Alan Doyle interview with Shelagh Rojers...

Alan Doyle and Shelagh Rojers interview from Woody Point Newfoundland…

The interview between Shelagh Rojers and Alan Doyle about his autobiography Where I Belong has just been loaded  up on to The Next Chapter webpage at www.cbc.ca/thenextchapter. Alan talked about growing up in Petty Harbour and his life in music. Great story telling and lots of laughs. Many thanks for sharing. It was well worth the wait to hear the whole interview in its entirety. I loved it and can’t wait for the book released, on October 14 2014.

I loved Alan's line stating he did not believe in luck or destiny but being ready when opportunity came knocking. So true.

PS The podcast works overseas as I heard it late last night before the broadcast. Follow the links on the page and download the podcast.


                                            

Where I Belong by Alan Doyle (image from Random House Canada no copyright infringement intended)

                                     


Petty Harbour, Newfoundland from www.frbv.com (no copyright infringement intended).

Social media and 'inactivism'...

A response to a social media campaign…

I have been following the debate and the responses in the media to Emma Watson’s speech in the United Nations, and the campaign #heforshe launch for gender equality with interest.

Yes, I did view Emma Watson’s speech in the United Nations and read some of the responses from women around the world posted in newspapers and on various Internet sites.

“Unpopular opinion: Sorry but privileged white ladies, Emma Watson isn’t a game changer for feminism” by Amy McCathy is a well thought out response and I agree with many of the issues this author raised.

I am surprised too that an organization like the United Nations engages in these kinds of social media campaigns, that basically involves people clicking on a web page to say they support gender equality. Literally hundreds of men and boys just circulated photographs of themselves with the words #heforshe on social media including Twitter and Instagram.

I also didn’t see any further action people genuinely interested in gender equality could take.

While the speech has raised awareness and created discussion it was a wasted opportunity to provide people, male and female, genuinely interested in gender equality with resources to educate and to make genuine change at a grass roots level.  

I agree with the following points from the article…

Agreed… “Women don’t need to be rescued, whether it’s by men, Emma Watson, or the United Nations. Positioning men as the saviours of oppressed women isn’t productive, and devalues the work that feminists have been doing for decades”. 

Agreed… “There was no discussion in this speech as to how He For She can improve the lives of women and nonbinary people who will experience intersectional oppressions, like racism, transphobia, and fatphobia”.

Agreed… “Anyone who uses their platform to spread feminist ideas deserves respect, but we should probably be a little more careful in who we choose as our thought leaders. Especially when there are hundreds of women who are directly, impacting the lives of women through their work and writing”. 

Agreed… “Paying lip service to feminist ideas without actually doing any work to undo oppression isn’t feminist, and it certainly isn’t new”.

Unpopular opinion: Sorry but privileged white ladies, Emma Watson isn’t a game changer for feminism” by Amy McCathy published on xo Jane.com on 24 September 2014. (no copyright infringement intended)

Positioning men as the saviours of oppressed women isn’t productive, and devalues the work that feminists have been doing for decades.

When I woke up yesterday, my Facebook feed was buzzing with the news of Emma Watson’s “ground breaking speech”. On September 20, Watson used an emotionally stirring speech at the United Nations to launch He For She, a new campaign that urges men to “speak out about the inequalities faced by women and girls.” People who never mention the words “feminism” or “women’s rights” were suddenly interested. 

More specifically, the campaign centers around a website where men and boys can acknowledge that gender equality is a human rights issue and pledge to fight the inequality that women and girls face. On the “Take Action” page, the site encourages users to tweet and Instagram with the hashtag #HeForShe. Beyond that, there is little discussion of what the men who sign this pledge can actually do to improve the lives of women. 

“I am so excited about #HeForShe,” one random girl from my sorority wrote, “because it finally shows that feminism isn’t about hating men. I love men!” “Emma Watson gives feminism new life,” read one CNN headline. Another blog noted that she completely changed the definition of feminism while dressed in Dior. Media outlets that had only previously used the word “feminist” to describe hairy-legged stereotypes were now salivating over a newer, hipper, prettier feminism based entirely on an 11-minute speech at the United Nations. 

Most egregiously, Vanity Fair called Watson’s speech “a game changer” feminism: “Watson is potentially in an even better position than many of her peers,” writes Joanna Robinson. “Her role as Hermione Granger, the universally adored heroine of the Harry Potter series, gives her an automatic in with male and female millenials. This is a rare case where an actor being conflated with their role might be a good thing. In this way, her widespread influence on young minds (still forming their opinions on gender roles and advocacy) is even stronger than other high-profile defenders of the F-word like Beyoncé.” 

Despite the slight toward Beyonce’s feminist work, I thought for a moment that Robinson and others who were anointing Emma Watson as feminism’s brightest young mind might have actually been right. There is something uniquely brave about a young woman identifying as a feminist, especially when so many others, like Watson’s contemporaries Shailene Woodley and Taylor Swift, shy away from the label.

But at the same time, when I hear this speech being discussed as a defining moment in feminism, I worry about the message that the He For She campaign sends to people who still aren’t sure that feminism is looking out for their best interests. More specifically, will He For She leave behind many of the people who most need feminism's help? 

To begin with, the name “He For She” is problematic, no matter how you slice it. Some may call these criticisms divisive and nitpicky, but there is nothing feminist about a campaign that reinforces a gender binary that is harmful to people whose gender identities don’t fit into such tidy boxes. When we reinforce the idea that only people who neatly fit the gender binary are worthy of being protected and supported, we erase and exclude the people who are at most risk of patriarchal violence and oppression. 

Which is something that Emma Watson knows only a little bit about. It was encouraging that Watson acknowledged some of the privilege that led her to that United Nations stage, but she failed to mention the things that are most important. She noted that her parents and teachers didn’t expect less of her than male students, but failed to mention how the automatic advantages that being white, wealthy, able-bodied, and cisgender have colored her life experience. The state of affairs for women that Watson presents in this speech is a best case scenario. There was no discussion in this speech as to how He For She can improve the lives of women and nonbinary people who will experience intersectional oppressions, like racism, transphobia, and fatphobia.

This is not to suggest that what Emma Watson did wasn't brave. Women face consequences when they speak up on feminism, as evidenced by the internet trolls who threatened to release nude photos of Watson shortly after her speech (luckily this turned out to be a hoax).. Anyone who uses their platform to spread feminist ideas deserves respect, but we should probably be a little more careful in who we choose as our thought leaders. Especially when there are hundreds of women who are directly impacting the lives of women through their work and writing. 

In reality, Emma Watson is the kind of woman that mainstream feminism -- the feminism that gets a place on the United Nations’ stage -- has worked the hardest for. When Watson speaks of equal pay, she’s talking about the white women who make 78% of their white male counterparts, not the 46% gap that Latina women face in the workplace. When we discuss sex work, we don’t talk about the transgender women who rely on the industry to survive. Put simply, the discussion that He For She and Emma Watson are having fails to invite the people whose voices need to be heard most to the table. 

Of course, the most crucial component of the speech is Watson’s call to action for men that support equality. “Unintentional feminists,” she calls them. These, of course, are men who have been “turned off” by their own assumptions about what feminists are. Men are an important component of breaking down barriers for women, but after years of begging from feminists of all ideological backgrounds, they shouldn’t need a verbal engraved invitation from an actress to get involved. More importantly, there is little discussion of how the men who support He For She will actually stand in solidarity with women. 

Many men who consider themselves vocal advocates for feminism have also had a real problem with talking over the women they’re supposed to be supporting. The space of male allies in feminism is a tenuous one, and one that is only successful when male allies use their platforms and privilege to amplify the voices of women, trans men, and nonbinary people. Instead of “He For She,” perhaps the campaign should have been branded “Stand With Women,” to imply that men would be standing beside women instead of standing up for them. Women don’t need to be rescued, whether it’s by men, Emma Watson, or the United Nations. Positioning men as the saviours of oppressed women isn’t productive, and devalues the work that feminists have been doing for decades. 

Paying lip service to feminist ideas without actually doing any work to undo oppression isn’t feminist, and it certainly isn’t new. Every few months, it seems as if the media identifies an actress as the new young feminist darling, and Emma Watson is only the latest in the procession. Emma Watson may be making feminism more palatable for people who aren’t comfortable with in-your-face confrontations from less camera-friendly feminists, but she isn’t doing anything new or “groundbreaking”. 

And it’s unfortunate that Emma Watson is selling the same boring, one-dimensional feminism that’s existed since the first hypothetical bra was burned instead of really changing it. She doesn’t deserve to have her privacy and body threatened by terrible internet trolls, but she also probably hasn’t earned her place as a defining feminist of her generation. If Emma Watson really wanted to be a “game changer,” she should have handed the microphone to Laverne Cox or Janet Mock to add some desperately needed diversity to the U.S.’s contingent of U.N. Goodwill Ambassadors. 

What’s up with Sean McCann…

Sean McCann has hit the road and began touring after his farewell from Great Big Sea and making and releasing his new album. It was great to see so many Great Big Sea fans on his Twitter feed coming to gigs from near and far to see him perform and sing and dance the night away.

What an absolute thrill it must have been for those long term Great Big Sea fans.

Recently Sean did a wonderful interview to promote some charity work he was doing for addition. His honesty and willingness to change his life in challenging circumstances is inspiring. Many thanks and all the best always Sean McCann.

Musician Sean McCann in London to shed light on addiction by Randy Richmond in The London Free Press on 21 September 2014.

Great Big Sea lifted Sean McCann up and Great Big Sea started to sink him.

“It was a party band. It was a great enabler for me,” McCann says. “It was a great place to hide.”

About three years ago, the co-founder of the popular East Coast band couldn’t hide from his drinking any longer.

“I was blacking out. I wasn’t sure which Sean McCann would show up and where I would wake up.”

He kept trying to quit, but kept failing. When he finally realized he had to stop to keep his family — a wife and two young boys — together, McCann stopped.

Last fall, he made another tough decision, to leave a band that went from friends playing for a bit of cash and beer 20 years ago to perennial Juno nominees.

“The band was a party bus. That bus kept going,” he says.

But he had to get off.

McCann quit the band, wrote an album about struggling to recover that came out in January, and on Friday in London will speak to a large audience about his experience.

It’s the first time he’s done something like this, but he’ll have his guitar, Old Brown, and new songs to help him get through.

“I believe you are never alone when you have a guitar.”

When McCann speaks at London’s Recovery Breakfast, he’ll be speaking to a city that doesn’t always recognize its biggest addiction.

The other drugs — oxy, crystal meth, heroin, cocaine — often get the headlines, but alcohol remains the No. 1 problem reported by people seeking help at Addiction Services of Thames Valley.

“It always was and always will be. But it is the one that people don’t even worry about,” says executive director Linda Sibley.

The goal of the annual breakfast is simple: “We want to get people talking about addiction and recovery so people in the community understand people can change. It’s a common misconception there is no way back.”

McCann had a long way to come back.

He started drinking at 14 in high school in a province where, he says, “drinking is pervasive. It is part of the culture. There is no real taboo against it here. “

Starting a band in St. John’s, N.L., only made the drinks flow more.

“Our reputation for being a party town is real. It is Canada’s New Orleans,” he says.

“Alcohol is encouraged. People here are waiting for me to start again. It (his absintence) is not seen as a permanent solution.”

McCann says he hasn’t been in touch with his ex-band mates.

“I don’t think they really understand,” he says. “I’m sure they think I’m crazy.”

The band may have been “an enabler,” but McCann knows full well music helped him recover.

“We talked out the issues, me and Old Brown,” he says of the effort that led to the January release of his album, Help Your Self.

McCann will play music from that album at the recovery breakfast, hoping to help others shed light on their lives.

“That is what art is supposed to do,” he says.

He’s already moving on to new subjects as he noodles away each day on his guitar in the woods near his home.

Winter is coming in Newfoundland and Labrador and there’s not much to do, he jokes, “but drink or write songs.”

Go the Bunnies...

Go the Bunnies…

The first weekend in October is an exciting time for Russell Crowe and his rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs and their fans. After years of ups and downs, being close and yet so far the Rabbitohs have finally made the National Rugby League Grand Final. Russell Crowe reminded us on Twitter that he was just 7 years old when the Rabbitohs last danced on that day. 

While the newspapers in Australia have been full of stories covering the team’s games throughout the preliminary finals and now the final the story that really caught my eye was a letter from Peter Holmes a Court the co-owner of South Sydney published on his Facebook page before last week’s game against the Sydney Roosters.

Peter Homes a Court thanked his partner Russell Crowe, the team and management, South Cares and finally their rank and file membership and fans for all their support and permission for him and Russell Crowe to take over the club. It is wonderful when fans are thanked and their contribution recognised.

It is inspiring to see dreams come true for people like Russell Crowe and Peter Homes a Court who have put their money, their heart and soul into an Australian sporting institution like the South  Sydney Rabbitohs. I wish them all the best. It should be a great game. They are expected to win.

A copy of the letter is available on his Facebook page. It has be summarised below for an article for Daily Telegraph published on 24 September 2014.

Open day at the South Sydney Rabbitohs taken by Russell Crowe and published on his Twitter page on the 28 September 2014 (no copyright infringement intended)

Peter Holmes a Court pens open letter thanking Rabbitohs fans and Russell Crowe for his “crazy idea” Daily Telegraph 24 September 2014 (no copyright infringement intended)

AUSTRALIAN businessman Peter Holmes a Court has spoken about his “crazy idea” to co-acquire South Sydney and how fellow owner Russell Crowe claimed it would be a “thankless” takeover.

Holmes a Court left New York on Thursday and will arrive in Sydney this morning for Souths’ preliminary final against Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium.

In an open letter, which Holmes a Court gave to The Daily Telegraph, he discusses Crowe, Souths members and the Roosters.

“I am heading back to Sydney for the biggest Rabbitohs game of my life. I admit I am excited to the point of complete distraction and am grateful to so many,” he wrote. Holmes a Court talks openly about the moment he took over Souths along with Crowe.

“Thank you Russell. Heck, without you our crazy idea would not have survived the morning light,” he said.

“Thanks for your unstoppable passion, your brilliant ideas, your determined energy, and most of all your love of this team that has had such an impact and touched so many people.

“When we got involved you said that I should never expect we’ll be thanked for what we’ve done, but I know you got that one wrong.

“Everyone knows what you’ve done, and those that count are appreciative. We haven’t achieved all, but we’ve achieved plenty.”

Showing class and sportsmanship, Holmes a Court offered some special words for the Roosters and South Sydney’s fiercest rivals.

“Thank you to Eastern Suburbs, Sydney City, Sydney Roosters, really, thank you,” he wrote.
“Sports is an odd form of conflict, no matter how deep the feelings towards another team, the animosity doesn’t extent to wanting to see a club removed or die.

“You have been the most impressive of clubs over the last few years and your team demands respect.
“Sports isn’t a real contest without a worthy opponent, and there’s nothing I’ve enjoyed more in the last few years than Rabbitohs v Roosters games.

“I truly hope the Roosters live for another 100 years, growing stronger and stronger each year, because I am now confident the Rabbitohs will.

“And so, to this Friday’s game: may the best team win. You know who I think that is.”

Young fans and saying NO!

Fans seem to be starting younger and younger these days. When I was a child Disney was around bringing joy to millions of children through their retelling of fairy tales. The difference today is that there is unlimited merchandise available for parents to buy and pressure put on them to buy whenever and on demand.

“How Disney’s ‘Frozen’ ruined my life” by Kyle Smith and published in the New York Times is not the first article I have read by parents under pressure to constantly supply their children with merchandise from movies like Frozen and make their daily lives a constant struggle.

What I don’t understand is why they feel constantly under pressure to buy their children merchandise on a daily basis and what happened to just saying no which is not a dirty word irrelevant of the consequences. Presents are for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Plenty of parents told the author in the comments section that it doesn’t make you a bad parent if you say no to your children in these circumstances. Yes, two year olds do chuck some awesome tantrums set off by the slightest things (it is called the terrible twos for a reason) when they don’t get their own way, but that too shall pass.

There is a valuable lesson in saying no to your children in that they will develop copying systems for dealing with situations when they don’t get what they want. While young children don’t really understand the value of parents who say no now and saving money for the future, they will thank them later on in particular when they graduate from college.  

How Disney’s ‘Frozen’ ruined his life by Kyle Smith published in The New York Times on the 24 September 2014. (No copyright infringement intended)

Because I’m a film critic, last fall Disney sent over an early DVD of “Frozen” — free. Thanks, Disney! So far that freebie has cost me maybe $900.

I have two little girls, ages 6 and 2, and each of them has seen “Frozen” at least four times as many times as I ever saw “Star Wars.” The apartment is bursting with “Frozen” storybooks, “Frozen” coloring books, “Frozen” dolls, “Frozen” stickers, “Frozen” games, “Frozen” puzzles, “Frozen” costumes and “Frozen” nightgowns.

We have three of those nighties — for two kids. How did that happen? Among the many, many “Frozen” books in the house are two different “Frozen” Little Golden Books — long version and short version. (As I write this, the shorter one is the No. 5 best-selling book on Amazon.) To paraphrase Roy Scheider confronting a similarly all-consuming menace in “Jaws,” we’re going to need a bigger apartment.

Sometimes when my 2-year-old wakes up, “Elsa?” is the first thing she says in the morning. It’s a simple one-word request meaning, “Fire up the ‘Frozen’ DVD and nobody gets hurt.”

And when it’s time to go to bed, she refuses to stop caterwauling until her mom comes in and sings “Let It Go.” (She sings along, sort of: “Awww gooooooooooo! Awwww gooooooo!”)

For a mandatory encore, my wife sings, “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” (Our daughter doesn’t know any of the words in the song, but never fails to hit her cue for imitating the tick-tock sound Anna makes when she’s under the grandfather clock.)

The kid has a vocabulary of maybe 20 words — and two of them are “Elsa” and “Anna.” (Last night, she added a 21st: “Dizzy,” for Disney.)

Last Sunday, I found my attention wandering away from a pretty exciting Giants football game because I got a ping about a sweet deal at Target for an Anna-and-Elsa comforter ($29.99!). Target’s website offers 196 “Frozen” items. We don’t have all of them. Yet.

In theory, we buy our kids all the crap they want to keep them happy — that is, sedated in a Disney stupor — so we can relax and watch a Giants game. But “Frozen” has turned my sweet daughters into mad merch-munching dragons who get all the hungrier the more we feed them.

A few weeks ago our family went to what we thought would be a nice dinner party on Shelter Island. Our toddler spotted a small hole in the deck and wondered if her tiny, freshly purchased 2-inch Elsa doll would fit through it.

It did!

As she wailed, I spent the next hour trying to fish the thing out with a fondue fork covered with sticky tape. I’ve had more fun raking leaves than I did at that party. And when we went back to Target to get another tiny Elsa doll to replace the one now permanently entombed under a beach-house deck? Sold out. Screaming ensued.

Both girls, natch, want to be Elsa for Halloween. We already have the costumes. Which may be worn out by then.

What is with the Elsa obsession, anyway? Anna is way cuter, braver and more honorable (she runs toward her responsibilities; Elsa runs away from them). She has a better sense of humor and is much less of a beeyotch than Elsa — the Anna Wintour of the fjords. Are my daughters destined to grow up into ice-hearted loners who think a sparkly Windex-blue dress and a haughty air are appropriate responses to having magical powers?

As we embark on Year Two of the “Frozen” Era, Disney is no doubt gearing up to release a new batch of Elsa merch in time for the holidays. And my bank account is dissolving faster than Olaf on the Fourth of July.

Girls, sorry about that college fund we keep meaning to start for you. And here’s my advice for coping with the job market of the future without a college degree: Seek help from those magical trolls in the forest.

Oh…The pure joy of the music video.

The Newfoundland band The Once, are currently on a tour with Passenger and Stu Larsen (The Once are managed by Great Big Sea’s Bob Hallett). To coincide with the tour they have made five fantastic videos of cover versions of some classic songs in some of the American cities they have performed in. The project is a fine example of YouTube, music and videos at their best with fans being able to watch an amazing legal product where proceeds go to the musicians and makers. 

The Newfoundland and Canadian newspaper ‘The Overcast’, an alternative paper Newfoundland Arts and Culture paper wrote an interesting article about the project available on their webpage.  

‘The Once & Passenger Have Been Recording Fitting Covers in Different Cities During Their American Tour’ published in September 2014. The site also contains links to the videos on YouTube and available at overcast.ca (no copyright infringement intended).

If you’ve been reading the paper, you know The Once are on a world-wide tour with Passenger. While on tour, they’ve banded together to record a series of classic covers, befitting of the city they’re in as they sweep across The States.

They’ve been releasing these covers about once a week, starting with John Prine’s epic, “Angel from Montgomery.” The project’s aim is to “document our travels and give you guys a little insight into what we’re up to.”

They recorded “Angel from Montgomery” in Nashville, because Passenger frontman Michael Rosenberg was in Nashville six or seven years ago, and went looking for John Prine himself.

“It was good fun and a great learning experience, but also a bit of a weird time as I didn’t really know anyone, so I found myself with time to kill.” To kill that time he decided to go meet John Prine “and play him some songs … whether he liked it or not … god that sounds really creepy!”

“When I finally turned up at John Prine’s record label, I was a sweaty and sunburnt mess but elated that I’d finally made it. I pressed the buzzer and to my disappointment found out that John was in Chicago . I still hope that i can one day meet john but for now this will have to do.”

“The idea,” Rosenberg says, “is that each song will in some way be linked to the place we’re playing in – for example it could be the artist/band’s hometown, or the song will reference the city in some way, or it may have a personal story attached to it.

They recorded Simon & Garfunkel’s “Only Living Boy in New York” in New York, for example.

One of my favourite spots on earth,” says Rosenberg, “[is] New York’s Central Park … Central Park has always amazed me as one minute you can be in the hustle and bustle of the city and the next thing you know you’re in this beautiful green expanse. I love it … Secondly, growing up, my favourite album was Simon and Garfunkle Live in Central Park . We used to listen to it over and over again in the car to the point that the cassette broke and the sound went all wobbly.”

One of the most recent covers to emerge has been a version of “Nothing Compares to You,” in Minneapolis: home of the man who wrote the song, not the woman who made it popular (Sinead O’Connor).

“Prince is originally from this city and made this venue famous by playing it a bunch of times, and also shooting scenes here from his movie Purple Rain. It was pretty surreal to be playing this song in a dressing room that he must have been in so many times. This one has a very different feel to the other videos – Bryan decided to shoot it in black and white, and I think it gives it a really great quality.”

“Also, Geri is taking the lead for this one, as it was Sinead O’Connor’s version that became such an enormous hit. I need to say that vocally this is possibly one of the most difficult songs that we could have picked and Geri absolutely nailed it. She is a phenomenal talent, as are Phil and Andrew, so please, if you haven’t done so already – please check out The Once and their new record Departures!”

The Once band with Passenger and Stu Larsen making a video in Stanley Park Vancouver from the Twitter page of Bob Hallett (no copyright infringement intended). 

Can You Believe in Women’s Rights and Enjoy Sport?

I have been following with interest the latest sporting scandal in the National Football League in America. Over the past couple of days there have been many responses to the treatment of women by the NFL and the type of action they should take to make genuine change posted online. Yes, I agree violence is unacceptable on the field and off against men or women. I hope that the American public can put real pressure on the NFL to implement real changes for women through education programs and raising the profile of women. This is my response to some of the responses online.  

Firstly, I don’t know anything about the NFL or the National Football League in America. So I am not going to go there and criticize or defend various interpretations of a sporting cultural institution. But I am going to respond as a sports loving fan with experiences from my own country Australia. I live in a sports crazy nation Australia. I first became interested in a football code over 12 years ago. First, the national team named after one of Australia’s cute and cuddly native animals, then a local state and territory team competing in the international competition in the Southern Hemisphere between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. I went to games in my home state when the team came to visit, and then to games in the eastern states.

A football team eventually determined where I lived and worked for many years. I was a member of a club for several years, went to the home games and player and member organised events. It brought many great pleasures to my life and I met a lot of great people. Many of my favourite players retired and I didn’t like their policy of keeping old boys on and not bringing any new ideas into the club. They also left a lot of loyal young players sitting on the bench and who were not given chances to prove themselves. As a consequence we didn’t win, not that winning is everything. Then I returned home and the power of the people brought a national club to my city. I still watch the national team on television. I love my sport well this football code anyway.

Tammy Bleck an American blogger wrote a post called “Can A Female Blogger Shame The NF Even If She Doesn’t Know A Thing About Football?” that was published in the United States Huffington Post.

“Hey NFL, if I were your mother, I would take you out of the game. No time outs, no suspensions. I would throw your disrespectful a*** out on the dirty street where it belongs…Your behaviour is reprehensible, disgusting and show absolutely no regard for your players or their families…It seems many a coach has put their players into harm’s way for the sake of revenue. Concussions run rampant and they don’t care. Players are injured and they don’t. Many players receive little or no education at their collegiate institutions, and you guessed it they don’t care… I’ll tell you what the NFL didn’t know: They didn’t know that the video (Ray Rice) would go public. Or that the public would be so outraged that they would stage mass jersey burnings on social media everywhere. Or that women making up 45 percent of their fan base would be so outraged enough to refuse to buy tickets”...

Yes, I understand and agree with the blogger’s concern about concussion, sporting injuries and bad behaviour in sport because it has been a problem in all Australian football codes as well. In Australian football codes there are rules about concussions and players who receive them cannot play for a certain period of time and without a medical clearance. I don’t know what the rules are in America for their codes but I imagine they have some in place although I also imagine there is a way around it. I don’t believe any sporting club with a legal and ethical duty of care to players, even with the depth of players available in America, they would intentionally place any player’s health and wellbeing at risk and the threat of legal action. But that is just my opinion. There were concussions this week and the players were taken off the field. My code has over the years had a number of people retiring from the game from serious injuries including concussion and spinal injuries due to the nature of the game. There have also been players who get regular concussion and even a broken neck playing on. But that is between the player and the club.

“When did American sports become all about trophies and ticket sales? What the hell happened to fairness in the game, integrity of the players and honesty of the institution? It got sand bagged for big bucks, then bigger bucks…Then NFL stands for everything America does not. Lies, crooked dealings, drugging damaged players, hiding disgusting vile and deviant behaviour, denying head injuries exist in their players and hiring hot shot attorneys to fight the notion, and supporting many players not getting their education, also they can continue in the game. That’s some prideful organization” (Tammy Bleck)

The players and clubs are a representation of the community in which they come from and as a consequence will reflect both the positive and negative behaviour of that community whether they be in America or Australia. Over the years all football codes in Australia have been involved in negative behaviour and other sports such as swimming. These include player health concerns, anti-social behaviour off the field, drinking, drugs, betting, match fixing, domestic violence, poor conduct towards women, racism and domestic violence. Players have been mixed up in business deals gone wrong and clubs breaking the player salary caps. I don’t know about other codes around Australia but in my code this season there have been an increased number of yellow cards for players from all countries who engage in dangerous play. This shows that there are concerns at an international level about dangerous play but also sportsmanship.

There have been lots of inquiries into players and teams and strategies put into place to stop this behaviour happening again and again. Every week there are players from all codes in sporting tribunals defending their actions. I don’t believe a suspension after the fact doesn’t do any good, but more effective immediately during the game and in particular time out.  Clubs and players who continually commit offences and recommit are given more chances than most people in the community. But unfortunately they continue to engage in this type of behaviour. Yes, I agree there are only so many chances a player in sport can be given and no matter what a genius the player they are, the club has to eventually cut the player loose. Just like any business or employees who engage in unacceptable conduct or members of any community anti-social and criminal behaviour needs to be addressed and not just swept under the carpet because these men are sporting stars. 

Every football club in Australia at a national level has education officers and career advisers that assist players to prepare for a life after they have finished their sporting career. A couple of years ago most of the players in my code were university graduates who got their degrees while playing professional sport with the help of their clubs. But the nature of the game has changed and not all players today want a university education. Just an in America, university may be the way into a professional sporting life and they accommodate these players for whatever reason but not all players want to or can complete a university degree.  I think it is not fair to blame the club who may have all kinds of support in place and the player doesn’t want to complete their education.

Tammy Beck continues “The most recent NFL scandal in the news is about Ray Rice, the Baltimore Ravens running back. Yet, another fabulous example and role model being employed by the NFL and being paid millions in sponsors. We are being led into believing that the NFL never saw the video that demonstrates Mr. Rice punching his then fiancée in the elevator and knocking her out cold. Yeah, right. If you believed that, I’ve got some sink hole land to sell you in Florida.

I’ll tell you what the NFL didn’t know: They didn’t know that the video would go public. Or that the public would be so outraged that they would stage mass jersey burnings on social media everywhere. Or that the women making up 45 percent of their fan base would be so outraged enough to refuse to buy tickets.

The NFL, has three other players accused of domestic violence that they have yet to deal with. It is obvious that their strategy is to wait long enough that the public forgets about it, then suspend the player for a game or two and on with the show. Cowards! This is no way to run a business, let alone an American institution.”(Tammy Bleck)

Yes, I agree violence is unacceptable on and off the field against men or women and the NFL needs to address these issues ASAP.

Rob Ford a columnist from The Inquirer in Philadelphia in his article titled “NFL sending mixed message about women” that the NFL is sending mixed message about the way it treats women. At the top of the list is the need to disperse with cheerleaders and objectifying women in sport. “It would be a symbolic message that the league understands that part of the problem is related to the objectifying women, which does by parading them around in skimpy outfits that are little more than lingerie with logos. The cheerleaders are there, to a large degree, for the pleasure of male customers and it’s fine to leer at them and whistle at them and view as whatever you like, with the possible exception of equals”. 

I agree with Rob Ford that the NFL and their administration does not set a good standard for women with its use of cheerleaders. I acknowledge the issue and the role of cheerleaders in American is a complicated issue. There have been numerous articles in the newspapers in American about the owners and clubs exploiting cheerleaders and not paying them minimum wage. Many of these women have taken legal action against the owners for unpaid wages. What does that say about the contribution of these women? The issue of the respect of women begins with the clubs and their owners.

In Australia football teams and other sports like basketball also have cheerleaders. I don’t particularly like going to official sites and finding women in sexually explicit poses all over these sites. And I didn’t like them when I went to NRL games in the eastern states in particular when the game is pretty exciting in its own right. Yes codes of football can live without cheerleaders. My code of football doesn’t have cheerleaders. The actor Russell Crowe lead the way in Australia’s National Rugby League competition when his team South Sydney Rabbitohs dispensed with their cheerleaders when he took over the ownership of the club to make it more women and family friendly. This weekend South Sydney are marching towards the NRL finals with the membership as high as ever. Other teams in the NRL are so humming and harring about the role of cheerleaders in their clubs.

“What Ray Rice Should Mean For NFL’s Female Fan Base” by Dr Peggy Drexler in Forbes published at Forbes.com wrote in response to this issue “Indeed the NFL has worked very hard to cultivate this female audience through rigorous marketing efforts like female-orientated sports programming, pop-up clothing boutiques at stadiums, branded home goods offerings like wine bottle holders and cheese boards and partnerships with nail polish brands to create sports-themed manicures (‘fanicures’). There are campaigns and products and million dollar efforts to welcome female fans to the sport”.

Seriously? This is what the NFL believes its female fans want from the sport other than to buy a ticket and sit in a seat and watch the game. I am wondering where they did their market research for what women want from sport? While I am not sure what a female-orientated sports programming is, many of the initiatives suggested by the blogger perpetuates stereotypes of  women in sport in that they are there to look good, and should be seen and not heard. That is not to say some women might like what is being offered.  Yes, some Australian football codes offer this kind of inducement to female fans as well. How family friendly are NFL games to welcome women with children? I am wondering how many women are employed in the NFL and in what roles? How are they involved in the discussion and debate on the game? How are the female fans and journalists involved in the discussion and debate treated?

In Australia there have been issues with the participation and the role of women in Australian football codes too. How do football codes make a more welcoming environment for women? Other than as a consumer. While not completely ideal there have been small positive changes. They have introduced women’s memberships and events. Women are employed in all levels of football clubs and have become chief executives, senior coaches, umpire, sit on the boards of the clubs, number one ticket holders, are health professionals, administrators, volunteers, fans and members. In most games televisions women are seen as supportive role on the field as health professionals assisting players.

However, whether in America or Australia there needs to be real involvement of women in male dominated sports beyond the tokenism and consumerism. Using consumerism as suggested by Dr Peggy Drexler to implement changes in NFL may or may not work. People forget really easily. It will be interesting to check the merchandise sales at the end of season to see if this has had an effect but it is a small step and something all those who support change can do.

In conclusion to “What Ray Rice Should Mean For NFL’s Female Fan Base” by Dr Peggy Drexler in Forbes asked the question ‘Can you (women) believe in women’s right and enjoy sport?’ “On the surface, this would seem to be an encouraging move: A traditionally male-orientated sport recognising that fans can be and are of either gender. And yet, in its handling of running back Ray Rice’s assault against his then fiancée, now-wife Janay Palmer Rice, the NFL doesn’t not care about women. As far as I am concerned, this leaves women little choice but to return the favour. Can you believe in women’s rights and enjoy football? Can you be angry about Ray Rice and the NFL’s inadequate handling of him but still feel okay about watching the game? The answer, is both to no”.   

Although the author of the post says no to both I will argue yes to both the above questions. Look no further than the former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, Australian Rules Football ‘fan' and advocate for women’s rights. Regardless of her politics she has been a champion for both sport and women. As a female journalist Katie Nolan suggested who hosts her own YouTube sports and culture show on Foxtel removing critical thinkers from the game will not enable issues like women’s rights to perpetuate. And while we may feel angry now withdrawing support for the NFL will hurt the families, the women and children whose livelyhood come from that source. But also the right of women to make informed choices about how they choose to address issues. If the wife of Ray Rice can forgive her husband then why can’t we as women and a community?

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Australian Rules Football fan and advocate of women's rights.

Thank you to all the men and women who shared their ideas online about their love or dislike of the NFL.

References

Barton, S, 2013, ‘As a female NFL fan, I want a better stadium experience-Not a pink jersey’.

In The Atlantic.com published 25 September 2013.

Boudway, I. 2013 ‘How the NFL woos female fans’ in Bloomsberg Businessweek published 5 September 2012

Drexler, P. 2014, ‘What Ray Rice should mean for NFL’s female fan base’ in Huffington Post, published 9 September 2014.

Ford, R 2014, ‘NFL sends mixed messages on women’ in The Inquirer, published 12 September 2014.

Galazka, K. 2014, ‘Fox Sports hosts asks not to boycott the NFL’ in Buzzfeed.com, published 12 September 2014.

Ryan, E, 2014, ‘If  you care about women and still support the NFL, you are a hypocrite’ in Jezebel.com.