A month ago I joined the Newcastle Jets Facebook page.
Why does this site exist? It seems it exists only so Jets fans can abuse each other, arguing about whether Ben Kennedy is the reason for the complete collapse of the Jets over this season / last season / this slump / the last game.
If there are football savvy people who are members on the Facebook group, they seem to be keeping pretty quiet. Most of those posting on the wall after games seem to be foul-mouthed, opinionated non players who like to rant.
Is there a value to such unmoderated tripe? Does it make me, or you (if you have joined the Jets Facebook page) feel any better to read the kind of schoolyard screeching that goes on there? It doesn't make me feel good. And I hope the players don't read it, because the ill-informed diatribes that populate the wall after a Jets loss could be quite upsetting.
I noticed in one string, that Ben Kennedy's mother no less, got in on the action, when "fan" after fan blamed Ben for a recent loss. It was clearly upsetting for her.
Internet forums make you realise that our romantic notions that we have become more civilised with the ages is complete and utter twaddle. The Dark Ages is out there, and it's on your computer screen.
So what's the good of it? I suppose the spectacle of a couple of thirty to forty-something soccer mums recognising each other at the game and coming to blows over an Facebook argument about whether Ben Kennedy is better than Matthew Nash could be quite amusing for a neutral. That sort of biff would be entertaining and someone could immediately post some mobile phone photos of the scratching and eye-gouging on Facebook.
I can't help comparing Australian football forums like this to other forums, such as the Guardian's football forums in the UK where the posts are reasonably civilised banter and people have differences of opinions rather than acting like screaming banshees with no idea, ranting at each other. Perhaps it's just the Australian character eh?
I can understand fans from opposing teams giving each other a hard time, but why make fights with someone who supports the same team as you do? You're on the same side, right??
The thought had occurred to me that some people starting arguments there were actually secret Mariners and Sydney supporters trying to create friction among Jets fans by posing as Jets fans. But believe me, they aren't that clever.
Maybe it's just Newcastle. Maybe other cities aren't like this (ROFL). One of the great things about Newcastle is that it's small enough that you can literally bump into Jets players around town. I frequently see Ljubo down at Swell at Merewether beach enjoying a coffee, and have bumped into Tarek at an ATM. Football hall of famers like David Lowe help out coaching at Mike Junior's football academy (no, his name isn't really Mike Jnr).
The bad thing about a small town it that many fans think they're on first-name basis with the players and feel like their opinions need to be voiced. Some of them actually are friends and family of the players, and I guess this makes them angry when some f**ksticks (their words) criticise their friend.
The other thing is that in a smaller city, players might actually interact with some of these know-it-alls, or at least read their rants. I somehow can't imagine Wayne Rooney checking the comments on a Manchester United Facebook page. It's a different world over there. Footballers move in different circles to you and me.
We're in a brand new world, where you can anonymously abuse whoever you like without any fear. Is that a good thing? Freedom of expression, democracy, blah blah blah. What if what you've got to say is really just rubbish?
So what is the moral of this story? I don't know. Just thought it was worth a comment.
