Kevin Hillier says booing is boring, so why bother?
I’m not a booer, never have been and never will be, because I just don’t see the point.
I go to sporting events to enjoy myself and admire and appreciate the skills, courage and athleticism of those taking part. I can’t remember booing as a kid. For me, the best feeling is not booing the opposition but beating them, and when you lose you do it with some dignity. I don’t even boo umpires.
I have been known to yell at them on occasions and I will confess to one booing incident, in 1995, when my great mate Doug Hawkins was playing for Fitzroy against the Bulldogs. A bunch of us stood on the Doug Hawkins Wing and gave it to ‘Hawk’ in a tongue-in-cheek, good-natured way.
Even when Tony Lockett crashed our fightback game in 1990 with 10 goals, why would you boo him? I was upset, but I was in awe. I was privileged to be watching one of the greats in action.
Booing has gone the way of sledging, in many ways. It has become personal and lost its sense of humour. How and why that happened I don’t know and in most cases the sheep mentality of sporting crowds has made the situation worse. I actually don’t care who you are booing and why; I just don’t get it.
Eagle Stadium
The feedback I received from last week’s column was all similar with regard to the council’s refusal to release details of the process in the naming of Eagle Stadium.
One document that caught my eye on the council website this week was the naming of the new library at Tarneit Community Learning Centre. The council is calling for resident feedback on it being called the Julia Gillard Library Tarneit.
The name didn’t spark my interest but rather this line in the document: “Prior to council making a decision on the matter, it must be satisfied that there is support for the proposed name and, therefore, seeks your comments.”
What the …? How come there has to be support to name a library but not a $40 million-plus stadium?
Is it because the library name has political overtones, or is this a change in policy?
Your thoughts are welcome.
If you have any news or events, let me know at kevin@howdypartnersmedia. com.au
