‘Gross': AFL broadcaster under fire for showing young Carlton fan sobbing

News.com.au

23-06-2025

The AFL world is divided after Fox Sports decided to showcase a distraught child during Carlton's embarrassing eleven-point defeat to North Melbourne on Saturday.
The Kangaroos, one of the league's weakest teams, sprung a huge upset over the Blues on the weekend much to the anger of fans, with a chorus of boos sounding out around the MCG at several points in the match.
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There was no shortage of sad or dismayed Blues fans in the stands as their side was dominated for large parts of the game but many felt one move by the AFL broadcaster went too far.
With Carlton down 84-45 in the final quarter, Fox Sports' decision to pan to a young distraught Blues fan drew the ire of many watching at home.
'That is a summation of what's happened for the Blues with that poor young fella. Mum and Dad have brought him to the footy today, full of hope,' commentator Mark Howard said.
While Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown quipped: 'That's just bad parenting'.
However, many footy fans didn't see the light side of it, slamming the broadcast giant on social media.
'Fox needs to stop zooming in on upset fans. It's not just uncomfortable, it's invasive and exploitative. You don't know why someone's crying. Maybe it's not even about the game. And filming crying kids for broadcast? That's not storytelling, it's just gross,' one angry viewer wrote on social media.
'They should be zooming in on fans but kids crying is not right,' another added.
While a third said: 'That poor little fella who is a Carlton supporter & was crying is about to become a meme. He doesn't deserve that. His day is bad enough as it is!'
But others didn't see the fuss. 'It's part of the entry policy you accept when buying a ticket. Unlucky, just bottle it up like the rest of us,' one fan wrote.
Others commented 'Australia is the land of snowflakes, grow up' and 'They're at a live football match ffs in the public eye how can it be invasive if you don't want people to see your emotions then stay home lol'.
After the loss, Carlton coach Michael Voss was equally dismayed, but his anger was shared between his team's performance and the fans' decision to boo.
'It's not time to isolate, it's time to come together,' Voss said in regard to the booing.
'We love coming to the ground and having the supporter base we have and the passion that our supporters have, but we share in their disappointment.'
But fans were not done complaining, with 3AW in Melbourne bombarded by angry Blues fans after the game.
Eddie called in and said: 'I'm 57 years old and I've been watching Carlton for many years and we still lack heart.
'I'm pleased for North Melbourne, but we were absolutely done in the third quarter. I'm calling it out Voss, sorry mate, you've got to go. It's time for a change.'
While Adrian said: 'They show a bit of spine in the last quarter so they can get selected again and not get dropped.
'There's no heart and Michael Voss, you've got no idea what you're going to get from that coach.
'You've got to take most of the blame Michael and we want you out of the football club. Time is up.'