How the lack of a National Team identity hurts AFL & its stars

Much has been written about Adam Goodes booing & the potential reasons behind the fans' behaviour.

Let me give you my perspective from a European Football fan's point of view:

Is Goodes a legend of AFL? Yes

Should he behave like a proud Aboriginal without being vilified? Absolutely

Is booing common place amongst fans in all football codes around the world? Yes

Is Adam Goodes booing stained with at least a tinge of racism? Definitely

Setting aside the racist tinge of Adam Goodes booing, why booing is so much more intense & common in AFL than other football codes?

In European football, superstars get booed by opposing teams fans all the time, but not by every opposing team's fans & not week in week out as it happens in AFL.

The reason is simple: In all other football codes, superstars are generally National Team heroes as well as Club identities, something that AFL totally & completely lacks: "Players as National team heros"

So, for example in European football, whilst eg Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney may get booed by fans of rivals Arsenal, Manchester City & Liverpool, many fans of other clubs generally like & support him because he's an England National Team hero to them.

This also applies to Union & League albeit to a lesser extent. AFL on the other hand, due to its limited geographical appeal lacks a National Team identity. Therefore players are only idols in the eyes of their respective clubs' fans & total enemies in the eyes of the rest of fans. 

That national team appeal can & does work as a safe guard for players in other codes.