Males get frustrated when they have little experience playing a non-contact sport that is physical in nature. Its my opinion that the mixed sports field can be a dangerous place to reside as the pressure mounts around finals time, so when I heard of one such mixed netball Grand Final on Wednesday, 17th February being called off due to a brawl, I was alarmed – but not surprised.
The game was cancelled part-way into the third quarter due to the level of violence.
A list of behaviours reported by participants and spectators included:
- T-shirts ripped off backs
- Punches being thrown
- Players being pushed to the ground in face-to-face conflict without the ball in play nearby
- Open fisted slaps to the back of the head
- Sledging and personal comments
- Abuse of the referees
In this incident packed game, player ages ranged from a 13 year-old to mid-forties, with most players’ ages estimated in their early 20s.
The grand final was called a draw due to the game being called off before completion.
The oldest participant, a long-term female netball player, was the victim of personal attacks and stated, “In 40 years of netball, this has never happened to me. I have never seen a game get this out of hand.”
The incident raises questions about the level of violence and rough play in mixed netball games generally.
“Of all the sports I’ve ever played, mixed netball is the only one where I’ve ever been deliberately punched outright behind play, ”said David, a male spectator who has also played state-level cricket, division one AFL, other sports like basketball and baseball, and is a coach of a basketball team.
This opinion is backed up by another past player of mixed netball, 33 year-old Bruce. “The only sport I’ve ever had someone punch me was in mixed netball. A referee in the competition, was also playing in the comp as well – something I thought was dodgy from the beginning. One game he roundhouse punched me. After the incident the referee got a 6-month ban from reffing in that competition.”
The incident clearly had an impact in Bruce, “I played out the next couple of games to finish the season and haven’t played since. That was five or six years ago.”
So what is it about mixed netball that results in such high levels of rough play?
I think mixed sports in general will bring out the worst in male egos.
I think the reason for this is they are playing a typical female sport and if they abided by the rules and non-contact it would make them seem more feminine. I have even played mixed with my sons who were in their early 20's and found them doing and saying things that they would not consider when they were playing AFL
The violence is caused by the frustration which in turn is caused by the players not understanding the meaning of the word "social", or like you, being unable to look past their own bias to see the whole picture.