The AFL’s first bisexual star has been slammed online after he criticised the game’s relationship with alcohol.
Former West Coast star Mitch Brown, who became the first AFL player to come out as bisexual, highlighted the enormous presence of alcohol around the game in a recent interview.
He claimed booze is everywhere around footy clubs and drinking beer after matches has become ‘normalised’.
‘The first thing that was in the room, that we’d sing our sacred song around, would be a carton of beer. That became normal,’ he said.
‘You hear the coach say we are here to win, then you associate that with going into the rooms and singing that song around that carton of beer. That becomes the thing you want to do.
‘So, for me, my experience, it not only became normalised, it became the goal to do…to drink alcohol.’
Former West Coast star Mitch Brown, the first AFL player to come out as bisexual, highlighted the presence of alcohol around the game
Ex-Aussie Rules player turned influencer Thomas ‘Primetrain’ Baulch hit back at Brown and said having a beer post-game is a great thing to do
Brown, who played 96 games for West Coast from 2007 to 2016, said the enormous presence of alcohol was illustrated in the fact that the Fremantle vs West Coast derby was called the ‘Carlton Draught Derby’.
‘The trophy literally had the Carlton Draught sign on it, so it was embedded into us,’ he said.
‘We are the role models of so many young men so you can see how easily that gets passed on.
‘It became more than advertising. It became cultural wallpaper.’
Brown called for a reduction in alcohol advertising, particularly during sports broadcasts.
‘I drink alcohol myself and believe most things are OK in moderation,’ he said.
But Brown’s comments didn’t go down well with ex-Aussie Rules player Thomas Baulch.
Baulch, who goes by PrimeTrain to his huge online following, said Brown was focusing ‘too much on the negatives’ and said having a beer after a match was a positive thing.
West Coast players are pictured drinking beer from the premiership trophy after winning the 2018 grand final
Beer is often a fixture in the dressing rooms after AFL games, especially for the winning side
‘Gee whiz, getting on the p**s with the boys after a game is one of the greatest things you could ever do,’ he claimed.
‘I wouldn’t change for a minute, all of those times after a game of football, getting on it with the boys.’
Baulch, who created controversy earlier this year when he urged his male followers to unfollow female influencers, equating the practice to pornography usage, claims he hasn’t had a drink in more than 16 months.
He defended the use of alcohol around footy clubs from the top level right down to the grassroots.
He said bonding over a beer post-game was a positive thing for players.
‘Sometimes you forget how important that community and that feeling is. What football does is it brings people together, especially in these country towns, which I don’t think Mitch has been to,’ he said.
‘If you’re going to have a few beers with the boys after a game, so be it. It’s a lot better than sitting at home and doing nothing with your life.
‘It gives you an outlet, it gives you a way to let off a bit of steam.’
Brown hit out at the amount of alcohol-related advertising in football
Many fans hit out at Brown’s take and said there’s ‘nothing better’ than having a cold lager after a game (pictured, Brisbane stars have a beer after winning last year’s grand final)
Some online commenters supported Brown with one person saying: ‘Great observations. Very important. That and gambling which is addictive and creates dysfunction.’
Many more supported Baulch’s thoughts.
‘There’s nothing better than a beer in the shed with the lads after a game,’ one commenter said.
‘Not a truer word spoken. Nothing better than beer after playing a team sport. Great for the mental health for most blokes,’ another said.
Alcohol advertising is widespread in the AFL, with the majority of the 18 clubs having ties to alcohol brands, often appearing on kits and merchandise.
Studies on televised AFL matches showed an average of 244 incidents of alcohol marketing per match.
