CONFESSIONS

When I am watching Geelong play football and the umpire makes a controversial decision, I very quickly form a judgment about whether the decision is right or wrong. If the decision goes the way of the other team, then even though the umpire is right on the scene and I am a long way away in the stands, I will probably believe that it is the wrong decision. Only when the conclusion is absolutely unavoidable will I believe that the opposing team has been the victim of a bad umpiring decision, and in such cases I will probably still point out that it was about time we got one back. When a fight breaks out or a game turns ugly, I am unlikely to think that a Geelong player is to blame. When I am sitting around talking about football with my friends, I will defend the views that you would expect a Geelong supporter to defend. If the discussion is about who is the greatest footballer in history, I will put the case for one of Geelong's great players. I will do my best to marshal facts in favor of my claim, and I will sometimes get them wrong; I might say that my favorite player kicked more goals than anyone else who has played in his position, and my sparring partner might produce evidence that this is not in fact the case.