- Post on social media from New Zealand radio stars raised eyebrows
- Bluntly stated England female physio performed sex act on player
- Was posted online as a joke, sparking outrage from footy fans
They have a cult following in New Zealand with sports fans – but the Alternative Commentary Collective (ACC) radio team have come under fire for a sexist ‘joke’ following a social media post after the All Blacks’ recent rugby Test against England.
The furore online began when England captain Jamie George was injured at Eden Park in Auckland on July 13 and was attended to on-field by a female physiotherapist.
In a bid for cheap laughs, the ACC team crudely suggested the physio in question performed a sex act on George.
The ACC posted the clip to their social media channels post-game with the headline: ‘Forget the magic water, how about the magic hand***!’.
It didn’t take long for the controversial post to be deleted – but not before it drew shocking comments from footy fans on Facebook and Instagram.
‘She [physio] should be in the kitchen making someone a sandwich,’ posted one supporter.
A second weighed in with: ‘entire team on both sides [New Zealand and England] suddenly injured’, to which the ACC’s social media person replied with a crying laughing emoji.
Other comments were so sexually explicit Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish them.
They have a cult following in New Zealand with sports fans – but the Alternative Commentary Collective (ACC) team have come under fire for a disgraceful ‘joke’ made during the All Blacks’ recent rugby Test against England (pictured)
The furore began when England captain Jamie George (pictured) was injured at Eden Park in Auckland on July 13 and was attended to on-field by a female physiotherapist
Mike Lane, General Manager at the ACC, later said in a statement: ‘We’ve missed the mark on this occasion’ (pictured, members of the Alternative Commentary Collective team)
Others thought the ACC’s post was disgraceful.
According to stuff.co.nz, Beneath The Glass Ceiling – NZ, which often posts instances of misogyny from women working in the music industry – felt the ACC’s post crossed a line and wasn’t a form of banter.
‘Sexualising a woman doing her professional job is not OK. ‘It is well known that wāhine [women] already have a harder time being taken seriously in sport, they don’t need you [ACC] minimising them further,’ they posted online.
Womenzsport, who only post women’s sports content, also felt the the ‘handjob’ jibe was unacceptable.
‘It is just so disappointing that women can’t do their jobs, live their lives, go about their days without being sexualised,’ a comment read.
‘It has to stop. And it will only stop when other men start calling out this disgusting behaviour. Being silent is being complicit.’
Mike Lane, General Manager at The ACC, later said in a statement: ‘We’ve missed the mark on this occasion, and we have removed the social media posts.
‘We apologise to anyone who was offended by the content – it definitely wasn’t our intention to cause any offence.’
