Michael No clones in this fic, Michael! Sorry if you're disappointed
Tank Thanks for the question. I can only give my perspective.
I think soccer falls down badly with the things that flow from it - crowd violence, crimes committed by opposing gangs of fans etc.
Footy fans are incredibly passionate, but that rarely translates to violence directed at either other fans or players.
I have never heard of a player being harmed by irate fans - certainly if he chooses to move to another team, he is going to hear about it whenever he plays against his former teammates. The insults will come thick and fast, but it won't go further than that.
If a player fails to deliver, the fans usually bemoan it as a waste of a draft pick, or a bad trade. I have never heard of fans seeking revenge against a player for his performance.
Perhaps one reason is the amount of money players are paid. Five years ago, AFL clubs had a salary cap of about $7 million.
That's not a typo - $7 million to be shared amongst the 44 players on the list.
It has gone up since then, but I doubt it is over $10 million (I haven't looked it up recently.) The highest paid AFL players get around $800 000 a year. That's great money for chasing a bit of red leather around a park, but it's a long way from the money earned by soccer players.
It's a generalisation, but the more money involved, the worse people seem to behave.
Tank (who wonders if the fans might take out their anger and disappointment with the merger in a more extreme way)
These bumper stickers were very popular ...
http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/TheCoonDog/Other%20stuff/wbMERGEoakley.jpg and I've heard that there was a police guard outside that particular man's house - but it was merely cautionary AFAIK.
I've had to leave most of this out of the fic because it involves real people.
This is a story from 2009 which touches on events in this fic.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/05/23/ross-oakley-says-up-yours-to-afl-mergers/ Elisabeth That is a funny thought, Elisabeth - particularly if the green glow were to reflect into her face, making her look sick!
Thanks
Corrina.
