I played rugby league for many years and as far as I'm concerned a lot of the violence has been taken out of the game.
Auto send off if you throw a punch
Shoulder charge is banned plus numerous types of tackles
Young kids play mini and mod league until under 12. This protects them from injuries easily incurred by young bones.
Football is a tough game and it takes a bit of courage to play it, any code, You can't completely soften the game up
The problem these days is the media and political correctness.
The reason female sports do not have bad reports is because no one follows them around with a phone camera and the media don't care
I'm not denigrating female sport btw, I think netball is one of the most disciplined sport played, and it is good to watch, its just female sport does not have the following
I think it is very unfair to draw an analogy between sport and domestic violence. If one footballer is charged with anything it is headlines.
Joe public never gets a mention for more serious offences. I abhor domestic violence but it is a lot more prevalent than the few cases reported involving footballers.
Sure elite sports people let there hair down now and again but you don't become an elite sports person by being a drunk.
The media arnt interested in footballers going to visit kids in hospitals or footballers helping out at schools but this happens all the time, most clubs have programs in place to do these thing.

Neil and Raine you touched on a point close to my heart our son had Leukaemia (A.L.L.) when he was 3 years old and we seen lots of footballers in the hospital wards during our trial and tribulations over 7 odd years with two relapses and a bone marrow transplant ( from me ) they put unbelievable smiles on young faces some of those kids are going through hell at the time yet spark up when these footballers turn up, yet the media seems ok with keeping these fantastic visits off the evening news but ge if one even farts out of place it's headline news it makes me mad, they are after all human and subject to the odd indiscretion as are we .
For the record he is now 25 and an electrician in WA On Barrow island and loving life.

Yup, Listen to the TV commentaries. "OOOOGH that was a BIG HIT" All the commentaries praising the Hits. What about the fair tackle, Why attack the head. Chicken Wings, Why Wrestling Coaches?

 

I know I'll ignite the vocal supporters, but just sit back and watch how many "Tackles" especially in the NRL end up on the ground with arms around someone's neck or head. The recent reprts of "Biting" ( Third State of Origin)  where someones arm was across the tackled players mouth hence the biting cry. Why was his arm anywhere near the head and mouth?

I agree it's big money that has spoilt the whole thing for me.

Isn't it marvellous that you can get 99,382 spectators in the MCG to watch a soccer match and no violence in the stands nor on the field. Hmmmmmm.

Not to worry Bruce, I'll stick my head up....lol

Your right though about hocky, love watching it (also ice hocky) specially the hockyroos.

See that they talking about banning booing now in VFL because a player has his nose outer joint, bloody hell, if some of these precious players had grown up in the mid 60's and been Greek or Italian, at a boys school, they might have a case. Remember at the SCG, on the hill with my dad, empty tally beer bottles hurled onto pitch. Things have changed there for the better but political correctness going to far now, banning booing....

Santa wrote:

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Bruce and Bev wrote:

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Peter - I didn't want to get into specific sport because I would have been really howled down - but youre right - soccer doesn't have the biting, punching, late tackles, high tackles blah, blah, blah. It is a contact sport, but faster than the oval ball types. How about hockey - we're the world champs for years - poorly supported by the TV channels and the public and no violence - and they carry a great lump of wood !!

I agree with Trevor - its all about the money. Look at a major AFL club and all the very well paid management and support team members - physios, doctors etc.....the more you win, the more money the club gets through endorsements and business support....loose, and no-one wants to know a club

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 G'Day Bruce,

No violence on or off field in soccer, seriously! take a look here http://list25.com/25-fearsome-soccer-hooligan-gangs-you-never-want-to-meet-in-person/1/ football violence is a big problem in Europe.

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 You reckon they're bad. You should checkout the mum and dad supporters of the under 6's teams on the weekends.

done dreaming wrote:

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Next thing we will be saying is boxers can't hit one another.Some sports are gladiatorial ,like rugby league and some are not,like hockey and soccer.Different likes for different folks and yes i think some of the brave aussie rules players who can verbally abuse a 13 year old girl and pretend to throw spears at other spectators are a bit precious when they cop a bit of flack.

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 Well if I was one of her parents I probably would have given her a slap upside her head (I got my violent reactions playing in chess tournaments) For calling him an ape. And to be fair, when she called him up and apologised saying she didn't mean it as a racial slur, at least he made it known and asked people not to give her grief about it. And as far as his spear shaking antics, so what? A lot of others would have flipped the bird at the hecklers. Which do you think is more offensive? Good to see he is proud of his heritage and doesn't take a backward step when being harassed and and booed.

Ontos45 wrote:

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Snippet: 03_Troopy

And as far as his spear shaking antics, so what? A lot of others would have flipped the bird at the hecklers. Which do you think is more offensive? End.

I would prefer the bird actually, (comes from the English/French wars when the French cut the first finger off captured English archers so they could not pull a bow string. The raised first finger was shaken at French knights showing they faced entire longbow men.) Someone, even pretend, threatens my safety, by shaking spears/pointing guns in my direction, my hackles go up. Intimidation, such as the Maori war dance BEFORE, not during a rugby game and the Zulu war dance before Sth. Africa soccer matches is accepted. Doing it during a game is offensive and deserves rebuke.

Don't care what they do overseas in sport, just what we do here in sport.

End of my rant.

Peter

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 No different from the haka when you think about it, and certainly not as intimidating as the modified haka with the throat slash at the end of it. Anyway, it's too trivial to go on about. Like I said, Goode on him.

It is my experience that anyone who insists they are NOT racist, usually are. Otherwise, why preface a remark with the rider "I am not racist"

 

The Phantom