The AFL is cracking down on homophobia, but only to a point

Is the AFL homophobic? For the most part, I would argue it’s not, but with every on-field homophobic slur and ensuing sanction, the question becomes more difficult to answer with anything sounding remotely like conviction.

I interviewed AFLW star Darcy Vescio on ABC radio this week, and asked them about homophobia in football and why the AFLW is so much more evolved than its male counterpart. I’m paraphrasing, but within their answer, Vescio referenced that women’s football (before AFLW) was born out of the queer community. I wouldn’t necessarily think the AFL was formed from the heterosexual community, but a hypermasculine one? We’re getting warmer.

This week, Izak Rankine and the Adelaide Football Club are at the centre of the league’s latest homophobia bonfire. The case could have been relatively straightforward.

The offensive language was used on the field. There was no official self-reporting, and once the league’s integrity unit found out about it, there is (unfortunately) a well-worn path that leads to a five-match suspension.

It could have been dealt with on Monday. Alas, the process was still going on Thursday afternoon. And the sanction, when it finally landed, was not five matches but four. So why the delay?

It wasn’t so long ago that another Crow, Taylor Walker, was in the spotlight for a racist slur. At the time, in 2021, the Crows were not in the mix to challenge for a finals position, let alone a premiership. The process was relatively quick.

The Rankine process was more complicated, at least in football terms, because the Crows are on top of the ladder and Rankine is their wildly talented midfielder/forward.

Immediately, there were questions, some bigger than others. How many matches would he get, and what would it mean for the Crows’ flag hopes? My question now is, what does four matches instead of five say about how men’s football really feels about homophobia?

The AFL sticks its neck out on social issues a lot. It is criticised for doing so, in many quarters, but for as long as I can remember, the league has preached about the game’s desire to be inclusive for all. Premierships are important, but so are the bruised hearts of minorities in our communities. They were watching this outcome closely, and many of us were watching with them.

The delay in determining Rankine’s penalty was at Adelaide’s end. They have a responsibility, rightly, to take care of their player.

But from the outside, they appeared to be drawing on any defence that could minimise the reported initial five-match penalty that would have ruled their man out for the season.

He’d phoned his opponent to apologise. Tensions were high after a separate verbal exchange. The ludicrous Snoop Dogg defence - that it would be hypocritical to rub Rankine out for the rest of the season due to the rap artist’s historical use of homophobic language.

To suggest that a phone call to apologise to the targeted player qualifies as self-reporting is a leap too far for me, but there have been bigger leaps at tribunal hearings over the years.

But the most intriguing of all the arguments was the notion that finals are worth more than home-and-away games, and this weighting needed to be considered in formulating the penalty.

Following this argument, if West Coast’s Jack Graham got five matches down to four (for self-reporting) within the home-and-away season, then Rankine was entitled to a lesser suspension that would leave the door ajar for a grand final appearance.

So, while there is no precedent for additional weightings to be considered as we approach a finals series, there is a commonsense logic to suggest a finals game carries more weight, although AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said this was not taken into account.

But this logic cuts both ways. The closer we get to grand final day, the more acutely aware we all are that any potential injury or suspension could be devastating for the ambitions of those who miss out.

So, is the AFL homophobic? It’s a hard one to answer simply. It’s been said that for a culture shift to truly happen, it must come from players and coaches. I’m coming around to that idea. Not just for the game to be inclusive; we’ve become numb to that, I suspect. I would love to hear: “We stand proudly in support of gay men in our league, our clubs and our locker rooms. If anyone has a problem with that, let’s talk it out.”

Only say it if you mean it, but also, if the game reduces a suspension for a homophobic slur, we’ll hear what you mean, too. That eradicating homophobia is important, but only to a point.

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