Why Scott Pendlebury’s record has sparked more than celebration
It's a numbers game
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Guest Writer: James Pennycuick
Today we’re welcoming James Pennycuick, Head of Client Strategy & Growth at TGI Wildcard, as this week’s guest writer!
James Pennycuick is a sports marketing and brand strategist specialising in fan engagement, commercial growth and cultural storytelling across sport and entertainment. As Head of Client Strategy & Growth at TGI Wildcard (The Marketing Services arm of TGI Sport), he works with rights holders, brands and major events to develop commercially driven campaigns, partnerships and experiences that connect sport with modern audiences.
Today James explores the debate surrounding Scott Pendlebury’s AFL games record milestone, and what it reveals about the evolving relationship between tradition, fandom and commercialisation in modern sport. Enjoy the read!
Why Scott Pendlebury’s record has sparked more than celebration
Scott Pendlebury breaking the AFL games record should be one of the cleanest celebrations in modern football history.
Instead, it has become one of the most debated.
In the lead up to Pendlebury surpassing Brent Harvey as the AFL’s all time games record holder, discussion has shifted well beyond the football itself. Debate has centred around Collingwood reportedly managing his schedule to ensure the milestone lands at the MCG, approval for a one off gold number on the back of his guernsey, and the commercial opportunities attached to the occasion through merchandise and licensing.
For some, it has all felt a little too manufactured. Too commercial. Too calculated.
But perhaps that is exactly the point.
Because the outrage surrounding this moment says far more about the uncomfortable relationship AFL fans have with modern sport than it does about Scott Pendlebury himself.
High performance now extends beyond the field
At its core, this is the collision point between two very different philosophies. High performance on field versus high performance off field.
On one side, there are football purists who believe milestones should happen organically, untouched by commercial influence or excessive theatre. On the other, there is the reality that modern sporting organisations are no longer simply football clubs. They are entertainment brands, content businesses and commercial operations measured on fan connection, audience growth, attendance and revenue just as much as wins and losses.
And in truth, Collingwood would probably argue they are simply doing their job.
Former club president Eddie McGuire estimated that a standard fixture of this nature may traditionally draw around 45,000 fans. Instead, this game could push towards 90,000. That transforms what may have been a relatively routine home and away fixture into one of the biggest sporting events of the AFL season.
From a commercial perspective, it would be irresponsible not to lean into it
Marketing and commercial teams are KPI’d on driving crowds, creating culturally relevant moments and maximising engagement with fans. The AFL itself is built on engineered fixturing, marquee rounds, broadcast optimisation, sponsorship integration and monetised storytelling.
And realistically, giving a 38 year old additional recovery days across a season is hardly the most controversial high performance decision modern sport has seen.
The AFL already commercialised the game years ago
The gold number debate feels similar.
I highly doubt Scott Pendlebury himself sat there demanding a visual distinction for the occasion. More likely, this is the club recognising the significance of the moment and wanting to present it accordingly. It is not dissimilar to a milestone birthday. The celebration is often driven more by the inner sanctum of people around you than yourself.
That is part of the role football clubs now play. Not just developing players, but celebrating legacy.
And in almost every other major global sporting code, this type of visual moment would be viewed as a smart event presentation rather than a threat to the integrity of the competition
Modern sport is already deeply commercialised. The AFL is built on sponsorships, broadcast deals, engineered fixturing, corporate hospitality and monetised storytelling. The debate is rarely about whether commercialisation exists. It is about which forms of commercialisation fans personally deem acceptable.
Above: Puma collaborated with The AFL Record to temporarily rename the matchday publication as “The Scott Pendlebury”
Fans are comfortable with gambling sponsorships, stadium naming rights, special edition guernseys, streaming integrations and tourism driven marquee rounds. Yet a gold number and commemorative merchandise suddenly becomes a step too far.
Legacy athletes are now cultural assets
The financial component has arguably created the loudest backlash. Reports surrounding merchandise royalties and the AFL approval process have sparked criticism from rival supporters and commentary around salary cap loopholes.
But legacy athletes are now commercial assets. That is simply the reality of modern sport.
Pendlebury is not just a player. He is one of the defining figures of a generation at the biggest football club in the country. Fans want to participate in history. They want memorabilia, storytelling and moments attached to greatness. It is not lost on me that I am writing this piece whilst wearing a Brent Harvey 427 game record hat from 2016.
Above: Scott Pendlebury collaborate with the Yarra Valley’s Yering Station, to create a limited edition Pinot Noir
Clubs understand this because modern sport has evolved from simply presenting games to actively creating cultural events around them.
The Collingwood factor changes the conversation
And perhaps this is where the Collingwood factor matters most.
If another club engineered this same celebration, would the reaction be identical? Probably not.
Part of the backlash is not really about commercialisation at all. It is about comfort.
Football audiences are generally more accepting when commercial ambition comes from clubs viewed as battlers, not powerhouses
Collingwood’s scale changes the emotional response. Everything the club does feels bigger, louder and more deliberate because Collingwood occupies more cultural space than almost any other sporting institution in Australia.
Their greatest commercial strength is also their greatest vulnerability. Visibility naturally attracts scrutiny.
Fans rarely embrace innovation immediately
Footy fans are famously protective of tradition. Any significant innovation is often met with resistance before it is experienced.
Gather Round is the perfect example. At launch, many viewed it as artificial, gimmicky and overly commercial. Now, for anyone who has experienced Adelaide during the event, it has become one of the most celebrated weekends on the AFL calendar.
Wildcard Weekend will likely face the same cycle. Resistance first. Acceptance later.
Because fans rarely fall in love with concepts on announcement day. They fall in love with them once they experience the atmosphere, emotion and memory creation firsthand.
The modern game is no longer separating football from business
And that is ultimately what this entire conversation comes back to.
Sport has always been a numbers game.
Games played. Memberships sold. Crowds through the gate. Sponsorship revenue. Television audiences.
The difference now is that clubs are no longer pretending those worlds operate separately.
Scott Pendlebury’s record breaking game is not changing the direction of modern sport. It is simply exposing where modern sport already is.
Bigger moments. Bigger storytelling. Bigger commercial ambition.
Traditionalists may not love every part of that evolution immediately. History suggests they rarely do.
But if 90,000 people turn up to celebrate one of the greatest players the game has seen, perhaps Collingwood are not damaging the spirit of football at all.
Perhaps they simply understand the modern game better than most.
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