The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

[D Mitchell]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

Did you read Tom Boyd's book and section about his struggles from under age footy, from his time at the giants and the bulldogs? How he was judged on his skin folds and his weight and not what he was doing on the football field? How he would go without eating meals to make sure he weighed in at the correct weight or was at the right skin fold. How his training suffered and how it impacted him mentally.

I haven't read Tom's book. I'll take your summary about his personal issues with what he, along with the rest of his team mates and just about every other professional athlete, goes through, as accurate. I'll also take it that his symptoms and causes went far beyond the weight issue, the factors that make up a mental health issue severe enough to cause Tom to retire at the height of his very considerable powers is never that simple. He and they went through the weight regime whether or not their weight and/or height was published from time to time. That's my point, equating publication of the weight of a professional athlete as "inappropriate" on grounds of mental health trivialises Tom's position.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

I've often thought of that and also considered that these guys thought they were helping me....which in a way I think they were (direct feedback hurts, but at least it's direct). At that point they were halving the numbers, I was bottom age and didn't have a father breathing down their necks or a family member who was in football administration at the local level........like some others did.

But also, at that time in that competition it was pretty brutal on the back of your Ray Jordan's etc. ruling the roost not long before. And the coach in particular was a very weird black and white authoritarian guy.

Not looking for sympathy, it's all good now. I've got heaps of insecurities that starve that particular one of oxygen now I'm all grown up.

Good on ya Jee. Thanks for sharing your story.

[D Mitchell]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

Just catching up on a number of posts whilst I was composing my previous, let me add that people with severe mental health issues have it tough. What is nothing/not worth worrying about to the rest of us can be earth shattering to them. Blaming Tom's reactions to part of his training regime, where such is not especially different from that of others, for his condition trivialises it.

[Grantysghost]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

GG, this is kinda why I called you a Boomer once or twice (and before you do it, know that correcting me to say you're actually Gen X is maybe the most Boomer thing possible).

There's nothing here to really get upset over to decry as insane. I doesn't really matter to us what the 'published' weights are of the men and it seems to me that including both groups in the decision has shielded the women from some of the backlash with it instead being pointed more to the AFL admin/men. So for once the AFL have kinda done their job maybe?

Using Tom Boyd as a way to diminish a policy meant to help with mental health issues also reeks of 'MLK would support my cuts to welfare'. Aza's example from Tom's book is illustrative of the way that a focus on arbitrary targets around weight, skinfolds etc detract from actual important metrics around performance. Weight is not a substitute for strength so who cares about it? The only reason to care is if you have a reactionary aversion to removing it emotionally. Until the AFL brings in weightclasses we'd be better off learning their PBs in the gym over summer.

I also doubt the AFL hates that they've given Cornes something to whine about over summer.


I'm with HD, without published weights that are obviously wrong we can now make our own conclusions about who's fat/lazy. Did anyone here really bother to check Stringer's listed weight when he took off his top to reveal the abstract art piece on his chest?

Well, see, as soon as you've labelled me you've lost your ability to think critically so I stop reading.

I've heard Tom say he was coddled and not prepared.

Plus, why are we using completely irrelevant comparisons.

We are talking about listing weights, not someone struggling with skin folds.

If Tom was listed at 95 how on earth does that tell me anything about his skin folds?

I'm not into fitness, so I'm not able to speak to the viability or not of skin folds as a measure. Again I'll reiterate the point I made about we need to prepare kids like that for the rigours of elite sports and what to expect better.

I'd say it was his peers that he was most worried about in terms of his body shame (if that's what it was) and they'd all know his weight anyway.

You're amazingly using a pejorative term against someone to support your argument about not using supposedly shameful measures! Legendary work.

P. S. I'm not a boomer. They are way older than me like 10-15 years. Also great people.

Love your posts keep up the good work.

[Grantysghost]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

...he was missing meals to meet arbitrary goals that didn't match his body type or maximize his performance. Meeting those goals made his performances worse. It's not even fitness or strength that's being tested it's weight and skin folds.

Did you read Aza's post or just kinda skim it? I do that sometimes so maybe you're missing the important parts.

Sounds like skin folds are the wrong measure for him but I have nfi so won't pretend to know.
Haven't they ceased to be used?

Actually Marra mentioned body fat test to me, maybe it's the same but more advanced. Someone with knowledge may know. MJP?

[Bornadog]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

The only time I look up weights is when the new draftees start to see what muscle they need to add to get to a decent playing weight.

[hujsh]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

P. S. I'm not a boomer. They are way older than me like 10-15 years. Also great people.

He did it anyway SMH. GG we're all Boomers to someone. If someone calls you a Boomer it's because you're acting like an old person. I'm teasing when I do it to you but the underlying message is I think you're being too close minded or conservative with your line of thinking.

I've heard Tom say he was coddled and not prepared.

Plus, why are we using completely irrelevant comparisons.

We are talking about listing weights, not someone struggling with skin folds.

If Tom was listed at 95 how on earth does that tell me anything about his skin folds?

You were replying to Aza's post which mentioned Weight and Skin fold tests Tom had to pass. You seem to take offense at the idea weight wouldn't be published when there's a reason not to do so (mainly for the Women's comp, with the men getting treated equally). I've come around to supporting the change once I've learned why it's being done because it's best for the Women's comp and my point is it doesn't make any difference to the Men's game (I'm not making any grand statement about it being beneficial for the Men's mental health).

I'm not into fitness, so I'm not able to speak to the viability or not of skin folds as a measure. Again I'll reiterate the point I made about we need to prepare kids like that for the rigours of elite sports and what to expect better.

I'd say it was his peers that he was most worried about in terms of his body shame (if that's what it was) and they'd all know his weight anyway.

Maybe rather than focus on preparing kids for flawed and broken systems we can put a fraction of effort into fixing those systems. In this case instead of focusing on getting them ready to pass irrelevant tests around weight we can adopt better ways of testing for actual fitness, endurance, strength etc that doesn't require them to obsess over something unrelated to their performance in the game. Sure they need to be prepared to work hard and eat well and face scrutiny, but these things are not dependent on their weight necessarily. Look at Dane Swan. Always seemed overweight. Was just his body type. Worked as hard as anyone.

You're amazingly using a pejorative term against someone to support your argument about not using supposedly shameful measures! Legendary work.

Rofl

Love your posts keep up the good work.

I'm actually Tom Boyd BTW

[D Mitchell]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

The only time I look up weights is when the new draftees start to see what muscle they need to add to get to a decent plauing weight.

Ues, some plauers plau beuond their heavuness.

[Bornadog]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

Ues, some plauers plau beuond their heavuness.

I fixed my typo, you need to fix yours

[Grantysghost]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

He did it anyway SMH. GG we're all Boomers to someone. If someone calls you a Boomer it's because you're acting like an old person. I'm teasing when I do it to you but the underlying message is I think you're being too close minded or conservative with your line of thinking.



You were replying to Aza's post which mentioned Weight and Skin fold tests Tom had to pass. You seem to take offense at the idea weight wouldn't be published when there's a reason not to do so (mainly for the Women's comp, with the men getting treated equally). I've come around to supporting the change once I've learned why it's being done because it's best for the Women's comp and my point is it doesn't make any difference to the Men's game (I'm not making any grand statement about it being beneficial for the Men's mental health).



Maybe rather than focus on preparing kids for flawed and broken systems we can put a fraction of effort into fixing those systems. In this case instead of focusing on getting them ready to pass irrelevant tests around weight we can adopt better ways of testing for actual fitness, endurance, strength etc that doesn't require them to obsess over something unrelated to their performance in the game. Sure they need to be prepared to work hard and eat well and face scrutiny, but these things are not dependent on their weight necessarily. Look at Dane Swan. Always seemed overweight. Was just his body type. Worked as hard as anyone.



Rofl



I'm actually Tom Boyd BTW

Love it.

I stand up in the crowd.. No.. I'm the boomer. A teenager next... No I'm the boomer.

Just be aware a lot of the time im driving the debate along by taking a side

I'm don't give a crap about weights xD

[hujsh]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

Love it.

I stand up in the crowd.. No.. I'm the boomer. A teenager next... No I'm the boomer.

Just be aware a lot of the time im driving the debate along by taking a side

I'm don't give a crap about weights xD

I remember when I was like 23, a 19 year old at work said I was old cause he heard my age. It was then that I knew there was no point fighting the allegations. At 31 I'm the boomerest boomer to ever boomer

[EasternWest]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

I remember when I was like 23, a 19 year old at work said I was old cause he heard my age. It was then that I knew there was no point fighting the allegations. At 31 I'm the boomerest boomer to ever boomer

Try being 47 when you're on the tipping point of "I'm a white male everyone listens to me" to "I'm a washed up has been and nobody will ever listen to me again".

[Grantysghost]

Re: ?the world has gone so soft?: Afl to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

Try being 47 when you're on the tipping point of "I'm a white male everyone listens to me" to "I'm a washed up has been and nobody will ever listen to me again".

Ha that's so accurate.

I'm managing some 20 year olds, when they don't get your pop culture references by about a generation there's a big moment.

[jeemak]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

None of it would be so horrific and alarming if you didn't feel as young as you always have in so many ways.......

[D Mitchell]

Re: The world has gone so soft: AFL to no longer reveal player weights, declares it inappropriate

I fixed my typo, you need to fix yours

Much more fun to leave it. I've discovered a new sport