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PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
I’ve been watching a heap of mid 80’s footy the last couple of weeks on Fox Footy. In particular, a few old Essendon games.
One of the things that stands out to me in lots of these games is the high ‘socks up’ rate. I’d estimate that 80%-90% of players had their socks pulled up. In the case of Essendon, in 1985 it was 100%. In fact, in a 1985 game between Essendon and Footscray, only one player out of the entire 40 – Les Bamblett – was getting around with his socks down. Today, I reckon more than half of the players get around with their socks down.
What has caused this drop in the ‘sox up’ rate I wonder ?
When I was a youngster playing in the mid 80’s, besides this theory that you “looked more like a footballer” it was considered by some that it was actually a playing advantage to keep your socks up. In fact, the great Mr K. Sheedy pulled me aside one night at training and gave me a blast for continuing to play and train with my socks down. His reason was that in a game of football where you spend a lot of time bent over the ball and can’t see where your team mates are, anything that helps you identify them is going to help. Fair enough, I thought. There were some resisters, but that’s why most of the Essendon players got around with their sox up in the mid eighties. Again, I wonder what’s caused the lessening of players who play with their sox up over the last 20 years ? Seems like a style issue to me, but I dunno.
Personally, I couldn’t give a rats whether a player plays with his socks up or down. But I wonder if, in this day and age of supposed ultra-professionalism, should they actually be playing with their socks up ? Again, I dunno. Do people have a preference for sox up or sox down ? I know it really annoys some people seeing players with their sox down, then there’s people like me who don’t care too much. But maybe I should care ? Again, I dunno.
And if the clubs have no issue with their players wearing their sox down, why do they make them wear high sox to begin with ? Providing of course that they could get League approval first, who is gonna become the first club to make a motza out of making and wearing anklet style sox like athletes, tennis players etc. do ? That’s gotta look and feel heaps better than long socks rolled around the ankle doesn’t it ?
And finally, given the nature of the sphincter police at the AFL and their penchant for copying everything the NFL in America does, will we see the day when they introduce a very strict on-field dress code for the players and actually make them wear their socks up, have their jumpers tucked in etc. like the NFL does anyway ? (In the NFL, players receive fines for the most minor of dress-code violations because the NFL believes its all part of upholding the image and professionalism of the game.)
Only a very, very minor issue I know, but I was wondering what people thought about some of the above as per playing footy with your sox up or down. Should players play with them up or down ? Does it matter ? Is their a marketing opportunity $$$ ? Will the AFL ever introduce an on-field dress code do you think ?
One of the things that stands out to me in lots of these games is the high ‘socks up’ rate. I’d estimate that 80%-90% of players had their socks pulled up. In the case of Essendon, in 1985 it was 100%. In fact, in a 1985 game between Essendon and Footscray, only one player out of the entire 40 – Les Bamblett – was getting around with his socks down. Today, I reckon more than half of the players get around with their socks down.
What has caused this drop in the ‘sox up’ rate I wonder ?
When I was a youngster playing in the mid 80’s, besides this theory that you “looked more like a footballer” it was considered by some that it was actually a playing advantage to keep your socks up. In fact, the great Mr K. Sheedy pulled me aside one night at training and gave me a blast for continuing to play and train with my socks down. His reason was that in a game of football where you spend a lot of time bent over the ball and can’t see where your team mates are, anything that helps you identify them is going to help. Fair enough, I thought. There were some resisters, but that’s why most of the Essendon players got around with their sox up in the mid eighties. Again, I wonder what’s caused the lessening of players who play with their sox up over the last 20 years ? Seems like a style issue to me, but I dunno.
Personally, I couldn’t give a rats whether a player plays with his socks up or down. But I wonder if, in this day and age of supposed ultra-professionalism, should they actually be playing with their socks up ? Again, I dunno. Do people have a preference for sox up or sox down ? I know it really annoys some people seeing players with their sox down, then there’s people like me who don’t care too much. But maybe I should care ? Again, I dunno.
And if the clubs have no issue with their players wearing their sox down, why do they make them wear high sox to begin with ? Providing of course that they could get League approval first, who is gonna become the first club to make a motza out of making and wearing anklet style sox like athletes, tennis players etc. do ? That’s gotta look and feel heaps better than long socks rolled around the ankle doesn’t it ?
And finally, given the nature of the sphincter police at the AFL and their penchant for copying everything the NFL in America does, will we see the day when they introduce a very strict on-field dress code for the players and actually make them wear their socks up, have their jumpers tucked in etc. like the NFL does anyway ? (In the NFL, players receive fines for the most minor of dress-code violations because the NFL believes its all part of upholding the image and professionalism of the game.)
Only a very, very minor issue I know, but I was wondering what people thought about some of the above as per playing footy with your sox up or down. Should players play with them up or down ? Does it matter ? Is their a marketing opportunity $$$ ? Will the AFL ever introduce an on-field dress code do you think ?