Sam Newman-gate: Anz Withdraws ‘Footy Show’ Ads

No doubt the cro magnon men at the Footy Show continue to scratch their heads at the fallout from Sam “Gloria Steinem” Newman’s stapling of a photo of Caroline Wilson’s face to a lingerie-clad mannequin (”What? You mean women don’t like this shit? That’s un-Australian!”).

After digging themselves ever deeper into the hole they’d started, the Footy clowns will no doubt be amazed to hear that ANZ has withdrawn their advertising from the show, with most media commentators taking that as a statement against being associated with Newman et al’s boof-headed sexual politics.

The bank last night confirmed it had deliberately dissociated itself from one of Australia’s highest rating sports shows.

In what is a largely symbolic demand, rather than a costly one for Channel Nine, the ANZ will continue its current commercial agreement with the network but has directed that its ads not be aired during the program.

“We are not currently running adverts on The Footy Show. It was a commercial decision, as The Footy Show in its current format does not allow us to connect well with the customer base,” an ANZ spokeswoman told The Age.

What really amazed me through all this was Newman’s confident ranting about women’s lack of a place in AFL. You know, apart from all the nurses, managers, press agents, mums who cut up the oranges at VicKick games and drive the boys to footy at the arse crack of every Saturday morning, not to mention the women’s League and all the girls playing VicKick and in high schools everywhere.