Remove the boorish pea brains

Rejoinders that most Barcodes’ supporters are beetle-browed Neanderthals (see the comments on the linked article) do little to advance progress to a more respectful and courteous atmosphere at Aussie Rules games. Credit where credit is due — Eddie Everywhere is putting the Magpie shoulder to the wheel in the quest for better behaved crowds.

 

AussieRulesBlog has a rule of thumb which proposes that the value of a fan’s opinions is in inverse proportion to the volume at which they are broadcast. We can’t remember having to revise our rule and its application certainly isn’t restricted to the monocular black and white army. Sadly there are a good number of fellow Bombers fans who demonstrate the paucity of their understanding and wit on a too-regular basis.

 

The sad truth is that there are knuckle-draggers in every club’s supporter base who make a trip to the footy an uncomfortable experience. For most of the rest of us, the prospect of chipping a (possibly drunken) lout carries more physical risk than we’re willing to undertake, and that is, in itself, part of the problem. We generally avoid confrontation, and so loudmouths get a free ride. No-one pulls them up and tells them to pull their heads in and so their behaviour is validated (at least in what passes for their minds).

 

Will Nathan Buckley on a video screen exhorting these pea brains to exercise common courtesy make a difference? Highly unlikely. Perhaps the only way to weed them out is for the AFL to employ well-disguised brawlers as ‘mystery patrons’ — akin to mystery shoppers who anonymously check out customer service in stores — to identify and sanction boorish loudmouths.

 

First target is the Bomber fan on level three at Essendon away games at Docklands who monotonously refers to the umpires as “scumbags” in the loudest voice he can muster. “Boorish”, “loudmouth” and “pea brain” are his good qualities.