The Collingwood Magpies are the 2011 AFL Premiers. The Collingwood juggernaut blitzed the competition before vanquishing Geelong 117-102 in the Grand Final, completing what was an undefeated season for the club.
Collingwood superstar Dane Swan added the Norm Smith Medal to his trophy cabinet, placing it alongside the Brownlow Medal he won just days before.
Fremantle’s goal-kicking machine, Matthew Pavlich, led all comers en route to collecting his first ever Coleman Medal.
Well, at least that’s the case according to AFL Live.
After a four-year hiatus, AFL Live is the latest attempt to break into the sport videogame industry, which has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon. EA Sports’ Madden NFL franchise has generated in excess of US$3 billion since 1988.
FIFA Football ’11 has sold almost two-and-a-half million copies since its release in September 2010, only to be surpassed by the success of 2K Sports NBA 2K11, which has sold in excess of three million copies.
At a time when the AFL is fighting to try and expand beyond traditional boundaries, history suggests that perhaps a videogame could be just what they need.
The NFL is a great example for the AFL to follow. It’s a national sport exclusive to one country, yet has to contend with at least two other majors sports for supremacy. Traditionally, there were regions of the United States that were seen as football states, just as there were some that were basketball or baseball states.
An integral facet to the long-term success of the National Football League was whether it could establish itself against those other sports, and become the true national sport.
Sound familiar?
With the integration of Madden Football, the NFL was able to not only strengthen its existing fan-base, but also reach out to a new generation of potential fans, specifically the younger fans who would play its videogame.
The kids playing the game then began to pay more attention to the actual league, they bought merchandise and attended games, all of which helped the NFL grow in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Those kids that were playing Madden as a kid are adults now, and have become lifelong fans of the NFL; a league that has become one of the most heavily attended in world sport. 17,531,413 fans attended NFL matches over the course of the 2010 Season. The 2011 Super Bowl was the most-watched television show in US history, averaging 111 million viewers.
Research conducted by Neilsen found that NFL games have 44 percent higher ratings amongst video-game households compared to non-video-game households. Unquestionably the success of the Madden franchise, continues to draw increased attention to the NFL, which has helped the league grow and flourish.
The biggest reason why Madden helps the NFL is down to the quality of the games.
Put simply, they’re brilliant. They’ve for years been the benchmark for all sporting video games, which paints the league in a positive light. Conversely if the Madden games were poor, it would portray the NFL is a negative light, making it a less attractive proposition to potential fans.
That is the biggest problem facing the AFL and Big Ant Studios, the developers of AFL Live.
AFL video games have been consistently lacklustre, a trend that desperately needs to be reversed.
Whether this latest attempt can do so is yet to be seen, but if they can, the AFL would be taking a giant step towards its goal of national dominance.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Diplomatically answered, Darcy!
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
