Social Media: How has it changed the game?
By Kayla Voss

It’s a different game than it was even ten years ago. Sure, the style of the game is different, but I mean the effect of social media. Naturally, social media has both positive and negative effects for everyone, and it is no different for football.

Social media platforms have minimised the divide between AFL players and their fans – the public voice. Fans are passionate about the sport they love, but especially about the team they support. The expectation and pressure AFL footballers and coaches experience is at its peak. The fans’ ability to reach the players, and some coaches, through social media can create a toxic environment. Comments which call players names, comments which aim to hurt players and coaches out of frustration, and comments which call for the sacking of coaches are all toxic and discouraging. Seeing those comments and reading about yourself in such a negative way is damaging.

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