The AFL in SA is going to have a real issue to get back to where it was after we return to normal business and citizen conditions. Besides the crows grand final year, attendance has declined each year since the 2014 Adelaide Oval development. Power similar, although crowds tanked in 2016 but recovered an average 2000 in 18 and 19 but still well below 2014. So the honeymoon period is over and the only way to make more money was to price gouge food and drink for the poor sods who attend the games.
As for the current pandemic, Dangerfields representation of the players demands is a bloody bad look no matter the context, and it will take a long time for the pubic to forget. North Melbourne players having the police called out due to noise complaints after they celebrate their win during a period of real heightened public anguish (or panic) is another incident that will take a while to forget. Articles such as this are appearing
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sport-can-be-truly-enriching-and-rewarding-again-just-not-with-money-20200326-p54ect.html (Cue Ben Hook on 891 Drive making similar observations) and it is not hard to imagine there will be a good couple of years of genuine economic hardship where there will be an expectation that professional sportsmen play for a pittance of current salaries. Will the general population look at high paid sports people in the same way. I hope not, surely after an event such as this we will realise that the most important thing we have has been staring us in the face the whole time, COMMUNITY. AFL teams, particularly in SA do not represent our community.
SANFL needs to market its product as "Lets get back to basics and support your community, SANFL clubs = Community." They need to show the lads who are studying, tradesmen, labourers etc and then show them playing. Professional sports needs to be shown for what it is, shallow commercialisation of a game that we all love. Sure it produces a spectacle, but is also produces a guy like Dangerfield who represents a body of players that will try and screw the sport for as much as possible.