The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Colk]

Supported league since I was 3 however I follow most sports.

I follow a lot of sports as well (enjoy watching soccer, tennis, cricket, baseball and basketball for example) but for all sports, even if I don’t personally like the aesthetics of them, I can at least appreciate them from an athletic or skill perspective. That is except AFL.

Seriously that game is analogous to when schools give out awards to those at the bottom of the class so they don’t feel left out. It’s the merit or participation award of world sport.

Anyway, besides giving me an opportunity to have a go at fumbleball, do you understand the irony of supporting the AFL and the Swans, in light of your arguments about RL?

 

[Colk]

100% However I won’t argue with Donkeys in that SL had the better playing talent but it certainly didn’t make it the better comp. SL was an American wannabe show. They even encouraged players to make a big deal of try celebrations if memory serves. The ARL was more genuine with genuine rivalries, far less predictable and gave us one of the great GFs.

I definitely agree that ARL was much more competitive. I think in SL my side (Canberra) were ok and so were the Sharks but they were both miles behind the Broncos. That Broncos side was the most stacked I have ever seen.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

I follow a lot of sports as well (enjoy watching soccer, tennis, cricket, baseball and basketball for example) but for all sports, even if I don’t personally like the aesthetics of them, I can at least appreciate them from an athletic or skill perspective. That is except AFL.

Seriously that game is analogous to when schools give out awards to those at the bottom of the class so they don’t feel left out. It’s the merit or participation award of world sport.

Anyway, besides giving me an opportunity to have a go at fumbleball, do you understand the irony of supporting the AFL and the Swans, in light of your arguments about RL?

I like my sport and I don't to seek permission from faceless nobodies on a forum to what I can watch and support.

 

[Colk]

I’m not having a go but I just find it funny that you had a go at RL for moving away from a Sydney based competition to a national competition yet you jumped on board a competition/game that did exactly the same thing (jumped from a Victorian game to a national game).

You also mentioned that you couldn’t support a relocated side in RL but you support one in AFL. Finally, you also said that RL couldn’t attract people who haven’t grown up with the sport but presumably you are an example of someone who didn’t grow up with AFL but grew to like it due to having greater accessibility.

I’m just curious from a psychological point of view that’s all. I remember somebody else saying that they follow AFL because they rationalised Sydney clubs and tried to become national competition, completely ignoring the fact that AFL did exactly the same thing.

Also, why are you getting upset? You like AFL, I don’t. Who cares

 

[AdelaideSharky]

I’m not having a go but I just find it funny that you had a go at RL for moving away from a Sydney based competition to a national competition yet you jumped on board a competition/game that did exactly the same thing (jumped from a Victorian game to a national game).

You also mentioned that you couldn’t support a relocated side in RL but you support one in AFL. Finally, you also said that RL couldn’t attract people who haven’t grown up with the sport but presumably you are an example of someone who didn’t grow up with AFL but grew to like it due to having greater accessibility.

I’m just curious from a psychological point of view that’s all. I remember somebody else saying that they follow AFL because they rationalised Sydney clubs and tried to become national competition, completely ignoring the fact that AFL did exactly the same thing.

Also, why are you getting upset? You like AFL, I don’t. Who cares

I wasn't even born when South Melbourne moved to Sydney and I was 8 (in 1992) when I became a fan of the club, I didn't have a clue about the club's history in Melbourne until I was older.

Thing is I'm a sports fan, there's not too many sports that I don't like.

The VFL/AFL didn't really rationalise the competition, South were broke and would've gone out of business had they not made the move to Sydney, same with Fitzroy although the irony is they almost became the Brisbane Lions in the 1980's without the Bears as they had looked at relocating to Brisbane as early as 1986.

The big difference with the Sydney NRL clubs is none of them are struggling financially as South and Fitzroy were so there's not really any need for them to move anywhere and nor should they.

Comparing the NRL to the AFL is apples and oranges. With the exception of regional club Geelong, the Melbourne clubs were always within 20-30 minutes of each other, putting them all at the MCG and Docklands made sense.

Sydney is much more spread out, going from say Manly (Brookvale) to Cronulla is a 90 minute trip either way, even Manly to Moore Park is a 45 minute drive away.

 

[Colk]

You might be more of a sports fan in that case. I don’t like quite a few sports, although I also like quite a few as well.

There’s no Sydney club going to be moved now, considering NRL grants as they are; which despite people thinking I may be some staunch rationalist, is a really good thing. Hopefully the smaller clubs in Sydney become bigger and match the Souths and Parramattas (maybe not the Roosters though).

I come from a different perspective on the matter to you perhaps, seeing that I go for Canberra. I want the game to grow to become a national/international game and that includes going to Adelaide, Perth and probably NZ again and my interest in the game would grow even further. Really branch out, have some confidence and take the bulls by the horn so to speak.

On the rationalisation process, back in the 90’s when the Sydney amateur competition morphed to a semi national professional competition, a lot of Sydney teams were going broke though. This was always going to happen in hindsight - for example if I had a business and my costs were x and my costs rose exponentially to y then of course my business would struggle. So some form of rationalisation was inevitable: besides you couldn’t have 12 sides from Sydney if you wanted to make it popular outside of NSW.

The AFL did the same, just slower and in a much better strategic fashion. They pushed Melbourne clubs (they are still doing it) to relocate rather than a through a thoroughly stupid merger process. It is a logical way of doing it and it is the way that RL should of done it.

 

[T-Boon]

Peter Fitzsimons getting punched by the French guy is right up there

Footage please!!

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I follow a lot of sports as well (enjoy watching soccer, tennis, cricket, baseball and basketball for example) but for all sports, even if I don’t personally like the aesthetics of them, I can at least appreciate them from an athletic or skill perspective. That is except AFL.

Seriously that game is analogous to when schools give out awards to those at the bottom of the class so they don’t feel left out. It’s the merit or participation award of world sport.

Anyway, besides giving me an opportunity to have a go at fumbleball, do you understand the irony of supporting the AFL and the Swans, in light of your arguments about RL?

For me, AFL doesn’t look like sport. It looks more like, training for sport.

 

[Colk]

For me, AFL doesn’t look like sport. It looks more like, training for sport.

I think it was initially. I’m a big cricket follower and I think I read that it was a game made up to keep the players fit during the winter months.

So blame cricket

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I think it was initially. I’m a big cricket follower and I think I read that it was a game made up to keep the players fit during the winter months.

So blame cricket

Ah yes, of Course. It’s also a rip off of the Irish game too, isn’t it?

 

[Loose Cannon]

I think it was initially. I’m a big cricket follower and I think I read that it was a game made up to keep the players fit during the winter months.

So blame cricket

Come to think of it, Labuschagne’s dismissal yesterday was reminiscent of many an AFL spectacle.

 

[T-Boon]

I follow a lot of sports as well (enjoy watching soccer, tennis, cricket, baseball and basketball for example) but for all sports, even if I don’t personally like the aesthetics of them, I can at least appreciate them from an athletic or skill perspective. That is except AFL.

I am the same. Though I hate tennis. But I suppose I can acknowledge it is a good sport/game as in the rules and the idea are great. I just hate almost all the players especially the younger ones.

As far as the rules/idea of the game goes I think my favorite sport is baseball then American football. Both gmes have brilliant rules/ideas.

My favourite net sport is volleyball (note: not beach volleyball). Great sport to watch and I wish it would replace netball in this country.

 

[T-Boon]

Does the roof of a stadium add much to the cost?
You see all those legendary college football stadiums in the states that don't bother with the roof and I wonder if it is because of cost savings.

 

[Zadar]

Does the roof of a stadium add much to the cost?
You see all those legendary college football stadiums in the states that don't bother with the roof and I wonder if it is because of cost savings.

Is there a demand for a roof at college football? Or the nfl for that matter, those sports are sold out regardless of the weather, and it adds so much to the theatre of it, the mentality may be, the opposition hates it more.

teams like the packers,patriots have had more than enough success at open cold stadiums, that it doesn’t even come into question.

along with both college and NFL probably only hosting about 8 homes games all year, fans don’t want to miss a game for any reason.

 

[T-Boon]

Is there a demand for a roof at college football? Or the nfl for that matter, those sports are sold out regardless of the weather, and it adds so much to the theatre of it, the mentality may be, the opposition hates it more.

teams like the packers,patriots have had more than enough success at open cold stadiums, that it doesn’t even come into question.

along with both college and NFL probably only hosting about 8 homes games all year, fans don’t want to miss a game for any reason.

That is valid and the I agree the main point of difference.
I am still curious about the costs of a roof.

 

[Colk]

Ah yes, of Course. It’s also a rip off of the Irish game too, isn’t it?

Could be, not sure. Although they did that stupid mixed game so they could play ‘internationals’. Either way, it’s a god awful game. It makes me ashamed to be an Australian when it is referred to as Australia’s game.

 

[Colk]

I am the same. Though I hate tennis. But I suppose I can acknowledge it is a good sport/game as in the rules and the idea are great. I just hate almost all the players especially the younger ones.

As far as the rules/idea of the game goes I think my favorite sport is baseball then American football. Both gmes have brilliant rules/ideas.

My favourite net sport is volleyball (note: not beach volleyball). Great sport to watch and I wish it would replace netball in this country.

Yeah I agree the young players are a bit of a turn off. There is nobody with the class of a Federer or Nadal, although they are a hard yardstick.

I am not a fan of American football but I appreciate that they are supreme athletes. If you wanted to get brilliant athletes playing RL you could do a lot worse than picking up college athletes who didn’t quite make NFL squads.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

For me, AFL doesn’t look like sport. It looks more like, training for sport.

That's exactly what it is. The game was created to keep cricketers fit during the winter.

 

[T-Boon]

the biggest insult I can give AFL is that it is about the only sport in the world I cant be bothered trying to think of rules that would make it better. I just don't have anything to work with.

 

[The Great Dane]

Is there a demand for a roof at college football? Or the nfl for that matter, those sports are sold out regardless of the weather, and it adds so much to the theatre of it, the mentality may be, the opposition hates it more.

teams like the packers,patriots have had more than enough success at open cold stadiums, that it doesn’t even come into question.

along with both college and NFL probably only hosting about 8 homes games all year, fans don’t want to miss a game for any reason.

Actually yes.

The attendance of less successful clubs, particularly in colder climates, in the NFL (and MLB for that matter) is affected by weather and coverage at the ground.

In other words yes you have teams like the Packers and Pats (in modern times) whom draw strong crowds no matter the weather conditions, but on the flip side you have teams like Cincinnati for example, whose attendance can fluctuate dramatically (by NFL standards) depending on all sorts of factors, including the weather, and whose attendance would definitely benefit from a roof over the stadium.

Minnesota is another example where moving into the Metrodome, and now the U.S. Bank Stadium, had an effect on their attendance during the colder months.

In saying all that, there're massive differences between the American Market and the Australian market, and as such comparisons between the two are often apples and oranges.