#commentators

London — Two prominent left-wing American political commentators who had been due to speak at events in the United Kingdom have been denied entry to the country as the British government deemed their presence a risk “to the public good.”   Cenk Uygur, a co-creator of the Young Turks political talk show, and Hasan Piker, also known as HasanAbi, who runs hours-long daily streams on Twitch and has…

The worst pundits/commentators currently opening their mouths for money and talking garbage about football. If any of them come on, I turn off.

Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Martin Keown, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Merson.

Five of them are ex Man United players. Rooney can’t string three words together.

What is wrong with football? Where do you start? I’ll pick six, off the top of my head.

1. VAR. Completely ruined football. Decisions being made from 100’s of miles away. Makes the game stop/start with constant interruptions for totally unnecessary decisions that could easily be made by the on-field officials. OK, so they’ll get it wrong from time to time. So what? Don’t players and managers make mistakes?

2. Simulation. Contributes to the stop/start and is now being used as a tactic by coaching staff to delay the game, especially towards the end of games and very often by goalkeepers.

3. OK, the picture shows women commentating on a women’s tournament. Now show me a picture of commentators for a men’s tournament that doesn’t include women. You can’t.

4. Millions taken out of the game in the pockets of average players.

5. Incompetent officials. It’s the main reason VAR came into existence. There’s plenty of money sloshing around the game - put some of it into proper training of officials.

One of the most frustrating parts of this whole situation is the tone some commentators are taking. The glibness.The detachment.The refusal to plainly condemn what happened. And I keep thinking about how differently this would be treated if the method of attack were different. Because let’s be honest: if this were a workplace shooting, nobody would be sitting there acting cute, ironic, or…

It is pretty tough watching football in the age of armchair experts. There are so many paid pundits commentating during AFL matches broadcast on Fox Footy that judgements fly faster than the Sherrin. Back in the day, commentators actually used to call the game. These days, critical analysis fill the watcher’s cup to overflowing. Ex-players paid to blow their trumpeted expert opinions fill the air waves. To be honest, this type of commentary sucks the joy out of footy. I don’t want to hear why every player and team are not playing perfect footy. I want to feel the excitement of the game.

AFL Footy On The Telly Plagued By Too Many Experts

In truth, AFL football has never been more demanding for those playing the game. Have a think about how much the style of play has been changing over recent years. These armchair experts employed to comment on TV and radio played a very different game. The current era not only sees coaches developing tactics and game styles, but also the AFL governing body constantly changing the rules. AFL has been manipulated by those ruling bodies to become more high scoring and less defensive. The stand rule, 6-6-6, 50 metre penalties and the last touch out rule have all changed AFL substantially. Add to these the dangerous tackle, head protection at all costs meta-direction and you have a very different game.

“Overall pressure ratings have been down in these first 3 matches of 2026. Having said that, this is true of most AFL sides this season. The rule changes have sped the game up and reduced contests it seems. The powers-that-be have been manipulating the game via rule changes to produce a fast and high scoring contest. The stand rule enforcements favour those with the ball to a remarkable degree. Defending has never been more challenging in the AFL.”

- (https://www.golfdom.com.au/sydney-swans-in-2026/)

“The League spent months last year canvassing all 18 clubs and key stakeholders around the rule changes, which are focused on reducing match length and making existing rules easier to adjudicate for umpires.

The rule changes, explained in detail below, relate to:

- Goalsquare starting positions - Last disposal rules - Centre ball-up contests - Aligned kick-in times - Ruck nominations - Shrugging in the tackle - The stand rule “ - (https://www.afl.com.au/news/1464391/explainer-the-seven-afl-rule-changes-coming-in-for-2026) Commentary Of AFL Footy Too Full Of Hot Air Pundits

If you want to experience what I am talking about watch an old video of an AFL match from another time and listen to the commentary. It is refreshing in its simplicity and undiluted love of the game. I don’t want to hear loud mouthed ex-footy players trying to justify their pay packets when watching the footy on the telly. I find myself turning the volume down and that, unfortunately, takes away the crowd noise. The truth is that these ex-players were not perfect footballers, not by a long shot. but they have, obviously, forgotten this fact. The excitement of footy is not about a series of perfect plays. It is a contest, often, chaotic but mostly hard fought. Panels of ‘so-called’ experts are ruining the footy experience in my opinion. Watching football in the age of armchair experts is no fun at all.

The Business Of Watching Footy

The game of AFL has never been faster and more complex to play. Despite this, dinosaurs from another time judge like portentous prophets from on high. Their investment and that of their broadcasters in portraying themselves as experts weighs the game down. It is a commercial shell game, in reality, as these grifters make their play. A famous coach once said that footballers are not the sharpest tools in the shed or something approximating this sentiment. I would add that athletes are not known for their smarts or intellectual prowess. You rarely get both attributes in a human being it is mostly one or the other. These AFL players have lightning-fast physical reactions and vast capacities to run all day. They are not rocket scientists, however, and getting them to play like a team remains a challenge for coaches. It is unfair to expect from the comfort of our armchairs that perfect footy is going to be played every minute of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0uiIlw6fJo B Grade Commentator Condemns Carlton

Recently a B grade AFL commentator/pundit recently condemned Carlton for recruiting a bunch of B grade players from other teams. This commentator was not much more than B+ himself as a player, so I suppose he knows what B grade football is about, intimately. These armchair experts are so full of bloated opinions about the game that they sink the undeniable fact that we are all talking about a game here. A game to be played with passion for fun and enjoyment above all else. I don’t care if this bloke is paying off investment property mortgages via his paid gigs on TV and radio, that is his business. The BS injected into the AFL media by these ‘has beens’ reinvented as ‘experts’ is galling to say the least. Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one.

Less Expert Opinion Please

I would like to see and hear less expert opinion when trying to enjoy watching AFL footy from my own armchair at home. I know the media copies everything that Americans do and shoves it down our throats downunder, but give it a rest will you. Listening to David King loudly justify his judgemental opinions during the call of a match is no fun for the viewer, let me tell you. Likewise, Garry Lyon, these blokes reckon that the best way to get a point across is to ramp up the volume and pontificate till the cows come home. Boring! Think about this. Shut your cake hole for a minute and let the game do the talking for a change. We have the greatest football code in the world on display - let it talk for itself! Because watching the football in the age of the armchair expert is no fun at all.

Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The AI Heresy; What Price Life?; America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump; and other titles. NOW AVAILABLE AT APPLE BOOKS & GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS. Google Play Books AUDIOBOOK

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