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Sam vs Eddie as AFL Footy Show debates marriage equality

Footy Show presenters debate whether politics & sport should mix, as an audience is equally divided.

AFL Footy Show presenters Sam Newman & Eddie McGuire robustly debated the the AFL‘s support of Marriage Equality last night.

Newman, who pre-empted his editorial by saying he would take same position whether the issue was climate change, whales or greenhouse emissions got stuck into the AFL for taking a political stance and putting a “Yes” logo on AFL House.

“I would have exactly the same opinion. The very fact it’s about the Yes vote for gay marriage is irrelevant, so please don’t hijack this into something it’s not,” he prefaced.

“But who in the hell are these people at the AFL who are telling the football public what they should do in their lives and who they should vote for in any political agenda? Who are you? Who gives you the right to tell people and to put what people should do on the football?”

“Let people go to the football and do what they want to do – just watch the game.”

As Newman got worked up his passion triggered an audience applause.

But Collingwood president Eddie McGuire countered his argument with as much enthusiasm.

“There’s an old saying ‘If you don’t stand for something you stand for nothing,'” he said.

“What we have in our world at the moment, Sam, is a leadership vacuum with politicians who don’t do anything unless there’s a vote in it. We have media who are running agendas to get whatever they want. We’ve got churches that have completely lost any credibility in what they stand for. But the AFL is an organisation that people do look to.

“If you put to the AFL: ‘Do you stand for discrimination?’, they’d put ‘no’ up on the wall,” McGuire said. “Because the AFL stands by ‘It’s not what you are, it’s who you are.'”

“If you’re a 14 or a 15 year old and you’re gay you can come to a football club and be part of it. We’re inviting women in and people of all nationalities. It’s just saying that they are welcoming and for equality. That’s all it is.”

With that McGuire received his own audience applause.

It took Rebecca Maddern to intervene to tell both they had been given ample airtime.

Since Eddie McGuire’s return to the Nine show he indicated Newman would be “unleashed” and the show would look to beef up its news content. Last night the show was beaten by Seven’s Front Bar, including in Melbourne, albeit with different running times.

14 Responses

  1. Interesting how the AFL supporting SSM has caused so much angst in Melbourne, but the NRL in Sydney also supporting it hasn’t caused a peep, not even amongst the savage Murdoch commentators and shock jocks. No NRL players going public disagreeing, no NRL clubs disagreeing with it, no screaming debates on the NRL Footy Show and no death threats to the NRL forcing them to backtrack. I think this says a lot about the maturity – or lack of it – among footy fans and the media in each city.

  2. It’s not like the AFL are forcing people to vote yes or can’t be a footy fan. This is simply them endorsing the yes vote. Sometimes Sam Newman needs to know that nobody gives a s**t about his opinions.

  3. Newman, who pre-empted his editorial by saying he would take same position whether the issue was climate change, whales or greenhouse emissions got stuck into the AFL for taking a political stance and putting a “Yes” logo on AFL House.

    “I would have exactly the same opinion. The very fact it’s about the Yes vote for gay marriage is irrelevant, so please don’t hijack this into something it’s not,” he prefaced.
    The headlines reads Sam and Eddie debate marriage equality. When in fact he wasn’t complaining about marriage equality, it was about the afl sticking its nose into political issues.

  4. Football, and the AFL, do not function outside of society, but within it. Of course they should have a position on matters of societal importance – domestic violence, substance abuse, same sex marriage, Indigenous affairs, multicultural affairs, you name it. #VoteYes

    1. Not sure it is really bombardment but sporting organisations have aligned with various causes and communities for years. Eddie gave a good response. Ironically while the show gets opinionated over news it is eclipsed by another which is being praised for bringing back the fun. Did Sam notice?

  5. I think organisations should be allowed to express an opinion, providing they allow their employees to hold similar or differing views, ie individual freedom. I think with this issue, many of the people who do vote probably hold firm views and are unlikely to be swayed. Those that are indifferent probably won’t vote. Thats my take on it anyway

  6. Happy to read this was debated and glad Eddie took that stance. I applaud the AFL for making this simple yet bold statement. Unfortunately, it is the vehement ‘No’ supporters who interpret it as “being told what to vote”.

  7. Sam Newman: “Keep your contrived and conflicted snouts out of people’s lives. All you’re doing is virtue-signalling, making yourselves look grand.”

    Uh, yeah, ok … so, what were you doing there, Sam?

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