ABSTRACT
When the article ‘Paying to Win: The Business of the AFL’ appeared in the Victoria University of Technology publications NEXUS, and the Bulletin of Sport and Culture, Australian Rules Football fans in Melbourne were incensed. Criticism emanated from quarters as disparate as journalists, interested academics and even the ‘man-in-the-street’ (Herald-Sun, 1997). The source of their ire was the suggestion that organisations such as the Australian Football League (AFL) who deemed themselves to be in the business of entertainment, should root decision-making processes in solid business principles and practices rather than populism. The article also suggested that ‘rational debate had been derailed by rabid adherents to tribalism, community affiliation, history and tradition’ (Quick, 1996a,b). The case was made that debates on rationalisation and commercialisation in the AFL, and by extension professional sport, should exclude die-hard fans. The rationale being that such fans may be incapable of arriving at an objective decision that is in the long-term interests of the game.
