My Message to Wayne Jackson (CEO AFL) Re:Telstra

[Parki]

Dear Wayne Jackson

Hello. My name is Mark Peterson. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but lets get one thing straight before we start. I am a sports fan, and as such, enjoy all SPORTS including League, Union and your organization, AFL. But you see Wayne, if I may be so forward in calling you that, I have a problem, and its this.

You and your organization suffocated the sport out of Melbourne. You with your blanket media coverage of AFL in Victoria killed off all sporting teams that were essentially non related to AFL, and as such ensured your sports success by killing off all the other ones. But Wayne mate, I don’t have a problem with that, its your business. Good luck to you I say, for you have conned an entire state into believing that the only code that exists in this country is AFL. But now I draw the line.

Wayne, you have crossed the border. We here in New South Wales, are friendly, loving caring sports people. We like many sports such as Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, and even your now dreaded AFL. But we will not be conned. I went to Victoria and saw the madness that ensued in that foul state, and am determined not to let it happen here. Wayne, this state will not be corrupted by your evil sport, and we will not abandon the games ( see plural, meaning more than one) in favour of yours. We league lovers in this town are horrified in the fact that now, because the Swans have played a few games at telstra stadium, they own the place.

Never mind the Bulldogs have earned the right to play there with it being their HOME GROUND and all. You want us league fans to bow to your wishes and move next door, at a sub standard venue when the bulldogs have earned the right to play at telstra stadium. What is suddenly wrong with the Sydney Cricket Ground? Oh that’s right it holds only 40,000. Ten thousand more than what the dogs would get at the telstra stadium in their home ground. But you would rather them move next door and play in front of ten, making us the laughing stock of the country. Well we know who the true loser is in this situation.

You want to become in a dogfight with all the other codes in this state, be my guest. But we have one thing in common. Our footballs may be different, our rules my be structured differently, but here in this state we compromise, for the good of all sports. Take the Canberra Raiders. Last year the Crusaders used Bruce Stadium for a final, and it happened to clash with a Raiders home game. The raiders could have arked up about it, but for the good of Rugby Union, they moved it to the next day. No conflict. No arguments. Just sensible compromise. Somehow I don’t see you and your organization as being so fair to the bulldogs, who have earned the right to be able to play in front of as many people as they can, however many that may be. But that’s just you. Your Victorian. I have grown to hate Victorians such as yourself due to your appalling lack of tolerance.

You call yourself the sporting capital of the world, yet the only sports outside AFL are run during the AFL off season. When the cricket was played at telstra dome last july, you arked up. God forbid any Victorian be able to choose between a game of AFL and a game of cricket….heaven forbid! Are you really that scared that the Australian Cricket team is single handedly going to bring down the tyrannical dictatorship that is AFL, by playing TWO, (yes count them), games in Melbourne during Winter? Oh no! If your organization is that weak then it needs serious help. But then again so do most Victorians.

For the record, I used to like AFL. I played it for three years in a local comp, and loved every second. But now I don’t. I hate it more than anything in this world, and its because of what you are trying to do to this country. You did it to the state of Victoria. Your not doing it to us. Back off. Or else

Other than that have a nice day

Your friend

Mark Peterson

 

[Green Eye]

That is the funniest thing I have read today. I can't wait to see the response.

 

[Terminator]

One of your best Mparki, your getting better all the time, keep them coming and send that one to the Daily Tele.

 

[Parki]

Please, call me Parki.....mparki died along with the knights forum...

As for sending it to the telecrap as my friend calls it, i wouldnt want it in Newspapers as a)victorians cant read and b) i wouldnt want any pro psycho afl supporters coming after me, they have been known not to know what the definition of a joke is

I will leave it here for the time being, I may change my mind later

 

[Leasha]

Hehe parki that was gold ! I too was once an AFL supporter, but, like you, my love for the game was abruptly murdered. Though my reason was not so eloquent or complex as the hatred that was ingested by the domination of AFL over other sport in NSW, it still was enough to make me completely detest the sport.

It was a warm summer's day in early 2001. On holidays in the lovely NSW town of Wagga Wagga, visiting my best friend and her family, I was conned into attending a local AFL match in which my friends brother was playing. Naively, I excitedly went to the game, and had been watching for almost half an hour, when disaster struck. Now, when watching AFL games on television, you regularly see collisions between the ball and various limbs/heads/torsos. And the players who have been attacked simply brush themselves off, and return to the game. But in real life, when your unprotected head is viciously targeted by a cruel teenage boy, the impact is enough to knock you out for up to two hours. Of course, I didnt find this out until afterwards. But it was enough to make me hate the game. I could not be swayed by the pretty boys of AFL, like Simon Black from the Lions. No, my hatred was solidly established.

 

[Terminator]

No worries Parki, I have to admit though I'm awfully fond of the Swans, but like you say AFL is stepping over the line here.

 

[Anonymous]

Mark,

I couldn’t agree more. Wayne Jackson seems to delight in taking swipes at the NRL for some reason. Why would he bother, the NRL has no interest in AFL, nor should they.

Wayne Jackson however seems to have a huge complex, that being that he is the CEO of a 'National' game, and there is one state, the biggest and most important that seems to think that AFL is the most boring game ever.

Yay, he kicked the ball straight!!!!! Yay lets wave our 2 tons of streamers up and down. Wow he caught the ball........oh...nice hand pass.

ZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZ

I unlike you mark, I hate AFL with a passion, I often have it removed from my TV before the Carlton & United Breweries add disappears from the opening credits.

I take great exception to AFL being called the national football code. Lets get it straight Wayne. We don’t give a rats fat arse about Collingwood v Carlton, a mark to me is something a fullback does in Rugby and a behind is something you use to break tackles in Rugby League.

And the more that the AFL trys to fool people into following the game, the further I get away from following it.

I hate the fact that AFL is reported on before league on TV, I hate the fact that when you are in Melbourne you cannot read about the 'real' code in the sports pages.

Wayne I suggest you take a look at television ratings, memberships and gate receipts in QLD and NSW. And if you still think the AFL is the national code then you are kidding yourself.

Lets hope the next AFL CEO actually concentrates on his own game, I mean after all it could do with something to spice it up.

-GS.

 

[kingkerry]

I couldnt believe the crap i was reading in todays rag about telstra stadium. And i agree with almost eveything you have said. In victoria the only coverage league gets is on page 80 of 200, 1 paragraph with a very small heading. But here in nsw were most poeple couldnt give rats arse about the vfl/afl game we get it ramed down our throats. Ive always disliked the game i dont know why it just irratates me. It wouldnt concern me if I never heard or watch a clip from it again. :twisted:

 

[Terminator]

What particularly bugs me, is that the idiots like Hadley and co will actually give us continuous updates on any AFL games being played and this is while aleague game is being broadcast!
How dumb are the NRL, Oops better stop there, I can hear lawyers drool hitting the floor..

 

[Alan Shore]

You should send that to every AFL email address, including Jackson's, you can find and all media outlets including Victorian ones.

 

[tigermite]

The bad thing is the Dogs have decided to play their final at the showground, thus letting the AFL get their own way again. It's about time the NRL stood up to them, otherwise we'll never be treated on an equal playing field. And that includes getting the media to give us better coverage.... starting from more free to air games and some shows that actually talk about footy (just look at all the shows AFL have where they sit and talk about the games). The NRL, IMO, are too soft when it comes to promoting the game.... who cares if they ruffle the AFL's feathers... the more we ruffle, the more they'll realise we aren't push-overs as they must think we are now. And that can only be good for our game...

 

[astrogirl]

The bad thing is the Dogs have decided to play their final at the showground, thus letting the AFL get their own way again.

I'm probably going to get hate mail for saying this, but here goes!

My understanding is that if both the Swans and the Dogs win their games this week, then there is a scheduling clash at Telstra Stadium. My reaction to this news is that IF this happens then it makes sense that the Swans play at Telstra and the Dogs play at Showground, purely because I don't think the Dogs will attract a full stadium of spectators at Telstra. I was at the Swans game the other week when Telstra Stadium was 80% or 90% full, on a rainy day and the game wasn't even a final! I don't think the Dogs can match that.

I'm happy to be corrected if i am wrong!

 

[Kaz]

The Dogs told the AFL/NRL right from the start that they wanted to play at the showground.

It is just a media beat up once again.

 

[Anonymous]

the swans have the game at telstra, just been confirmed, so the dogs have to fit 45,000 into the showground now? :? . There are some good topics about this in Nrl discussion, one of the forums on this site. From what i have read the NRL barely tried to get the stadium. But fair dinkum, the AFL overruling the NRL in NSW? What the hell?

 

[Parki]

I'm probably going to get hate mail for saying this, but here goes!

My understanding is that if both the Swans and the Dogs win their games this week, then there is a scheduling clash at Telstra Stadium. My reaction to this news is that IF this happens then it makes sense that the Swans play at Telstra and the Dogs play at Showground, purely because I don't think the Dogs will attract a full stadium of spectators at Telstra. I was at the Swans game the other week when Telstra Stadium was 80% or 90% full, on a rainy day and the game wasn't even a final! I don't think the Dogs can match that.

Thats not the point astrogirl. The point is our code is going to be suffocated by these idiots, because they always get their own way, all the time. The dogs vs newcastle for example would get much much more than 20,000 at the showground, therefore they should be allowed to choose considering they play most of the games at telstra, instead of the one or two or three that the swans play. The swans home ground last time i checked was the SCG, not telstra stadium. Its just convenient for them to decide that it is for finals, and hurt the NRL in the process.

Trust me, you guys dont know how bad it is in melbourne. They think rugby is the same as rugby league. They have no idea that its different and they dont care. That is what my post is about.

 

[Anonymous]

i think we should build a big moat around melbourne and shoot anyone who tries to escape. From the stories i have heard from you mark, they seem like the most ignorant bunch of tossers and dont deserve to be living on this continent. I am so pissed off that melbourne people are so f**ken one eyed, and yet they think they are the sporting capital of australia. Hmmm, johnny howard is a league supporter, lets take the decision to the govt and get ministerial approval for the dogs to play at telstra :lol:

 

[Terminator]

Your right, Gallop is a f**king pussy! Whoops- lawyers!

 

[Anonymous]

anyone who cares about rugby league post complaints here http://www.nrl.com/contactus.cfm

This situation is an absolute farce, some of you may not realise how serious this means to some people. It proves that the people in power only care about the money, they dont give a rats about our game, they hare happy with their 20 million dollar retirement package. The NRL would be better off being run by a board of dedicated fans, that is the only option.

 

[astrogirl]

Thats not the point astrogirl. The point is our code is going to be suffocated by these idiots, because they always get their own way, all the time. The dogs vs newcastle for example would get much much more than 20,000 at the showground, therefore they should be allowed to choose considering they play most of the games at telstra, instead of the one or two or three that the swans play. The swans home ground last time i checked was the SCG, not telstra stadium. Its just convenient for them to decide that it is for finals, and hurt the NRL in the process.

Sure the Swans' home ground is the SCG, but isn't Showground the home ground of the Dogs with only a few games a year at Telstra, similar to the Swans?

Your example does strike a chord though - I would be livid if I couldn't get a ticket to a Dogs v Knights final!

 

[stevo]

The AFL is prob one of our most national games. They have spent the money to spread the game. I don't see the NRL/ARL trying to hold matches in states where there is no national team. The AFL for years has been playing premiership games in the ACT and Tassie. Pre season games have also been played in Darwin and Cairns, with the AFL hoping to play premeirship games there next year.

Yes, Melbourne is a town filled with one eyed AFL fans but who can blame them. THe AFL looks to be looking after them a hell of a lot better the the NRL/ARL seem to be looking after us. I think all the AFL has down is taken advantage of the lack of commitment the NRL has shown towards it fans and teams. Why not? If they know the NRL/ARL are just going to step aside without much resistance and let them play a Swans game at Aussie Stadium in place of a Doggies game and at the same time allow more people to be able to watch this AFL game live, then good on the AFL and the Swans for taking advantage of this opportunity.

This is more a NRL/ARL problem. They really need to pick there act up before it is too late.

I must admit i was a keen AFL fan but since moving to North QLD from the NT in 96, i have taking greater interest in league. This was mainly due to the lack of AFL coverage/news at the time.

Like Victoria Qld has it's problems with it's sports coverage/news, especially when it comes to footy. If they can't somehow realate the story to the Brocos, Maroon, Lions or Reds, then it is rarely mentioned (i reakon the only reason we had a half decent report about Joeys injury was because it meant Gordie now had a good chance at being Kangaroos captain)

I do love your letter though Parki. It is very well written, as are all your letters you have previously posted. I hope Wayne does reply to you!