I have not read up on the details but I imagine that there is nothing much wened to know beyond the fact that this bloke wants to play for a club and the club is sponsored by a brewery, and beer is against his religion.
let's see if we can't make things a little clearer by re-stating a few key points and working from there.
- The club is probably constituted as a voluntary organisation (like the Scouts or a church or a local CWA) but in practice acts like any other business. For practical purposes, we can regard it as a business similar to Coles or BHP.
- The club hires players, just as it hires bookkeepers and barmen and cleaners and coaching staff. Like any other business (except churches, which for some reason are usually exempt from both taxes and the normal rules of fairness) the club is obliged to practice non-discrimination in its hiring and employment conditions.
- Players are free to work for the club or some other club, or take up some other trade, just as they please.
- The club's income comes from (among other things) selling grog. That is where the money comes from to do things like pay the players.
- This player has an irrational objection to beer. That is fine. It is a free country, we are allowed to have objections to things, including irrational ones.
- This player thinks that his irrational (religious) objection is more important than the club's business plan. That's fine too. He can think that as much as he likes - but if he refuses to perform his duties as an employee (and one of those duties is helping to sell the grog that pays his wages) then the club is entitled to discipline him, and if he continues to refuse to perform as required, to terminate his employment. He can find another club, if he wishes and if there is one that fits in with his personal desires and beliefs.
- It is unreasonable to expect a collective organisation to change its entire way of doing things because one member objects to that. It is as unreasonable to expect the club to stop selling grog 'coz a player doesn't like it as it is expect that player's church to start serving grog 'coz I join and I like a scotch. In either case, the single individual joining the large organisation must agree to its reasonable demands or else fnuch off.
- Think it through. What do we get next? No footy during Ramadan? No cricket before lent? No soccer on Saturdays? Give me a break.
The other topic was better.
