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AFL players struggle with reading and maths, the AFLPA reveals

A QUARTER of all players who come into the AFL system have reading and maths skills lower than year 10 level.

In the following item on the SEN 7:30 News, Barry Hall didn't know the meaning of "prior".

Comments

[m0nty]

Ah yes, Tom Prior of the Sun. A fellow Dee fan, Tony. A journo of the old school.

[Alistair]

I know most incoming AFL draftees probably aren't pursuing football at the expense of a career spent curing cancer, however I don't think the stats in the article are that interesting to be honest.

Most draftees are, what, 17 or so? Just finished Year 11 in most cases? The reading an math skills would follow a normal distribution, and I'm sure the standard deviation would be at least a year or more in terms of ability. Ergo, you'd expect a good chunk of them to be at the bottom end of the curve. Really they should also disclose the mean test scores as compared against the general population.

Now I should point out I'm no stats guru, and someone might want to point out the flaws in my logic. But yeah, non-story as far as I can see.

[@TKYC]

What is not mentioned in the article is just how exemplary those AFL footballers are at that most crucial sport-related branch of mathematical theory, FootyMaths.

[Tony]

Alistair, I purposefully took out a sentence from my first draft which read "25%? Pretty much on a par with everyone else" to see if anyone else made the same observation. As a TAFE teacher I see heaps of students - 18 years old and up Aussies, not ESL, etc - who can barely string together a coherent sentence, have appalling grammar, spelling, presentation, barely legible handwriting, dreadful maths skills and are all-round shockers school-work-wise. Many of them went to "proper" schools. I imagine footy is no different. By and large the girls are best; certainly their presentation craps all over most of the boys.

And I imagine the footy players with the worst maths skills are the best at FootyMaths.

[Lad Litter]

m0nty: According to his autobiography, Confessions of a Walkup Man, and his preface to Sheedy: A Touch Of Cunning, Tom Prior followed the Bombers.

[m0nty]

Huh. Well blow me down.

[Carrot]

Clearly no surprises there. It does underline one of the reasons why I've never really liked AFL or the NRL, though - and why I've gone off rugby union more and more as it gets further away from being an amateur sport. No offence to anyone here, and particularly not those that I know have played AFL to a pretty decent level (i.e. Tone), but I'm just not interested in watching boofheads play a boofhead sport. I've never really bought into the hero-worship that comes with sport, and I've always had a bit of a laugh whenever some sportsman does something stupid and everyone cries "what sort of an example are they setting the kids back home???", but if I'm going to watch a sport, I need to have some sort of confidence that the people playing it are able to string a sentence together. Otherwise it just doesn't interest me. That's why I love cricket so much, it's the ultimate blend of mind versus physical/athletic ability. Even then, I dive for the remote and the mute button whenever anyone is interviewed before, after or during a match.

I'm reminded of a Roy and HG quote about rugby league. I think they said it after they showed some footage of Mal Maninga losing it and beating the crap out of everyone during a charity "legends" match once - yes, really. I think it applies as much to rugby league as to AFL. "Y'see, that's what rugby league is all about, really. Big, stupid blokes. [Pause for effect]. Hittin' each other."

[Tony]

I make it a personal point to avoid meeting players of the teams I follow. I don't want to have my tenuous illusions destroyed.

As for interviews: well, I would mandate legislation which prohibits any sportsperson from being interviewed until they are at the very least 30 years old.

[Professor Rosseforp]

A QUARTER of all mathematicians who come into the university system have dribbling, passing, tackling and kicking skills lower than 18 year-old club level footballers.

[Professor Rosseforp]

FootyMaths got a mention in the rugby union test coverage last night. One of the commentators said something like "The Samoans will be thinking if the Aussies beat the South Africans by this much, and we beat the Aussies, how much will we beat the South Africans by?"

[Tony]

I do believe we will have to find some sort of LLB, MA, BA letters for Footy Maths.

For instance, BFM (Before Footy Maths) Weary Dunlop was merely:

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, AC, CMG, OBE

With the addition of a Footy Maths qualification, though:

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, AC, CMG, OBE, FM

I know which Weary I would rather meet.

[@TKYC]

Additional point... Interesting that the AFLPA bring up this study, right now when the players themselves are negotiating a new pay deal.

Yep... lets give these dullards and dolts MORE MONEY, so they can act stupid in an even more outrageous and expensive fashion.
Not as if they don't have enough money to go and get nude photos of themselves from Miami hotel rooms...

AFL HQ must be laughing. The folk they have to negotiate with over salaries have so little basic numeracy and literacy skills. Game over, anyone?

[Gabrielle]

You are so awesome for helping me solve this mystrey.

[Fxh]

As a TAFE teacher who can barely string together a coherent sentence, most of my other teacher mates have appalling grammar, spelling, presentation, barely legible handwriting, dreadful maths skills and are all-round shockers school-work-wise. Many of them went to "proper" schools. I imagine footy is no different. By and large the girls are best; certainly their presentation craps all over most of the boys.

[Tony]

As a hospital administrator...