A former Aussie stadium worker has lifted the lid on the ‘report antisocial behaviour’ signs seen at Taylor Swift‘s Sydney concerts, revealing that most of the messages received as a result of the display are anything but serious in nature.
Footage from Taylor Swift’s recent concert at the MCG went viral after American Swifties spotted a message displayed at Accor Stadium that read ‘report antisocial behaviour’ alongside a phone number spectators can call or text to make complaints.
The signs have been seen in stadiums and large sporting and music events in Australia for the last decade and are designed to help the public report bad behaviour.
Many Taylor Swift fans were appalled by the signs, which they believed indicated Australia is a ‘police state’.
‘Oh my God! That’s scary as hell. I’ve never seen anything more terrifying if that’s not just a meme,’ one user wrote.
Australia was condemned as a ‘police state’ by some Swift fans after fans noticed a ‘report antisocial behaviour’ sign at the superstar’s Sydney concert (pictured)
‘I saw that, made my hairs stand up,’ replied one more, while another chimed in with, ‘They gave up their guns and are now paying for it.’
However, a former stadium worker has given a new insight into why people actually call and message the number supplied on the billboard.
‘I remember working at the SCG and getting to see these text messages come in,’ wrote X user James Colley.
‘They were 95% complaints about the ref. “Daylight robbery occurring”, “some dickhead with a whistle is ruining the game for everyone” etc – a beautiful slice of Aussie culture.
Colley’s tweet went down well with Aussie sports fans who had a field day with the revelation.
‘That right there is why Australia’s the best country on earth,’ replied one user.
‘I’ll tell you what is anti social, the price of a f**king beer at the MCG,’ said another.
‘I remember a mate texting “Shane Watson” to the line on a sparsely attended ODI [one-day international match],’ replied a third, referring to the former Australian cricket star.
An ex-stadium worker says sports fans would message the antisocial behaviour hotline to complain about referees instead of serious incidents in the crowd (pictured, Roosters fans support their team)
Meanwhile, the NRL has introduced a spectator code of conduct which will lead to a stronger response to crowd misconduct.
The code of conduct will be an important tool to combat crowd misbehaviour, with patrons warned they face punishments ranging from being kicked out of venues to lifetime bans for rule breaches.
Under the new guidelines the NRL confirmed there was a ‘zero-tolerance approach to any form of racial discrimination and racial vilification’ while fans have been warned not to throw bottles or other projectiles onto the field or in the stands.
Among the minimum expectations ahead of the new season, spectators must not use obscene or threatening language, interfere with any players or officials at matches, throw or kick any projectiles, or interfere with any workers employed by the ground their team is playing at.
