My Australian readers probably know that our biggest sporting code in this country AFL (Australian Rules Football) is currently negotiating a new media deal with the major media companies. It is touted to be worth over 1 billion dollars. The largest disputed area is in relation to showing games live against the gate. If the gaming companies involved in AFL betting have anything to do with the decision, then all games will be broadcast live.
The virtues of gambling and sport could be debated, the problem I have is the hypocrisy of the AFL. One the one hand they claim to be a family oriented game. They have changed the rules and discipline at length the remove ‘violence’ or what some would argue, removed physical elements from the game – in the pursuit of ‘family values’. On the flip-side they have become a gambling haven. I’d argue that gambling has decimated far more families than a bit of football biffo ever did.
The point is this – if you’re going to stand for something, be sure the evidence is consistent through all your actions. Startups should look at the example the AFL are setting, and do the opposite.
IMO you’ve hit the nail on the head. The #afl should be telling TAB/Sportsbet etc to get knotted.
Ross Nye (@EnsignR via twitter)
My husband and I were talking about this the other night when we were watching the NRL. Every ad was related to gambling. You have this happening which is being shown to a large number of young impressionable children and then you have the government continuing to make rules to control the out-of-control levels of gambling in this country. What do you expect?
Do you find this as absurd as I do?
Have to agree with you 100% on this statement – ‘I’d argue that gambling has decimated far more families than a bit of football biffo ever did.’
But I’d also argue the much, much bigger problem is Pokie machines as opposed to sport gambling (let’s all remember that the only reason horse racing exists at all is to give us something to bet on and no one whinges about that, in fact we celebrate it)
What has pokies got to do with football. Well all of the Melbourne based team (except one, North Melbourne) has substantial pokie holdings, in fact it is this pokie machine revenue that keeps them afloat and allows them to remain successful on the football field.
I think the AFL would be happy that we are all distracted by the “odds on the scoreboard’ debate because it distracts us from the really immoral element of the game we all love
Great point Steve and something that worries me deeply as we’re seeing match fixing starting to creep into the football codes which will destroy them in same way it’s eating away at international cricket right now.
Leon’s point about the pokies is spot on as well, the pokies damage far more families than sports betting or online biffo and it’s rank hypocrisy of any organisation to claim being “family orientated” when they depend upon these machines.
For the Melbourne AFL clubs, pokies are an even bigger threat as dependency on gaming revenue nearly killed Rugby League in Sydney.
When I moved from Melbourne to Sydney in the 1980s I was shocked at the standard of venues here, grounds like Brookvale and Liechhardt made Moorabbin, Arden Street and the septic visitor’s end of Victoria Park look salubrious.
Even more striking was the contrast between the Rugby League grounds and the palaces the clubs had built to house their pokies.
The reason for that was quite clear, club patrons who played the pokies were more valuable than supporters who went to the matches. So there was little investment in ground facilities.
Even today, facilities for Sydney sports fans are decidedly third rate compared to Melbourne; the SFS, SCG and Homebush simply don’t compare to Docklands or the MCG.
Rugby League dodged a bullet because they were able to switch from depend on the pokies to dependence on TV rights and advertising. Given the AFL clubs have already done that, they should be very careful about becoming too dependent on pokie revenues.
I guess the main business lesson from this is not to let short term revenue opportunities damage the core objectives of your business.
For a startup, the best example is when the founder takes a job to supplement their income and ends up neglecting their new business.
I’m I’ll be the first to admit being guilty of your last point. thanks for the thoughtful comment Paul.
Steve.