ABOUT

We turned trauma into a story the media couldn’t ignore.

Introducing the Emotional Baggage Index. The world’s first ranking of AFL clubs based not on ladder position, but on the emotional scars carried by their fans.

Using over 100 years of AFL history, we developed a proprietary model scoring every club on its most painful moments: Grand Final losses, Preliminary Final exits, controversial umpiring decisions, dynasty droughts and near misses. The more heartbreak a club had endured, the higher it ranked.

It gave fans and pundits something irresistible to debate. For the first time, emotional suffering was quantified, ranked and publicly declared.

Then we gave the story a physical symbol the media could capture.

Mitchell & Ness created custom “emotional baggage” pieces for every club, each sized to reflect the weight of its trauma. The heavier the heartbreak, the bigger the bag.

We launched the Index during AFL Finals week, seeding the bags to commentators, breakfast TV hosts, radio personalities and AFL influencers. Live reveals, unboxings and on-air debates followed instantly.

Talkback callers argued the rankings. Breakfast shows displayed the bags. Sports journalists dissected the data. Fans shared, defended and challenged their club’s position.

Outrage became the headline.

The Emotional Baggage Index didn’t rely on paid media.

It became news.

By turning nostalgia into a provocative ranking, and a ranking into a visual symbol, Mitchell & Ness transformed AFL heartbreak into a national conversation fans carried everywhere.