Booing at sporting events has been big news in Australia this week.
In truth there would be very few fans who have not at some point at one sporting event issued a boo. This writer readily admits booing referees or umpires who have made what he felt was a wrong decision. He has also booed past players when they have come back to take on the club he supports.
Herein lies what may be an issue that few in the media have looked at.
I ‘support’ my team. I try to encourage and spur them on to victory. In Australia fans ‘barrack’ for their team.
When I moved to Australia almost 30 years ago I found this a very odd situation. Why?
The answer is simple the word ‘barrack’ actually means ‘to hoot or jeer at’ in the Oxford English dictionary. Even the Australian National dictionary states it means ‘ To ridicule, jeer at, verbally abuse (a person, etc.).’
There was a story told this week in The West Australian of AFL star and coach Nathan Buckley taking his children to the footy. It stated that ‘when one started booing an opposition player, Buckley told him in no uncertain terms that he could barrack as hard as he liked for his team and the players he loved, but that booing was taboo.’ Surely there is a mixed message here if barrack is to be used as the Australian and English dictionaries determine its use?
For those who say it does not mean that in Australia, if that is the case why after all these years has the definition not been changed?
Maybe one key thing to come out of the media hubbub this past week is that fans should “support” their teams, and stop “Barracking” them.
Brilliant!!! Explains a lot.