Saw the question about rugby and thought i'd ask this one. What does the world think about aussie rules? It's our national sport and also the most popular and we so often get told that the world follows it (although i'm not sure how true this really is) If you have got absolutely no clue what I'm talking about I've added a link to a 'you tube' clip on the sport. In my opinion it's fun to watch and i follow it like most Aussies but soccer is still my fav Love to hear some thoughts...
It looks like fun. More chaotic and wide open than rugby. I don't get the rules, but it doesn't seem to be too complicated. I guess players can't just run with the ball, they need to let the ball bounce on the ground every so often. And, there are restrictions on how to tackle. Still, I haven't been exposed to it enough to really get into it. I still prefer rugby, because I understand it more.
Greetings from California. I can't speak for all Americans, but I can give you this typically American answer. I first started watching VFL...I think it was the 1983 Grand Final. Back in the day, footy was a staple of ESPN's late night programming. I was immediately taken by the speed of the game, the flow of the game, and that these guys could punt the ball with such precision. I was also taken by the characters on the field...the likes of Leigh Matthews and Michael Tuck and Robert Dipierdomenico. Hawthorn became my favorite team. From then on I was about spreading the gospel. Friday nights we'd gather at my apartment with as much Fosters as we could afford for the weekly highlights show. And the Grand Final turned into a party, an annual occasion we all looked forward to. I've made two trips to Melbourne for the Grand Final...and am currently planning a third. In 2006 a buddy of mine tagged along, knowing virtually nothing about the footy. He was a staunch supporter of American football, and only the NFL (not university, not high school, not any other variation, just the NFL). By the 4th quarter of that Swans/Eagles matchup, he was hooked. I just received an e-mail from Sanity.com that my 2007 Grand Final DVD has been shipped. So as soon as that's received, we'll convene the group for meat pies and good Australian beer and wine and enjoy another Grand Final.
Thanks for the input. I'm actually a Hawthorn supporter as well The 80's was a good time to get hooked, the hawks were dominating!
I first saw the game in the mid/late 1980s. Channel 4, who first braodcast the NFL here, decided to have a crack at Aussie Rules. I don't think they covered a whole season, just then end of the season. Unlike the NFL, which they put a lot of effort into explaining, they just showed highlights of one game each week with a token gesture to explain what was going on. The end of the first show went from the final siren to the briefest of wrap-ups, cutting to the australian presenter behind a desk saying "well that's footy. I hope you're hooked. See you next week". It just kind of left you with a "wtf?" feeling. I did watch it, but not avidly, and never came close to understanding the rules. The names Hawthorn and Footscray stood out for some reason. I had no idea most teams were from districts of Melbourne, and although I wouldn't have claimed Australian geography was my forte, I was surprised that I'd never heard of the cities of Footscray etc. What everyone seems to remember are the goal umpires, still in the white coats back then, and the way they'd signal points. I think channel 4 didn't carry it again and it's virtually disappeared from the radar here. The Grand Final didn't even get a mention on the BBC Sport page, not even down among the obscure "other sports" pages. I don't think many people here could name a single AFL team, let alone a player.
I haven't seen AFL games televised in the Eastern US for a few years. Anyone know of games scheduled to be on TV? Is the Sanity.com site the best way of viewing Grand Final's etc.?
I had only seen bits and pieces of Aussie Rules up until this year. I remember watching the first game shown on Setanta this season and just being in awe that a team down thirty in the final term could win. The speed of the game, the angles from which goals are scored from, just the fact that it's eighty minutes of 'controlled chaos' really impressed me. Needless to say my weekends during the season I got little sleep. I would follow the game on Setanta, would listen to 3MMM from the AFL website (I have to thank 3MMM for reading one of the numerous emails I sent them over the year on air). Listening to the radio commentary helped me pick up on the little things about the game and watching it was just a blast. During the Grand Final, I actually had a mate of mine come over. While the scoreline wasn't the best help to convert him, he did tell me he would give it a shot next season.
Coney- For US TV, you have to have Setanta Sport which is only available on satellite (and at a premium rate...usually an additional $15/month). If you have a good high-speed internet connection (high-speed DSL or cable), you can buy an intenational subscription to the video product on www.afl.com.au. With that subscription you can watch all AFL matches on replay 24 hours after the final siren of each match...plus other team related video and audio content. Sanity.com is a Melbourne-based music and video store. I bought a DVD of the Grand Final from them. All their videos are shipped in PAL video format...so you'd need an international code-free DVD player in order to play anything you buy from them. There's a company in suburban-Chicago that sells region code free DVD players...I have one an I'm very happy with it.
i think the first time I saw Aussie Rules was a highlights show on Fox Sports Net. it was on in the afternoon and it was a recap of the weeks play. i just kept watching that when I could and if i find some aussie rules on TV I'll probably watch it, no matter who is playing. didn't understand the rules at first, but after a while I picked up on it and used the internet to help figure it out. I did download the demo version of one of the Aussie Rules computer games by EA like 6 years ago and played that, which was fun, even if I didn't know the controls!
Not true. If you have broadband internet, you can subscribe to Setanta on the ITVN IPTV platform as well. The price is the identical, and picture quality is slightly inferior. But for people who can't get satellite for whatever reasons, this maybe OK. Also, if you can put up with one week delayed coverage, you could also watch some AFL coverage on MhZ Worldview without having to pay for Setanta. You can get MhZ Worldview channel in various ways. For example, if you have DirecTV with an antenna pointed towards international satellite, you can get this channel with any level of subscription service for free. No extra fees required for this channel. MhZ Worldview is available on Globecast satellite service and few scattered cable systems in the nation as well.
Are you sure???? Sure its big in Victoria, SA & WA, but I'd say that league is bigger in NSW & Queensland. Its one of the big two National Winter Sports, but I wouldnt call THE national sport.
Having said that, though, I'm not sure what kind of coverage the NRL gets, if any, on overseas television, especially that in the United States, on Setanta Sport USA or anywhere else. I think one way of putting it is that there is an overseas perception, somewhat accurately portrayed, that Australian Rules football is Australia's national sport.
If AFL is our National Sport- then god help us! I'll start another thread on the precious mob they call the AFL players!
NRL as been well covered LIVE in USA for years now, first on the (now defunct) Fox Sports World and now on Setanta USA. NRL Grand Final has been shown live in USA all these years. Personally, I don't care about it and never watch any NRL. But for those who might be interested in it, it is there. Setanta also showed some other Rugby League from England - Super League. Anyway, Rugby League is such a minor sport compared to Rugby Union worldwide. It doesn't even register among major international sports. That would be cricket, wouldn't it?
When I was living back home in the Bay Area -- and mind you, this dates us at 2001 and earlier -- I don't ever recall the NRL being on any cable TV outlet. But then again, I could be mistaken on that. Additionally, I know that FSW and its predecessors did air what is now the Rugby Super 14's series, but that's rugby union. Which we all know differs from rugby league. Not what I'm insinuating at all. I honestly believe that the U.S. and others abroad view Aussie Rules footy as Australia's national sport.
If you do a search on my posts in this sub-forum, you'll find me talking about NRL on FSW sometime in 2004. I personally watched few Rugby League games, got bored instantly and declared it's not my cup of tea. It was Super 12 back in those days. Yeah, they used to show both NRL and Super 12 on FSW back in those days, 2 completely different sports. You'll find plenty of my posts talking about Super 12 from those days in this sub-forum. When I think of Australia and sport, I think of cricket as its national sport.
You are correct, and many people can spend forever arguing the old "NRL vs. AFL which is Australia's national sport?" but the thread is: What do people think of Aussie Rules? especially people from overseas (or interstate) Thanks for the pointer though, NRL is bigger in NSW, QLD. Anyway whichever sport you choose: AFL, NRL, SOCCER, the vics are still the champions
I get the impression that people in England think that Rugby Union is a much bigger sport in Australia than it seems to be. Cricket in Australia is thought of as being bigger than cricket in England (county league games get dreadful crowds here - in the hundreds) but both rugby codes seem to be thought of as the biggest. People sort of forget about the AFL.