My son wanted to watch some soccer on Saturday (we’re American, can you tell?), so we turned on the English Premier League. West Ham United versus Everton. To say the game was boring is to insult paint drying. Nil-nil, and even that overstates the scoring chances the two teams created.
I’ve long considered myself a sports gourmet. The Olympics are my favourite event of the quadrennial calendar, because so many sports we see rarely are featured over a 17-day period.
But there are reasons those sports aren’t seen the rest of the time: much of the excitement comes from knowing that these athletes have worked for four years to get to this one chance at a gold medal. The other 1460 days on the calendar wouldn’t be nearly as exciting to the rest of us.
Soccer, or true football, is the best example I know of a sport which is amazing to play but incomprehensibly dull to watch. My sons all played enough for me to testify to this fact: watching my child play is wonderful, but watching other people play is not.
There are quite a few team sports which fall into this category. Both baseball and cricket involve far too much standing around. I’ll watch and enjoy the four-minute highlight package of either game much more than the full game.
Oddly, the same can be said for American football. If you only show the actual plays, you can condense a three-hour game into a half-hour timeslot and still show plenty of commercials. (There’s a reason the rise of padded football in America coincided with the advent of instant replay on television!)
Sports like hockey, softball and soccer suffer from another damaging trait, which is the overinflated importance of a single score. Since one mistake can produce a score, but that one score may be all that occurs in the game, wins and losses rest on not the general tenor of play but on one, maybe two moments of brain lapse.
In baseball, it manifests as the ‘one big inning syndrome’, where in the American Major Leagues, the majority of games have this peculiar trait where one team scores more in a single inning than the other team scores the entire game. Basically, one pitcher’s bad inning ruins the game for his team.
Basketball doesn’t have that problem, but it suffers from another issue: incessant time-outs. The NBA used to have an expression about not needing to watch until the last five minutes of the game. Now, those last five minutes take 40 to play out, and the final 60 seconds take half of that.
The other issue with basketball is that in order to play professionally, you have to have won the genetic lottery and be at least two metres tall to compete. Rugby and American football require men of inordinate mass up front, others of great speed out back. At least the footballers are usually of a normal build, something that the majority of us can aspire to.
All of which leads me to our sport: Aussie rules footy. There are enough scores that one mistake settles only a very closely fought match. There’s action going virtually all game long – my novice Yank friends are always amazed that the trainers come out onto the field and action usually works around them when a player is hurt.
There aren’t any timeouts to slow the momentum of a team, the opponent’s going to have to find a way to do that themselves. And while there are positions where height is a significant advantage, the majority of footy athletes are simply well-balanced physical specimens who run well for speed and endurance, jump high, catch, punch, and kick with skill, and must use their brains around the pitch to excel.
Leads are rarely insurmountable before the fourth quarter, even when they require doubling your team’s output for the day to do so.
And most importantly from, the team that plays better on that day almost always wins, but that doesn’t mean that the team that was favoured always wins. All it takes is for one team to believe their press clippings, and the other to put forth more effort, and an upset can take on epic proportions.
Had Brisbane been able to hang on Saturday against the Bulldogs, the first half of that game would be Exhibit A. As it is, it may still be Exhibit B. Hawthorn’s thumping of West Coast might be a lot of things – a last gasp by a proud team, flat-track bullies floundering at the ‘G – but it might also be one team just playing harder than the other on a particular day.
And that’s what’s so great about footy. You never know what you’re going to see when you go to a game, no matter how lopsided it looks on paper. But you know that, most likely, the team that plays better on that particular day will win.
Weekly Wanderings:
Another great thing about AFL is the value placed on traditions. Milestone games mean something (congratulations, Bob Murphy!), the entry banners are important (as long as they can spell ‘Ziebell’ correctly!), and hitting 800 goals means a lot (congratulations, Lance Franklin!). But not as much as reaching 500 and winning the game (congratulations, Jarryd Roughhead!).
You mob the fellow who scores his first AFL goal. You back up your teammate who gets knocked to the turf by an opponent. A goal counts for six no matter how it’s scored, but when it’s a thing of beauty it’s admired forever (Eddie Betts’ name is stapled to this spot). So is a magical mark or a tremendous tackle.
The numbers don’t have to be the same from year to year, but the skills that were important for Gary Ablett Sr are just as important for Gary Ablett Jr.
Of course there are flaws in the sport. We’re human, we can’t help it. But don’t lose sight of the forest of beauty of the game for the nitpicking in the trees.
Joseph Halloran
Roar Rookie
I think it's possible for all codes to co-exist no? I play football and cricket around the year, common here in Melbourne, but in addition to playing footy in the winter, I share it with a tireless obsession for soccer. I tend to go through days of code obsession. Footy one day, Soccer another, and while being open to any other sports, Darts even, Hockey Basketball, NFL anything I even find myself watching the more 'Quirky' sports when they are on. I don't think there's anything better than being open to enjoying a sport and it's rival codes, just more sports, entertainment and investment for me. Rugby though I don't get, league, in particular, seem very one dimensional to me but hey no issue.
Joseph Halloran
Roar Rookie
I think it's possible for all codes to co-exist no? I play football and cricket around the year, common here in Melbourne, but in addition to playing footy in the winter, I share it with a tireless obsession for soccer. I tend to go through days of code obsession. Footy one day, Soccer another, and while being open to any other sports, Darts even, Hockey Basketball, NFL anything I even find myself watching the more 'Quirky' sports when they are on. I don't think there's anything better than being open to enjoying a sport and it's rival codes, just more sports, entertainment and investment for me. Rugby though I don't get, league, in particular, seem very one dimensional to me but hey no issue.
Philby
Guest
The school could have said no, but they chose to accept the contract. Sounds like easy money to me.
Philby
Guest
Funny how he is in to either or soccer or rugby, but reads (and comments on) articles about Aussie Rules.
duecer
Guest
Chris - the analogy of offering a meat tray to a vegan gathering is an interesting one. Are you saying that the AFL is supplying burgers while the parents, who are vegans, prefer their kids to dine on alfalfa and tofu and that the burgers may be too tempting for the kids who would grab one when their parents aren't around?
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Mickyo It's interesting isn't it - Sydney really is not just another city - (compared to Melbourne) - but it's another country. The resentment is so strong from Sydney that people like James/Eddy (an irony there!) - will launch a crazed defence of .... just what I'm not sure. #James / Eddy Okay - so, perhaps the crux of this - you've mentioned "conditions". "the school should not have accepted the conditions" So - what are/were those conditions?? Was it that no other team sport could be played on the oval? or that AFL Auskick might have first dibs on a Sat morning? It seems to me that you have been barking on about something that seems absolutely fine - the donation of permanent goal posts - - when you actually should be sharing with us the conditions associated with them rather than the donation itself. The irony is the ARU related SMH article during the week with Alan Jones referring to a conversation with Brett Papworth "There's AFL goal posts going up at GPS schools...this is the crisis" And I suggest that the crisis is not that there are AFL goal posts going up. If that's regarded as the 'crisis' then it appears the fellows have lost sight of the issue. There's another story from up around Newcastle - Nov 2015 - the Shortland Public School with new footies donated by AFL-NSW along with goal posts and goal post padding. Altogether $3000 worth. And the comment from the school assistant principal "the equipment was a welcome addition to the school's sporting resources". "It's going to allow these students to have opportunities they didn't have before." And then I look back at the narrative presented by James / Eddy and I really wonder just what is the agenda of James / Eddy???
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Chris Presumably someone turned on the lights. What time did you pass by? Which oval are you referring to?
clipper
Guest
Saw people playing kick to kick at Newtown Anzac day - who has time to play lunch time sport - only a few. As I've stated, Sydney is an all code city, don't think AFL would be a big part of it, but would be in the quilt. There's no doubt Soccer is far and away the biggest participation sport up here - has been for ages - up 62%, while league is down 27% over the last 16 years - I think the AFL participation would be off a low base, but growing.
Agent11
Guest
Eastern suburbs like Vaucluse, Point Piper, are they really demographic for any sport? There are technically 5 NRL teams down the east side of Sydney and only 4 in the west. I don't think its so cut and dry like you say...
Chris
Guest
#PB - I couldnt care less if AFL shares with cricket or whatever. My point is, is that there are posts up, lights shining and noone on there.
Chris
Guest
Clipper I would ask anyone on here to state that AFL is in the fabric of our thinking and activities in Sydney (and probably Brisbane). When was the last time you saw anyone kicking an AFL ball in the park? Or that someone from the office was off to play lunchtime AFL? Doesnt matter who you hang out with. Look at the Domain on a lunch time...what are the people playing? Football and touch footy. No AFL. When you go past indoor courts what are they playing? Futsal and basketball. And these arent my mates or who I hang out with. I just see it. Do you see something different?
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Chris Keep mindful that AFL generally works in partnership with cricket - and that as a result you often have each code holding the keys to the sheds for around 6 months each - the traditional sports seasonality that seems foreign to the world dominating culture of the soccer diehards.
Perry Bridge
Guest
#James "Why should the oval of a oublic school only have AFL posts in school a rugby/soccer area" I still don't see the issue. If it's an oval then you can at any time you want put up the soccer/rugby goals irrespective of the AFL goals - surely? AN oval is bigger than a Rugby/soccer pitch isn't it? Just how big is this oval you speak of? Also - there are many schools that set up a hybrid of goals that caters for all the codes (effectively looks like the International Rules goals). I do hope you also picketed Aldi and Costco - coming into town to compete with Woollies and Coles.
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Bobbo 7 "one of the few sports where someone has to front up and do something they may not be very good at (tail enders batting). " Ironically - this is something you see a lot in AFL these days which might contribute to your observation of "a bit hard to watch where skill levels are low". In AFL teams try their best to shut down the best players especially in their attacking third. Unlike other codes where there are specialist kickers (penalties, conversions etc) - in the AFL you can't always control who has the ball and from where they have to kick at goal. In the NRL with conversions for example you could choose your left foot specialist or right foot specialist or even a straight on specialist if need be depending upon where the kick is taken from. People are rarely needed to be out of their comfort zone. I love cricket too - and the flipside is that perhaps all 10 fielders should be required to bowl!!
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Agent11 "The AFL gets a free run in the media compared to other codes." - - well, partly, on channel 7 where there will be a broadcast rights CONTRA element. However - the other codes have these too. The problem for the FFA is that their agreement is with SBS/Foxtel and for the NRL it's the buffoons on channel 9!! "Lots of negative stuff swept under the rug, " - what? like a big story about young Jesse Hogan smoking at a music festival in WA? What sort of stuff are you talking about being swept under the rug? "constant puff pieces about AFL being the most inclusive game," - really? The AFL does celebrate and encourage multi-culturalism (not a bad thing I'd've thought??) - unlike the FFA where many of the exotic names are international signings and the absence of indigenous players is a concern - the AFL really can't just look on an international dating website to sign up talent. "how AFL taking over everywhere," - examples? I only hear from guys like you and James about how it isn't but I suspect you protest too loudly. "how AFL players would win gold medals for australia in the olympics etc" - this one tends to be heard more from the folk who want the Govt to legislate Australian Football out of existence (because it's an international irrelevance) so that the athletic talent can be better focussed on gaining international prestige (whatever the value of another couple of Olympic medals really has???).
Chris
Guest
Everything you just said appears to be out of context to the entire thread. What is the relevance to what you just said to the entire discussion on here?
Leonard
Guest
Like the two general points about (i) it is Phys Ed, not 'sport' as such, and much less one specific sport; and (ii) to introducing pupils to new or unaccustomed sports. Kabbadi, next? European handball (not the traditional Irish game)? Hurling (a Gaelic [field] hockey, but much less bruise-free)?
Mickyo
Guest
@perry, typical of the nonsense these type of jokers have been making up for over 100 years out of sheer fear. I allude back to Birchgrove Oval where the same type of false portrayals were thrown up, NSW AFL was just after a small area to run Auskick and build on it and as it turns out they did get a Oval they share with baseball and the Leichhardt Swans were born who now have built up to under 10's.
Perry Bridge
Guest
I would've thought that one word might have been "whether".
James
Roar Rookie
No the school should not have accepted the conditions. It's quite simple. I'm not blaming the AFL but the school.