Paranoia !

There is an ugly form of paranoia spreading through football crowds that has many people worried.  Just one Sydney Swans player has been singled out for special treatment and whenever he makes an on-field move or touches the ball this brings a chorus of booing from the opposition teams fans.

Adam Goodes is Aboriginal and is not only a talented Australian Rules player but was also honoured as Australian of the year.  He has been captain of the Sydney Swans and he makes no secret of his desire to stamp out racism in sport.  Many think that it is this that may be the root cause of what can only be described as a vendetta whenever he takes the field.

Many months ago a spectator in the crowd called him "an Ape " and he responded by stopping and pointing at her.  As a result, she was approached by officials and removed from the ground.  This was a thirteen year old girl and it appears that some of the crowd though her removal and shame was an over reaction.

More recently, Goodes  caused a stir when he scored a badly needed goal at a critical stage of a game and broke into what can only be described as a "war dance " !  This raised the subject of the Maori "Haka " performed when any New Zealand team takes the field and is a tradition that goes back many years.   The media suggested that Goodes was trying to promote a similar Australian version based on Aboriginal culture.

From that point Goodes became a marked man to fans of what opposition team was playing the Swans.  The crescendo of booing steadily increased and is now reaching the point of sheer paranoia. Probably many have no idea why this is happening, but the power of public perception does not need a motive.  Some now join in because it seems to be the thing to do.

In all probability this is being enhanced by our racist elements.  Offensive remarks and name calling has rankled players of overseas teams and the fact that Goodes has become the champion of the anti racist movement has put him squarely in the racist spotlight - and this booing campaign is their response.

Now comes the tantalising question of how we do something about it ?  It shows no sign of easing and Goodes has elected to have a few days off, obviously affected by this constant barrage of hate whenever he is on the field of play.  To some in the racist crowd, this will be taken as a sign of victory and very likely the crecendo will increase on his return.

Crowd behaviour is an enigma  that bedevils many sports.  English soccer players were once banned from Europe because of boorish manners and the setting off of flares in stadiums is a trait that has made an appearance here.  This booing outbreak is a new phenomenon - and game orgtanizers are in a quandary as to what action to take.

An appeal for crowd decency is unlikely to get a positive response from the racist element, although it would probably shutup more responsible fans and there is always the prospect of fist fights in the crowd if booing becomes a social issue.   The forceful removal of booing fans also crosses a line because it will infringe on the freedom of speech concept we hold so dear.  Racial slurs are a more definitive offense. Booing can be a response to an unpopular refereeing decision, hence to ban that in any form would seem an infringement of civil liberties.

Hopefully,common sense will prevail.  The fact that this has reached the stage of becoming a prime feature in public debate will surely cause some in the crowd to think twice before they resort to what is really an offensive racist act.   If the vast majority of fans decide that it is "un-Australian " it will disappear !