David ClarkeWelcome to the Age of Information
April 28th 2008 18:59
AFL players are certainly aware that this is indeed the year 2008. That footy is a generator of hundred of millions of dollars and therefore the relating facilities, stadiums, and equipment are all up to the highest of standards. That today we live in the information age, and that we demand our information instantly. They know that a single glance up to one of the giant electronic scoreboards in the stadium will in an instant give them, and the crowd, every desired detail, from a player’s height to how many clangers they have made that day. Every single thing a player does on the ground is recorded, from how far he runs to how many tackles he makes. But as they say, no matter how many marks you take or hard ball gets you have earned, the most important stat at the end of the day is the one which tells us who has won and who has lost.
The score.
However, apparently this is one stat which is overrated and overlooked, if recent incidents are anything to go by. As an avid attendee of footy matches, it is not uncommon to witness players making use of the big screen during their time on the field of play. Whether it be watching Cats Joel Corey and Paul Chapman lightheartedly compare player stats whilst on their way off the ground after a match, Carlton gun Brendan Fevola admiring some of his finest work after kicking a great goal, or one of the number of players who use instant replays to plead their innocence after giving away a free kick, players love looking at the big screen.
So how then do you explain in consecutive week’s seeing players celebrating after the siren their team’s gritty, nail-biting win, only for the horror to set in seconds later that A) they in fact have not actually won the game, and B) they have just made complete fools of themselves in front of a national audience? This has been the case now with Tiger Nathan Brown in round 5, and North Melbourne’s Brady Rawlings and Brent Harvey in round 6, all exploding with joy after the blaring of the horn, when in both cases, the matches had in fact ended up in a draw.
As a player in the not so glamorous division of local suburban footy, I have once or twice found myself uncertain about the result of a close game upon the blow of the final siren. Dodgy scoreboards with unreliable scoreboard attendants, not to mention failing to make out tiny names and numbers through the pouring rain, have all played their part in these uncertainties. Yet had I had the benefit of a massive video screen providing me with real-time, clear and constant information, I imagine I may have been able to steer clear of such situations.
Sure it’s the way of the modern game, fast paced, end to end footy, quick kick ins straight after a point, with barely enough time to catch your breath in between chasing your man downfield and following the runner to the bench for a quick rest. But come on boys, this is the age of information, and whilst we cant SMS the final score to your GPS tracking devices, a quick glance up to the scoreboard will give you the most important stat of all, and may just save you some embarrassment.
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Penalty shoot-outs are such a great feature of soccer. Why not use them for Aussie Rules as well?
Great post.