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Opinion

Which global sporting event would we most want in our own backyard?

(Photo by Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Roar Guru
30th September, 2021
6

What do we count as the biggest sporting day in Australia? Is it the AFL grand final? Maybe the NRL grand final? What about Melbourne Cup?

All these events have become staples in the Australian sporting calendar – they’re things we get to experience yearly and are things we all still enjoy. But when you think of the global sporting event Australians enjoy but cannot attend, which ones stand out the most to us?

The NFL Super Bowl? The NBA finals? The FIFA World Cup? The UEFA Champions League? Wimbledon? Or is it the Tour de France?

Of these six events, which would we want most on our shores?

They’re all very different events from each other and to what we have in Australia. Each would attract a different crowd, but all would be mouthwatering competitions for Australians to enjoy.

NBA finals
Can you imagine holding potentially seven games featuring the best basketball players in the world in one of the most famous sporting competitions in the world? Imagine being able to witness LeBron James dunk on a fast break, Steph Curry hitting a matchwinning three, or the Brooklyn Nets big three up close and personal! You would be praying for a tight competition to spread it out over as many games as possible.

LeBron James Lakers

LeBron James. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

NFL Super Bowl
One of the biggest events in the World, even Australians have started taking the day off to head to bars and pubs to watch it. Known as much for the play as for the expensive halftime commercials and halftime show, hosting this enormous spectacle in Australia, would change the Australian sporting landscape forever.

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Americans go all-out on Super Bowl day, wherever it is, and the viewing figures are huge. Imagine the Super Bowl at the MCG, packed to its rafters, with a headline musician performing at halftime and the whole environment stuffed into the tin. It would be huge!

FIFA World Cup or UEFA Champions League finals
Both events are the culmination of tournament-based football competitions. The former sees the two best countries over the tournament play each other in one final game; the latter sees the two best European clubs, who have battled and slugged it out over a competition of Europe’s best, to reach the ultimate final.

Both finals would be momentous to hold in Australia. Imagine a World Cup final, potentially with the famous three lions led by Harry Kane, playing the green and gold of Brazil, led by Neymar. Or imagine a Champions League final between the reinvigorated Red Devils, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, and French powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain, led by his long time foe, Lionel Messi.

The ramifications of holding either of these events in Australia would forever change Australian sport.

Chelsea lift the Champions League 2020/21 trophy

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein – UEFA/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Wimbledon
Although Australia holds a major tournament already in the world of tennis, nothing beats the prestige of the grass tournament Wimbledon. Although I am told it is the aura of where the tournament is and the prestige of it all, I am sure if Australia could conjure a classy grass court that resembled Wimbledon, we could steal the feel and make it our own. The most sought=after tennis title of all the major titles, Wimbledon would be a step up from the Australian Open and for all tennis fans!

Tour de France
I don’t know where we could do this, but this beautiful country has plenty of hills to hold it, doesn’t it? The pinnacle in cycling goes over 23 days, which would be almost a month of sport for Australian fans to froth over. Given its rich history and the celebrated fame for the overall victor, this event would really gain new fans if held in Australia and start a new trend of Australians wanting to become cyclists.

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Six amazing global events with their own individual accolades, their own prestige and their own unique flavour. Which of these events would you love to have on Australian soil to witness and enjoy live? Let me know in the comments.

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