Australian rules football is one of the nation's favourite pastimes. It is a game steeped in and sustained by its tradition, beloved for its singularity as much as its spectacle.
However, this has rarely hindered those in charge of the country's most-watched code from attempting to edit its foundations. History is littered with ill-fated, albeit well-intentioned experiments, undertaken for a variety of reasons. Some were executed in an effort to broaden the game's appeal to the dormant masses, particularly in the northern frontier; some were an attempt to level the playing field, while others were in aid of globalising this uniquely Australian sport.
We're counting down 10 of these AFL experiments, and casting a verdict on their respective efficacies.
Civvies to games
In an attempt to humanise its players, while also tapping into commercial opportunities, there has been a push to allow AFL players to wear whatever they wish to games, in direct opposition to the club uniform that has been the norm for some time.
As aforementioned, players were granted permission to dress themselves ahead of the 2019 AFLX exhibition, with multiple players taking the mickey, frankly.
However, players appear to be on board with the concept, with fashion-forward premiership teammates Jack Ginnivan and Patrick Lipinski voicing their approval online in the last few days.
It would align the code with its American counterparts, by allowing players the opportunity to showcase some personality. Speaking exclusively to Zero Hanger, however, former Carlton hard man David Rhys-Jones offered an alternate view to that of his modern peers, stating uniforms look 'smarter'.
"If you look like a team, you're probably going to perform like a team. It's like running out on the field and all going in different directions doing your own warm-up," he said.
Verdict: I quite like the professional, united look of players getting off a team bus in slacks and a club polo, but I'm not staunch enough in that assertion to particularly care. I'd be interested in seeing what manner of heinous kit the key defender fraternity would roll up to games in, however. 5/10.
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