Noise Pollution at the Footy

[Redleg]

Is anyone else being driven mad by the constant barrage of deafening music being played at the footy?

It is played right up until the bounce starting each quarter and is so loud, you can't even hear the person next to you speak.

People are screaming at each other and it is destroying the experience for me.

If I want to go to a concert I will go to one, but this is footy, so at least turn it off 5 minutes before the bounce, so we can soak in the atmosphere of the game.

It is a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bitter but optimistic]

Agree totally Red.

[Sir Why You Little]

The exact reason I prefer to watch games at my local bar now, rather than go into the MCG

The music and Betting adverts kill my enjoyment 

[PaulRB]

High volume 3 min dirty bird advert at Quarter time, so loud. Perhaps let us talk and commune... AFL?? 

[Tony Tea]

The noise of the AFL's "game day experience" wore me down a couple of years ago. I've stopped going to games.

Edited April 18 by Tony Tea

[Nelo]

Absolutely hate it. Gone are the days of chatting to your mate between goals or a quarter time. All the radio talk back suggests no one likes it so why is it happening???

Edited April 18 by Nelo

[Colin B. Flaubert]

It almost makes me pine for the days of the bugler, the marching band and flag raising ceremony.

@Sir Why You LittleI get annoyed hearing it on TV. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like in person.

[rolling fog]

12 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Is anyone else being driven mad by the constant barrage of deafening music being played at the footy?

It is played right up until the bounce starting each quarter and is so loud, you can't even hear the person next to you speak.

People are screaming at each other and it is destroying the experience for me.

If I want to go to a concert I will go to one, but this is footy, so at least turn it off 5 minutes before the bounce, so we can soak in the atmosphere of the game.

It is a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely nailed it Red!

It seems to be at the behest of the home club - for example today we had to put up with that stupid 'Hawk' sound effect after every Hawthorn goal, mercifully we hardly heard it after halftime.

Quarter breaks have been hijacked by marketers making sure they 'activate' any dead space, and in doing so treating the football going public like idiots in thinking that if we're not kept engaged for every single minute of our time at the ground we're just going to up and leave....spare me. 

[DeeGee]

38 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Is anyone else being driven mad by the constant barrage of deafening music being played at the footy?

It is played right up until the bounce starting each quarter and is so loud, you can't even hear the person next to you speak.

People are screaming at each other and it is destroying the experience for me.

If I want to go to a concert I will go to one, but this is footy, so at least turn it off 5 minutes before the bounce, so we can soak in the atmosphere of the game.

It is a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agree- I said exactly the same thing at the ground today. Most of the noise is just [censored] as well, and detracts from the spectacle.

[Youngwilliam]

If it's too loud, you are too old. ?

Nah but seriously it is getting ridiculous. NBA does it, NHL also in every break in play, Big Bash Cricket. Does get a bit tiring. Are the AFL afraid of silence because when you get a patch of it, you do feel the change.

[CYB]

Was there today. Didn’t mind it too much have to say. It’s clearly the direction that game day experience is heading. 
 

What did really irk me was the car park queues. Took an 1 hour to get from the punt road bridge to gate 6. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to open another gate or have pre purchased car park tickets as the hold up was the 30 seconds for each car having to pay by credit card. 

[Demonised]

46 minutes ago, Nelo said:

Absolutely hate it. Gone are the days of chatting to your mate between goals or a quarter time. All the radio talk back suggests no one likes it so why is it happening???

Two questions - 'Why do they?' and 'Why don't they?' - both have the same answer: money.

[Diamond_Jim]

Been this way for years

Often depends upon where you are sitting and the crowd. 

The larger the crowd around you the more "white noise" they produce which tends to soften the sound

It's gonna get worse

[Nelo]

5 minutes ago, Youngwilliam said:

If it's too loud, you are too old. ?

Nah but seriously it is getting ridiculous. NBA does it, NHL also in every break in play, Big Bash Cricket. Does get a bit tiring. Are the AFL afraid of silence because when you get a patch of it, you do feel the change.

My kids actually don’t won’t to go because it’s too loud for them. So don’t think it’s an age thing. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Redleg said:

Is anyone else being driven mad by the constant barrage of deafening music being played at the footy?

It is played right up until the bounce starting each quarter and is so loud, you can't even hear the person next to you speak.

People are screaming at each other and it is destroying the experience for me.

If I want to go to a concert I will go to one, but this is footy, so at least turn it off 5 minutes before the bounce, so we can soak in the atmosphere of the game.

It is a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I said this today, we basically had to yell at each other during the breaks just to have a chat! Way too loud and the kids hate it as well. Half of the reason I lose my voice after going to the footy, you should be able to have a discussion without having to scream.

Edited April 18 by Dr. Gonzo

[DeeSpencer]

It's absolutely horrendous and does nothing for the atmosphere. The quiet moments at the quarter time breaks improve the atmosphere as everyone reflects on the game and gets that nervous tension going. It's ruined by blaring music.

And if they want to put on some music then every Australian artist had a terrible year last year and can't leave the country. Wheel out a stage and let someone play a 15 minute set at 1/2 time if you want. You'd be doing the music industry a huge favour and providing something different for fans who want to listen to something to fill the break.

[titan_uranus]

Agree with the sentiment.

I don't know who thinks it's a good idea because I don't know any fans who like it.

If you need constant music and noise to entertain you at the football, you're doing it wrong.

[Little Goffy]

I was at the Sydney/Giants game on the weekend and the contrived noise reached the point of being just embarrassing. It was on that level of the style of comedy I hate where someone is just being incredibly bad at something and not realising it. At one point they even had the 'Syyyyddnneeeyyy, Syyyyddnneeey' chat playing over the speakers.  The interruptions actually killed the spontaneous vibe of the crowd a few times, including in the last quarter.

[Rusty Nails]

Unfortunately the NBL/NBA/20/20 nonsense has invaded the AFL arena.

If the volumes were at a reasonable level i wouldn't mind but it is way too loud to enjoy the breaks.  And why do we need a "GOAL" flashing thumping thingy every time a goal is scored?  I understand doing this when there were no crowds but to carry it through at these insane noise levels post 2020!?

Might be time to start taking my phone earplugs and listen to the comments on radio at a decent level and just switch off.  And some of the half time ticket stuff with the 3 minute countdown today.  Arrghh....who was that host of there's.  Getting his rocks off about a bloody countdown clock.

As bad as it was though, nothing was as bad as the night i went to Marvel to watch the Melbourne Renegades...  "GET ON RED...GET ON RED....GET ON RED".  "RENEGADES....RENEGADES....RENEGADES".  Over and over and bloody over again at every possible break.  Probably louder than the G today if anything.  A potentially good night's entertainment spoiled!  Adios Reds!

Edited April 18 by Rusty Nails

[RigidMiddleDigit]

So true.

Heaven forbid we talk to our friends.

Just moronic.

I hate the AFL-endorsed "game day experience".

[KLV]

We lived in the USA in the 90s and went to the baseball a lot (Oakland As), -there was this incessant‘entertainment’ in every break, no matter how short. We pined for AFL matches where the game was allowed to be centre stage. 
the AFL seem intent on imitating every nuance from American sport, without judgment on whether it’s actually it’s worthwhile. 
it’s like that [censored] Craig Hutchinson is running the place.

[John Demonic]

 

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I said this today, we basically had to yell at each other during the breaks just to have a chat! Way too loud and the kids hate it as well. Half of the reason I lose my voice after going to the footy, you should be able to have a discussion without having to scream.

Bring noise cancelling headphones with a microphone, for all family members and have a zoom phone group chat between yourselves 

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter]

I actually don't mind some of the music played pre-game and at appropriate times during the breaks.  Without the reserves, there is a bit of a need for something to fill in the time if you arrive early for a big game. 

But the constant advertising and sponsored crowd involvement segments drives me bloody bonkers.  That KFC thing today was abominable.  On a related note, I know the closeup crowd shots on the scoreboard have probably been a feature since big screens became a thing at the footy, but I feel they have ramped it up to a ridiculous point in recent years, to the point it becomes an invasion of privacy.  They seem to stop way too long on some people at times and I do think that if it were me I'd feel soo embarrassed to the point of being belittled being on the big screen in front of tens of thousands of people in an awkward moment, without asking for it or having any control over it.

On a related note, I understood the need for the canned crowd sound effects at games last year when crowds were minimal and was actually pleasantly surprised how good they got at it and how much better it made the broadcast.  I'm not sure I've picked it up in recent telecasts, but you'd hope it's not being used, as the genuine crowd noise does add a somewhat better, less repetitive/predictable and better atmosphere to games.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter]

3 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

The quiet moments at the quarter time breaks improve the atmosphere as everyone reflects on the game and gets that nervous tension going.

Agree and that crowd murmur use to sort of reflect the mood of the game.  A quite tension if things were close or an electric buzz if a team was getting on the front foot, which seemed to build as the game went on.

I seem to recall my times watching in the 90s that you would still get things like Four and Twenty Pies adds, the iconic VB add and the like which played away in the background during breaks, but they seemed to be more in the background and less in your face, due to the somewhat less powerful sound systems used in that era.

[Killer]

Need to keep this topic going folks in the hope someone from AFL is reading