Sports entertainment in AFL?

Question

Recently I was reading over some old Annual Reports released by the AFL (yes I was bored) and I couldn't help but notice the great emphasis on the AFL constructing, "... the best sports entertainment experience." (AFL Annual Report 2006)

Although the AFL didn't define what their ideology of 'sports entertainment' was Wikipedia defines it as,

"Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience"

Straight off the top it's apparent that perhaps the AFL should have described their ideology for the future as 'Sports AND Entertainment' as there is nothing ostensible about Aussie Rules. But alas the AFL intends to aesthetically improve any game day experience by using entertainment as a vehicle. Personally for me I think that one of the critical factors as to why AFL appeals to me in contrast to other sports, i.e. basketball, rugby league, boxing etc. is because the sport itself is unequivocally the most important aspect of the package. For example it was apparent to me when I went to the T20 cricket that entertainment was actually the basis of the framework for my experience than in fact the cricket itself. Music would play after every ball, shufflers would perform at the end of most overs, people would throw around beach balls and pyrotechnics would be used after a 6 was hit. As entertaining as it might have been, in the back of mind at least, everything that wasn’t related to the action on the field was only detracting from the sport’s experience that T20 is supposed to offer. I know that the Big Bash League are targeting a different demographic in addition to constructing a unique cricket experience but what I was observing was fundamentally not sport.

In the last 5 years, since the 2006 annual report, the landscape of an AFL match day experience hasn't beenndrastically modified with contemporary entertainment standards, but slight changes to the game day framework at the Gabba have been noticeable. For example all playing members of the Lions are introduced numerically on the video screen before the game, there’s a visual and audio package after each Brisbane goal and there are various crossovers before and during the game to: supporters, peoples of interest, players etc. to enhance the audience’s experience.

In some ways entertainment helps construct an atmosphere for an AFL game. For instance before the Suns played the Cats last year at Metricon Stadium’s unveiling pyrotechnics were used to enhance the sports spectacle and hype the crowd up for the contest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pzkwSeAYZE). IMO the aforementioned did not undermine the sport aspect of the experience – like in T20 - but actually consolidated the audience’s attention for the proceeding game. So when manipulated as to aid the sports experience, entertainment perhaps does have place in the AFL as Metricon Stadium was ranked number 1 in a survey by AFL fans adjudging the best game day experience. See the following link (http://www.aflfeeds.com/article/metricon_stadium_voted_fans_favourite)


So my questions to you are:

Do you see a place for ‘sports entertainment’ in the AFL?

And if so what to what extent?

Please feel free to leave any other thoughts about the topic below and you can find the AFL Annual Reports here:
http://www.afl.com.au/aflhq/aflfocus/commsinfo/aflannualreports/tabid/13593/default.aspx

Cheers

Answer 1

You have taken an Australian application of "sports entertainment" and applied an American definition from Wiki to qualify it.



Entertainment - n: A performance which serves to amuse or divert.

In the AFL case, a performance of 2 teams playing the Australian sport viz the game - nothing more, nothing less. Sport is an adjective describing the entertainment, the same as Movie entertainment (watch a movie) musical entertainment (anything from a symphony to a gum leaf) busker to Opera House, and so on. With this established the Q becomes - Do we need musical entertainment while

we are being entertained by an AFL game ?



My A to this is that provided it takes nothing away from the sports entertainment I pay to see -- OK !



EDIT:- So if sports medicine is medicine centred around sport,

a sports club is a club centred around a sport,

sports coverage is media coverage of sports and

a sportsman is a man who plays a sport.

Why isn't sports entertainment entertainment from watching a sport ?

Sorry, I'm not American and I don't root for football teams either, but from a business perspective the AFL is in the entertainment industry and sport is the performance content or medium.

Is fireworks solely a sports entertainer? Ever heard of a band advertising as solely sports entertainers ? But every game of Aussie Rules I watch is entertaining. !

Answer 2

First & for most the game itself is the entertainment. anything that the heads of the AFL want to ad to the game,such as. the roaring of the Lion at the GABBA when the Lions score a goal. or the ball flying through to break glass on the score board at Metricon. when a goal is scored. are all stimulus of the senses to actually get the crowd involved when attending the game. nothing more. nothing less.



But i thought they sold alcohol at games. to do the same thing for some of those obnoxious supporters. that do drag their sorry asses along to matches. just to annoy everyone who actually wants to watch the game. isn't that the entertainment that the AFL speak of?

cheers.

Answer 3

I think it was perhaps a slip of the pen that indicates Demetrioupolous's real intent with the game!



I love going to Brumbies games (Rugby) and they often have some entertainment ... fireworks, helicopters, sky divers etc. However T20 (esp IPL) makes me feel like puking. There is the line and please AFL don't ever step over it!



Unfortunately Gen Y has a collective attention span of a few bars of a techno song, so we may see it going more this way.

Answer 4

Ultimately the game itself is the entertainment. If the AFL feels the need to bring in something else to create more entertainment, then this is admitting that the game itself is falling short.

Answer 5

Funnily, the only other place I have seen the term "sports entertainment" has been in WWEs promo's for its wrestlers.