social norms that associate sport with betting. </p>
<p>It also means people who would not traditionally bet, such as females on a night out with male friends, are now getting involved.</p>
<p>So, it’s no surprise AFL stars such as Jaidyn Stephenson are engaging in sports betting. Their behaviour merely reflects the norms in Australian society. </p>
<h2>Don’t blame the players when betting is in our social fabric</h2>
<p>If we wish to tackle gambling related harm, and prevent sports stars from having a punt, then we need to first understand and address these norms. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-took-a-gamble-on-premier-league-betting-odds-and-showed-that-football-bets-should-come-with-a-health-warning-108848">We took a gamble on Premier League betting odds – and showed that football bets should come with a health warning</a>
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<p>Some suggestions include the AFL <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-27/afl-urged-to-cut-player-pay-to-curb-gambling-advertising/11251154">phasing out gambling sponsorship</a> much the same way as they did with tobacco 30 years ago. </p>
<p>However, we still don’t know enough about how, why, where and when <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Digital-Gambling-Theorizing-Gamble-Play-Media/Albarran-Torres/p/book/9781138303850">people use</a> mobile phone sports betting apps. </p>
<p>This is the focus for a new government funded project: <a href="https://rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/Download/Report/a3f6be6e-33f7-4fb5-98a6-7526aaa184cf/189">In it to win it - An interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting</a>. The project aims to understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/loud-obnoxious-and-at-times-racist-the-sordid-history-of-afl-barracking-119080">Loud, obnoxious and at times racist: the sordid history of AFL barracking</a>
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<p>The research – led by myself with a team of sociologists, geographers and neuroscientists – will combine visual ethnography and cognitive neuroscience methods, such as eye tracking, to examine how people use mobile phone sports betting apps and how this shapes sports betting practices. </p>
<p>The project findings will enhance understanding of social practices of sports betting and the role of mobile phone sports betting apps, to help inform gambling policy and programs to support better health and social outcomes.</p>
<p>So, next time an AFL star is caught and pilloried for betting on a game we should recognise they are merely reflecting our social fabric. The AFL could make a start by taking responsibility and rejecting gambling sponsorship.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124157/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Gordon has received funding from the Australian Research Council, and the the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. </span></em></p>Debate about gambling has raged throughout the AFL season, but it’ll take a cultural shift for there to be any meaningful change.Ross Gordon, Professor, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/483012015-10-01T02:20:21Z2015-10-01T02:20:21ZWho has the edge as the Broncos face the Cowboys in the 2015 NRL Grand Final?<p>Will it be the Brisbane Broncos or the North Queensland Cowboys who are crowned as 2015 National Rugby League (NRL) Premiers after Sunday evening’s Grand Final?</p>
<p>Whatever the result, this will be a historic Grand Final as it’s the first ever contested <a href="http://www.nrl.com/cowboys-lock-in-queensland-grand-final/tabid/10874/newsid/90153/default.aspx">between two teams from Queensland</a>.</p>
<p>The match-up underlines an era of dominance from the Sunshine State, coming at a time when Queensland has defeated New South Wales in <a href="http://www.nrl.com/queensland-clinch-2015-origin-series/tabid/10874/newsid/87758/default.aspx">nine of the last ten</a> State of Origin series.</p>
<p>That’s not a bad effort considering only three of the NRL’s 16 clubs hail from Queensland, compared to the ten from New South Wales.</p>
<h2>State of familiarity</h2>
<p>The Broncos and the Cowboys have much in common. Between them, they provide around a third of the first choice Australian Kangaroos squad and nine of the first choice 17 players for this year’s victorious Queensland State of Origin side.</p>
<p>Cowboys halfback <a href="http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/playerstats/playerprofile/tabid/10898/clubid/8/playerid/371/seasonid/43/default.aspx">Johnathan Thurston</a> was the top point scorer this State of Origin series. Broncos lock <a href="http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/playerstats/playerprofile/tabid/10898/clubid/1/playerid/266/seasonid/43/default.aspx">Corey Parker</a> was named <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-iii-corey-parker-named-player-of-2015-series-20150708-gi83fy.html">Player of the Series</a>.</p>
<p>The Grand Final won’t even be the first time these sides have met in this year’s finals series, with Brisbane squeezing out a narrow <a href="http://www.nrl.com/broncos-win-thrilling-queensland-derby/tabid/10874/newsid/89746/default.aspx">16-12 victory</a> over the Cowboys in Week One last month.</p>
<p>Can anything be read into the result of that earlier game and the subsequent paths that the two teams have had to navigate to qualify for Sunday’s decider?</p>
<h2>In to the finals</h2>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.nrl.com/NRLHQ/ReferenceCentre/FinalsSystemExplained/tabid/10635/Default.aspx">NRL finals system</a>, teams finishing in the top four places in the regular season play in Week One of the finals for the right to earn a bye-week straight through to a Week Three Preliminary Final.</p>
<p>The losing sides from Week One have a second chance of qualifying for a Preliminary Final by playing off in Week Two against one of the sides who finished between fifth and eighth in the regular season, and who won in Week One (see diagram, below).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96788/original/image-20150930-5804-1k6i3hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Diagram of NRL finals system and 2015 results. Unbroken arrows show the progression of winning teams. Dashed arrows show the progression of the two losing sides not immediately eliminated. Numbers in parentheses indicate teams’ final ladder positions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stephen Woodcock</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Some believe that <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/resting-players-can-blur-the-lines-of-integrity-of-our-game-writes-paul-kent/story-fnp0lyn3-1227508275879">earning a bye-week</a> is a huge advantage to a team’s chances of success – aching bodies can heal and additional time is available for preparing for the Preliminary Final. </p>
<p>Others argue that <a href="http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/09/25/fridaynrl-finals-preview-melbourne-storm-vs-north-queensland-cowboys/">momentum is key</a> at the business end of the season and that a two week gap without playing can be detrimental to a team’s Premiership aspirations. </p>
<h2>Is a game as good as a rest?</h2>
<p>But what does recent history suggest about the possible benefits of a team earning a week’s rest?</p>
<p>Each year, both of the Preliminary Finals are played between one side coming off a bye-week and one side that has played in both previous weeks of the finals. Looking at the results from the last few years it is difficult, at least at first glance, to believe that there is any major benefit of earning the bye-week.</p>
<p>Of the 24 Preliminary Finals played since 2004, 13 have been won by the side coming off a bye-week and 11 have been won by the side coming off back-to-back finals games. From this, it seems reasonable to argue that no major advantage is won or lost by qualifying directly to the Preliminary Final from Week One.</p>
<p>However, digging a little deeper into the NRL dataset reveals that every single NRL Grand Final since 2007 has been won by a side that earned the right to sit out Week Two of the finals. During that period, only twice have both finalists come off a bye-week. In other words, the last six sides to reach the Grand Final without a bye-week have come away empty handed.</p>
<p>The reasons for this are unclear. It could simply be a statistical quirk arising in such a small dataset or perhaps a sign that teams are more likely to be <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-finals-2015-aidan-guerra-says-sydney-roosters-wont-suffer-fatigue-20150914-gjmeg6.html">carrying injuries or fatigue</a> into the Grand Final after three straight weeks of finals action.</p>
<p>Whatever the reason, recent history certainly does not bode well for the Cowboys’ chances this weekend.</p>
<h2>The Dally M Medal ‘curse’</h2>
<p>The further bad news for Cowboys is the success of their superstar halfback Johnathan Thurston at <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/johnathan-thurston-wins-2015-dally-m-medal-how-jt-made-history/story-e6frf3rc-1227548071853">this year’s Dally M Medal awards</a>. Will he now fall foul of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-29/johnathan-thurston-dally-m-nrl-grand-final-curse/6812052">the Dally M curse</a>, again?</p>
<p>Since 2004, six players have collected the game’s highest individual honour a few days before appearing in the Grand Final. Of these, only one – <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/breaking-news/matt-orford-wins-dally-m/story-e6frf33c-1111117437346">Manly’s Matt Orford in 2008</a> – has gone on to add a Premiership ring. </p>
<p>One of the five unlucky medallists was Thurston himself back in 2005. A few days after collecting the first of his record four Dally Ms, his North Queensland side were comfortably beaten by the Wests Tigers in that year’s decider.</p>
<p>Recent history doesn’t provide much encouragement for the supporters of teams that have already played three finals games before the Grand Final. </p>
<p>Perhaps this is the year for historical trends to be broken given it’s the first all-Queensland affair. A few days ago, no player had won four Dally M Medals so Johnathan Thurston rewrote recent history in that regard.</p>
<p>I’m sure many people in and around Townsville will be hoping that recent history can again be rewritten for a maiden North Queensland Cowboys NRL Premiership.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Woodcock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Cowboys will have to deal with more than just the Dally M “curse” if they’re to beat the Broncos in this weekend’s all Queensland NRL Grand Final.Stephen Woodcock, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/315562014-09-11T20:30:50Z2014-09-11T20:30:50ZHow finals fever can make a footy player better – or worse<p>The AFL <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/finals">final series</a> – with the semi-finals starting today – is one of the most ferocious and toughest contests we will see in Australian sport.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes, there is no doubt a fair percentage of footballers who will be learning how to cope with a mountain of pressure.</p>
<p>The best players embrace the challenge of finals and tend to feel inspired when the pressure builds. These players know how to use adrenaline to their advantage, and use their peak readiness state to play inspiring football.</p>
<p>But there have been many cases when players “choke” or just can’t get their hands on the ball in the finals. We saw this happen in the first half of the <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/port-adelaide-defeats-richmond-by-57-points-at-adelaide-oval-in-first-elimination-final/story-fnelctok-1227050066928">Port Adelaide and Richmond</a> elimination final on Sunday.</p>
<p>The Richmond Tigers invested so much emotional energy in their nine-game winning streak to qualify for the finals. The team’s <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-wins-a-classic-over-sydney-swans-to-clinch-a-fairytale-place-in-september/story-fnelctok-1227042443311">last home-and-away clash</a> was played like a final, played as a titanic struggle against top-of-the-ladder giants, the Sydney Swans.</p>
<p>The Tigers appeared to experience an emotional release after beating the Swans 68-65 and they simply appeared flat against pumped-up Port. The Tigers <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/port-adelaide-smashes-richmond-in-elimination-final-20140907-10dn4p.html">eventually lost</a> to Port 132-75.</p>
<p>Emotional readiness is just as important as playing form and fitness. If players aren’t emotionally in tune to playing finals football, they will appear flat-footed in the frenetic pace of top-class games.</p>
<h2>Why some players ‘choke’</h2>
<p>Inexperienced players often “<a href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/why-do-some-athletes-choke-under-pressure.html">choke</a>” or become over-anxious or over-aroused during huge finals games – and this is caused by performance anxiety and pressure.</p>
<p>Some footballers will be over-excited but it takes mental focus and maturity to handle big-game situations. This becomes a test of character – it’s as simple as that.</p>
<p>The reality is that not many psychologists in the world can offer athletes the skills in handling these moments. <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/sportscoachmag/psychology2/performing_under_pressure2">Managing pressure</a> is often dependent on the make-up of the athlete, the qualities which define them as elite athletes. </p>
<p>If the athlete has the tenacity and character to cope with match pressure, they will often respond to these situations. Players who experience pressure on the training track will often replicate their physical and team skills on match day.</p>
<p>Footballers are told to treat each finals game like a normal game, as they cope in blocking out external distractions, such as fans, the huge crowds and media scrutiny.</p>
<h2>Feel the nerves</h2>
<p>Feeling nervous is often a good sign before a big game. Players who strive to play optimally need to find their peak readiness state, which is often a reflection of their emotional state.</p>
<p>Footballers who are too relaxed often appear to start slowly, while over-anxious players can fumble, kick poorly or run at top speed – only to burn unnecessary energy.</p>
<p>It’s healthy for athletes to feel a little nervous and excited, releasing the adrenaline to perform at their peak. The physiological reaction needs to happen. Anxiety keeps the body warm and helps to release adrenaline and prepare the body and mind for peak readiness state. </p>
<p>But some players get too nervous and excited – and as a result, some can’t hold down their food or they can even experience gastric upsets. This can affect anywhere from 10% to 20% of players, according to my research so far.</p>
<p>Footballers who can handle the pressure well usually perform better in finals. </p>
<p>Experienced and stable AFL teams, who finish in the top four, usually resist pressure and ease into big games. That’s why it’s hard to go past Sydney and Hawthorn – and it’s no surprise they qualified for preliminary final berths.</p>
<p>The players will be extremely focused on their football and will virtually live in a bubble in these final weeks. They will find comfort in a normal routine with support from family and friends. The most successful players say maintaining a normal routine, without feeling overwhelmed by the occasion, will help them perform at their peak.</p>
<p>After all, they are professional footballers and they are expected to learn physical and mental techniques which will allow them to perform optimally.</p>
<p>Qualifying for the AFL Grand Final is the dream of every footballer, and it’s this privilege that drives the players during the build-up to this magnificent event.</p>
<h2>Get your tips here</h2>
<p>I am tipping the Geelong Cats to beat North Melbourne in the second of two semi-finals, played tomorrow.</p>
<p>Cats captain Joel Selwood is an excellent leader and will guide players who have experienced the highs and lows of finals football. The Cats are still bitterly disappointed after losing to Hawthorn in last year’s preliminary final. </p>
<p>I believe Fremantle will beat Port Adelaide in the first semi-final, played this evening. Fremantle’s Ross Lyon is one of the best coaches in the AFL and he will likely guide the Dockers to a preliminary final berth against Hawthorn.</p>
<p>We could see another Hawthorn-Swans Grand Final this year, to be played Saturday September 27 at the MCG. Both teams will benefit from the week’s rest and they both have stable line-ups. </p>
<p>Hawthorn and Sydney handle pressure better than Geelong or Fremantle, and will draw on last year’s finals experience. </p>
<p>But don’t be surprised if the Cats or Dockers threaten the league leaders. They are very well coached and have the fire and tenacity to challenge the benchmark teams.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31556/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Tullberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The AFL final series – with the semi-finals starting today – is one of the most ferocious and toughest contests we will see in Australian sport. Behind the scenes, there is no doubt a fair percentage of…Julie Tullberg, Digital journalism coordinator, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.