the footy show

Sam Newman Gives Us Hope For The Future Of Mankind

3:51PM Clem Bastow | Yeah, I know: that title sounds a bit far-fetched, sort of like saying “Collingwood will win the flag this year” or “Cheeseburger with 0g of fat invented”. But it’s true – in a round-about way, while musing about life and work during an appearance at a football club’s luncheon in Perth (for which he was no doubt paid with sacks of used bank notes and gold bullion, because the world is fair like that), Sam Newman has suggested his role on The Footy Show may not be long for this world. Hallelujah glory be, sting like a butterfly, float like a bee! “Everyone of these (appearances) could be the last time I appear in public because one day the station…will say: ‘Now mate, this is enough, we’ve had enough of this, you’ve got to wind it up’. And that will be it. That’s life. “I’m just filling in time until I’ll be sacked…which won’t take long.” How can we guarantee that it really won’t take long? Can we get every person in Australia to donate $1 to the Sam Newman retirement fund, and then give him a shipping container full of coins and a block in Caroline Springs for him to see out his days on? Send your spare change to the usual address! More »

Sam Newman-gate: More Calls For Sacking, No More Coming On

9:50AM Clem Bastow | After “accidentally” saying a female MP was “worthy of coming on” on last week’s edition of The Footy Show, the calls for Sam Newman to take a permanent holiday from the AFL chat show are growing louder. I think we can safely say, however, that the surprise in this instance is not that such words could accidentally tumble out of Newman’s mouth, but more that he is still on-air in the first place! Federal Minister for the Status of Women Tanya Plibersek said Newman’s comments were offensive to women. “No matter what women achieve, some people apparently still see them as sex objects,” she said. “The public response to Sam Newman’s latest outburst shows that most people appreciate how stupid and shallow his comments are.” And Victorian Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan called on the network to take Newman off air. She said: “Sam operates outside the boundary of good taste. Like most people I find the comments highly inappropriate.” Public Transport Minister and Western Bulldogs’ No.1 woman ticketholder Lynne Kosky said she had stopped watching The Footy Show because of Newman’s behaviour. Ms Wriedt was a personal friend, she said. “Paula’s a fantastic person and she just doesn’t deserve it,” she said. Melbourne Demons board member Karen Hayes said people would hold Newman accountable based on his track record. “It’s not funny any more,” she said. While I’m inclined to believe that Newman didn’t actually mean to say he wanted to give Wriedt a pearl necklace, there is such a thing as a Freudian slip and the fact that a) Newman said it and b) his co-panelists heard what they wanted to in what he said suggests that the climate at the Footy Show studios isn’t exactly reconstructed. More »

Sam Newman Surprised To Find Saying Woman Is ‘Worthy Of Coming On’ Could Be Misconstrued

2:40PM Clem Bastow | Oh Sam Newman, you incorrigible rogue, you! The beleaguered Footy Show star has stepped in it again, though this time he claims he had no idea he’d said something naff. And not only that, but he was “horrified” to think that anyone could’ve misinterpreted what he’d said about Tasmanian MP Paula Wriedt. [T]he controversial Newman asked: “We couldn’t get her on, could we?” The remark sparked a raucous reaction from the audience and panel, before Newman continued: “Worthy of coming on, her.” The comments immediately drew the ire of co-host James Brayshaw, who berated Newman telling him: “Sam you cannot say that.” [...] After Newman’s aside co-host James Brayshaw was clearly upset and took the former Geelong star player to task several times. Newman then became defensive and said it was a genuine slip of the tongue. Co-host Garry Lyon sided with Newman, but news reporter Craig Hutchison appeared unhappy with the comments, saying “that’s disgraceful”. Newman accused his co-hosts of misinterpreting his meaning. Well, at least this time the co-hosts called him out. Perhaps this is like that horror movie where the person gets a hand transplant, and they’re evil hands, and they kill people against the body’s will? Maybe Sammy got a sexist scalpel left inside him when he had surgery, and it’s making him say bad things. Is that right, Sam? More »

‘Footy Show’ Surprised To Find That Acting Like Knobs Turns Off Viewers

12:34PM Clem Bastow | Could it be that after years of acting like complete twonks, The Footy Show are starting to feel the effects of their knobbishness where it hurts – in the ratings? Evidently viewers are deserting the show, particularly in Sydney, where dismal ratings are adding to Nine’s already especially dire annus horribilis. Can anyone say “suck on it”? The unexpected decline has been concentrated in the past three weeks, with the show struggling to top ABC1’s political debate program Q&A – and being beaten by it in key periods. While producers are at a loss to explain the sudden desertion, the show’s founding executive producer believes the similar opinions of panel members Paul Vautin, Matthew Johns, Paul Harragon and Laurie Daley was turning the show “a little beige”. “They’re very careful what they say about players and I understand why, but I don’t think that necessarily helps out television,” Gary Burns – now Nine’s Event TV executive producer – said. [...] The Footy Show’s Sydney audience fell to 186,000 viewers after Origin game three, a record low beaten last week when the audience plummeted to 166,000. That’s down from an average 271,000 viewers in March. Goodness, beaten by an ABC political chat show! Perhaps the whole “Ha ha, this (disabled) guy is totally blind drunk!” debacle was the straw that broke the camel’s back, ratings-wise? Then again, that would suggest that NRL fans have a conscience. So, er, in that case, top work, Tony Jones! More »

Sam Newman-gate: Advertiser Boycott Encouraged

9:25AM Clem Bastow | The fallout from Sam Newman’s hilarious mannequin stunt on the Footy Show continues to ripple through the industry, with word that other major advertisers could join ANZ in pulling their funds from the Show’s ad breaks. Women’s Forum Australia, a national lobby group, is – understandably – pressuring major advertisers to take a stand against the Footy Show’s dark ages sexual politics. The director of Women’s Forum Australia, Melinda Tankard Reist, said a wider boycott would have broad support. “This is definitely worth us doing,” she said. “The program has caused a great deal of hurt to a lot of women and if The Footy Show can’t respond in a proper manner, then maybe they will respond when they start losing money.” The group, led by a Canberra-based board of female academics, doctors and welfare experts, will consider the issue at a board meeting next week. Advertisers or sponsors on the show include Nissan, Mitre 10, Safeway, Mazda, Arnotts, Telstra and Toyota. Current advertisers McDonald’s, Foxtel and adidas ruled out a boycott. Apparently a show staffer has quit over the kerfuffle as well, though he a) requested anonymity and b) issued a “no comment” as to his exact reasons for leaving the gig. Basically whatever happens through all this, it would just be nice to have it end with Sam Newman eating shit his words and being made to make a formal apology – on the day The Footy Show is cancelled for being irrelevant and is replaced by Straughnie. More »