AFLM and the politics of symbols

[David]

[stui magpie]

In the USA, the Mens Basketball competition is the NBA. The womens competition, which is a thriving professional competition that makes the AFLW look like a bush league is the WNBA. The WNBA has been in place since 1996-7.

My understanding is the WNBA has it's own TV and sponsorship deals and isn't reliant on good will or funding from the NBA although they are endorsed by them.

Trying to change the name of the AFL competition to artificially boost the standing of the AFLW is utter wankery IMHO

[think positive]

Couldn’t agree more!

[eddiesmith]

Even cricket you have The Ashes and the Women's Ashes. No one calls test cricket Mens test cricket but Women's cricket is just that.

It's a simple reality of life and the tradition that's come before them. But the whole problem with society is the need for change and as soon as they succeed in one area, they move onto something else and they get to a stage where they start inventing issues.

However, we've seen with so many issues lately if someone does make enough noise, it will change...

[Pies4shaw]

I think at some stage it becomes important to ask whether men should even be allowed to play sports.

[think positive]

Only if they have asex change

[What'sinaname]

I think at some stage it becomes important to ask whether men should even be allowed to play sports.

All sports should just be open. No more mens, womens events. Just open to any and all gender to compete fairly on equal terms.

[stui magpie]

Or people should just stop giving oxygen to fringe farquits

[eddiesmith]

I think at some stage it becomes important to ask whether men should even be allowed to play sports.

All sports should just be open. No more mens, womens events. Just open to any and all gender to compete fairly on equal terms.

Oh god did you see the outrage when that happened in a school event in QLD this week? The outrage has hit huge levels...

[Dark Beanie]

That was the Qld State netball titles.
A boys team competed against the girls as there was no comp available for them.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-li ... a814102456

Anyway, I don't see the need to change the AFL to AFLM.
AFLW was named to separate identity for marketing etc. any change to the AFL mens brand is a waste of money.

[think positive]

thats disgraceful. there are so many mixed teams, there is plenty of room for inclusion, id go damn beserk if i was coach of that girls team.

[David]

That was the Qld State netball titles.
A boys team competed against the girls as there was no comp available for them.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-li ... a814102456

Interesting. I would have thought that, if the issue is lack of avenues for boys to compete, the answer would be mixed teams (say, a max of one or two boys per team) rather than concentrating them all in one. But I can’t say I’m particularly familiar with the backstory here.

[Dark Beanie]

Another option would be to have the boys play but not for the title ie. play in the rounds but the female teams play the finals.

Mixed teams is an option. At state level it might give more players (both male & female) the opportunity to play if there was another comp.

[stui magpie]

Letting an all male team compete in what was essentially a female competition was stupid and the outcome, predictable.

Back to the subject of naming,

Golf. The mens tour is the PGA, the womens the LPGA.
Tennis. Mens is the APT, womens is the WTA.

All international sports with governing bodies. The men were their first (as with the AFL) the womens body has the gender inclusion as they came later.

In both cases the womens body's are completely independent and unreliant on the mens body for sponsorship, scheduling,broadcast rights and prize money and they do very well.

The AFLW is a subsidised competition in it's infancy. Concentrate on making a product that people want to watch and that attracts revenue first, worry about virtue signalling later