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As the television writer-cum-public intellectual David Simon has opined, the only way society measures success today is by profit.
It is through this looking glass that we can make sense of the major sports in Sydney all seeking to play their ‘major’ games at the Olympic Stadium in Homebush.
For those who aren’t familiar with Homebush, it is located smack-bang in the centre of greater Sydney, not too far from anyone.
Just like the suburbs that surround it, the Olympic Park is sparsely populated, with vast open spaces separating even the closest of buildings, highways of concrete and pavers hemming them in.
It isn’t close to the city either, unlike Lang Park or either of Melbourne’s big stadiums, which further increases the sense of physical and cultural isolation (there not being much in the way of bars, pubs or restaurants to go to).
Neither is there much of a pre- or post-game atmosphere past the default one you get whenever a large mass of people are milling about.
I guess ‘very family-friendly’ would be a good euphemism to describe the sensation.
Although it was originally constructed as an all-purpose, athletic track stadium, the Olympic stadium was well-designed in regards to future uses: For instance, the lowest tier of seating on the length-ends of the stadium is on rollers, allowing the field’s size to be adjusted according the code being played (e.g. AFL or football).
To paraphrase an old saying, jack-of-all codes, master of none.
With the stadium being built big, this has meant the elevation between the lowest tier of seating and the highest is relatively shallow. Combined with the extra distance from the field on all boundaries, this means the spectator is never close to the field, never mind each other.
The vastness of the stadium results in a lacklustre atmosphere (and that’s before you account for generally poor Australian barracking standards).
All these limitations still haven’t stopped sports administrators eagerly moving, or discussing moving, events there.
Exhibit A is the NRL, whose conservatism and caution leads them to chasing ANZ Stadium’s dollars, as opposed to cultivating any sort of fan culture.
Hence you have the scenario where 18,000 fans turn up for a season-opening weeknight game featuring two teams whose traditional supporter base isn’t anywhere near Homebush.
This is even the case when have their own sizeable stadium (the SFS) straddling the boundary of their home regions.
This poor administrative leadership is demonstrated further when the NRL told press about plans to eventually base all Sydney teams at one of the two big stadiums, AFL-style.
This was said shortly after the NRL announced their bumper $50 million profit, which was also followed by the mandatory foolish prophecy of the code’s impending dominance.
The administrators surely know Sydney isn’t flat like Melbourne and is hard to get around, and has its team spread across the metropolitan area, unlike the side-by-side Melbourne AFL teams.
Furthermore, the attendance of NRL games isn’t good enough to justify only playing games in monolithic stadiums.
Exhibit B is the constant talk of the A-League’s plans to move all future Sydney derby games, or even all future Wanderers games, to the ANZ permanently.
This is despite the game on Saturday, fantastic by every other measure, not selling out.
Currently, both stadiums used by the Sydney teams, Parramatta and the SFS, are compact, small (SFS is sizeable, but Parramatta has a 21,000 capacity) and have character.
These factors result in a better atmosphere and a better view. With no cavern to shout in, all sound is forced down and around the stands.
An almost-full SFS is a far better experience than a half-full Homebush.
And it’s not like a small capacity still can’t produce a healthy turnover: Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, gave up on attempts at expanding Fenway Park (seating 37,000) and instead have meet demand with increased ticket prices.
Fenway still sells out almost every game, at one time having a streak of 810 sold-out games in a row.
The Olympic Stadium is, in most cases, a poor venue. Regardless, major events, like the NRL grand final, the Asian Cup Final or any other glamorous fixture, should still be hosted at Homebush.
However, in the same way that a small gig is preferable to a stadium concert, so too is a sporting contest. Hosting games at a soulless stadium does more harm than good.
Despite the proliferation of live sport on various digital media, the best experience is still the live experience. And the fans will always be the lifeblood of the game, and the greatest way to measure success in any code.
It should behoove all sporting codes to never forget this.
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