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Another game involving the Bulldogs, another drama with crowd behaviour. One has to wonder when it will stop and how much of what is broadcast by the mainstream media is reality opposed to ratings-promoting hyperbole.
The drama this time is about the South Sydney Cheerleaders being called a number of unsavoury names as they walked past the opposition - in this case, the Bulldogs - supporters' bay. The claim, as made by an a listener to Ray Hadley's 2GB show and repeated by said broadcaster, is that a number of unacceptable comments were made to the cheerleaders and that one cheerleader was hit by a crowd member in the collarbone with a can of drink.
As a Bulldogs supporter who was sitting in the "opposition" supporters' bay, I saw no such incident. The people I was at the football with saw no such incident. This is not to say it didn't happen, just that we saw nothing extraordinary. A look around the Bulldogs unofficial forums such as The Kennel and the Bulldogs Debate Page will give you a similar sense of "what the?". And, more importantly, the unofficial Rabbitohs forum, The Pride, also has a number of contributors suggesting no such thing happened.
However, that's not entirely what this piece is all about. What, more importantly, it is about is dispelling the myth that every game involving the Bulldogs is a life-threatening experience.
Whilst some of the mainstream media are quick to jump on the comments about bad experiences, you don't see much when the Bulldogs fans are being lauded for good behaviour and a good atmosphere being created. At the Easter Monday home game for Souths, there would have been a 3 to 1 ratio of Bulldogs fans to Rabbitohs faithful in an almost 20,000 strong crowd. Below is just a sample of some of the comments coming from Souths fans who post on The Pride ...
"Were very well behaved. I walked with and caught the train home with many of them and not one said a word to me, my partner or my friends." - 2035
"My family and I were bagged a few times on the way back to our car(on the other side of Parramatta Rd) but it was generally lighthearted.I just couldnt believe how many of them there were.We were well and truly outnumbered by what seemed to be 5 to 1!" - squadrito
"I have never ever had a problem with Dogs supporters and once again yesterday I had no probs- after the game myself and a few mates went for drinks and a few Dogs supporters were there also and there was just a bit of light hearted banter. I really don't see the problem with the majority of our fans. I've seen plenty more Souths fans worse than Bulldogs fans. " - Mr 100%
And the funny thing is, we see this kind of feedback all the time. After our away trip to Newcastle, message boards had plenty of praise for the Bulldogs supporters who made the trek up the F3, as well as a note from Knights CEO Ken Conway praising the Bulldogs fans. The same came out after the game in Canberra just last week. Yet, there are elements of the mainstream media who would have the public believe that good behaviour is the exception and not the rule.
Something that bothers me is the mere fact I felt the need to even write this piece. Whilst I will acknowledge that the Bulldogs fanbase have some highly undesirable elements that seem to hang on the fringes or even hardcore regulars who occasionally go over the top, it is not nearly what is portrayed by an increasingly vindictive mainstream media. The fact that headline space is even being given to this "cheergirl" allegation is just another indication of how the Bulldogs brand is being used to sell papers and increase ratings by whatever means necessary. I have seen far, far worse than what has been alleged occur at Bulldogs home games with our cheergirls being the target and our opposition fans the perpetrators - yet not an inch of column space nor a minute of talkback time has been used to cover it.
I hope that increasing chorus of Rugby League fans from ALL CLUBS who are beginning to realise what is happening and the effect this is having on the game begin to find their voice. Some of the Rabbitohs faithful have had their say, and I doubt it'll be the last time fans from a club opposing the Bulldogs will have something similar to say.
Greatest And Biggest Support Base IN SYDNEY!!!! BULLDOGS FOR LIFE.
Another game involving the Bulldogs, another drama with crowd behaviour. One has to wonder when it will stop and how much of what is broadcast by the mainstream media is reality opposed to ratings-promoting hyperbole.
The drama this time is about the South Sydney Cheerleaders being called a number of unsavoury names as they walked past the opposition - in this case, the Bulldogs - supporters' bay. The claim, as made by an a listener to Ray Hadley's 2GB show and repeated by said broadcaster, is that a number of unacceptable comments were made to the cheerleaders and that one cheerleader was hit by a crowd member in the collarbone with a can of drink.
As a Bulldogs supporter who was sitting in the "opposition" supporters' bay, I saw no such incident. The people I was at the football with saw no such incident. This is not to say it didn't happen, just that we saw nothing extraordinary. A look around the Bulldogs unofficial forums such as The Kennel and the Bulldogs Debate Page will give you a similar sense of "what the?". And, more importantly, the unofficial Rabbitohs forum, The Pride, also has a number of contributors suggesting no such thing happened.
However, that's not entirely what this piece is all about. What, more importantly, it is about is dispelling the myth that every game involving the Bulldogs is a life-threatening experience.
Whilst some of the mainstream media are quick to jump on the comments about bad experiences, you don't see much when the Bulldogs fans are being lauded for good behaviour and a good atmosphere being created. At the Easter Monday home game for Souths, there would have been a 3 to 1 ratio of Bulldogs fans to Rabbitohs faithful in an almost 20,000 strong crowd. Below is just a sample of some of the comments coming from Souths fans who post on The Pride ...
"Were very well behaved. I walked with and caught the train home with many of them and not one said a word to me, my partner or my friends." - 2035
"My family and I were bagged a few times on the way back to our car(on the other side of Parramatta Rd) but it was generally lighthearted.I just couldnt believe how many of them there were.We were well and truly outnumbered by what seemed to be 5 to 1!" - squadrito
"I have never ever had a problem with Dogs supporters and once again yesterday I had no probs- after the game myself and a few mates went for drinks and a few Dogs supporters were there also and there was just a bit of light hearted banter. I really don't see the problem with the majority of our fans. I've seen plenty more Souths fans worse than Bulldogs fans. " - Mr 100%
And the funny thing is, we see this kind of feedback all the time. After our away trip to Newcastle, message boards had plenty of praise for the Bulldogs supporters who made the trek up the F3, as well as a note from Knights CEO Ken Conway praising the Bulldogs fans. The same came out after the game in Canberra just last week. Yet, there are elements of the mainstream media who would have the public believe that good behaviour is the exception and not the rule.
Something that bothers me is the mere fact I felt the need to even write this piece. Whilst I will acknowledge that the Bulldogs fanbase have some highly undesirable elements that seem to hang on the fringes or even hardcore regulars who occasionally go over the top, it is not nearly what is portrayed by an increasingly vindictive mainstream media. The fact that headline space is even being given to this "cheergirl" allegation is just another indication of how the Bulldogs brand is being used to sell papers and increase ratings by whatever means necessary. I have seen far, far worse than what has been alleged occur at Bulldogs home games with our cheergirls being the target and our opposition fans the perpetrators - yet not an inch of column space nor a minute of talkback time has been used to cover it.
I hope that increasing chorus of Rugby League fans from ALL CLUBS who are beginning to realise what is happening and the effect this is having on the game begin to find their voice. Some of the Rabbitohs faithful have had their say, and I doubt it'll be the last time fans from a club opposing the Bulldogs will have something similar to say.
Greatest And Biggest Support Base IN SYDNEY!!!! BULLDOGS FOR LIFE.
