What about someone like myself, who grew up in Melbourne in an AFL mad family, and followed AFL religiously until about 15 when I developed an appreciation of other codes, and a love for RL? Should I just give up the sport I grew up passionately supporting because I've become interested in another code? STFU.
Yes, give it up, it's an abortion of a sport.
As for growing up in Melbourne, my condolences, but you can't use that as an excuse forever.
I can appreciate AFL is a difficult sport to get into if you haven't grown up with it, so I would never force it on anybody. But the fact remains for Victorians, South & West Australians, we have grown up on the sport and it is to us what RL is to you. Why can't people accept that?
You wouldn't force it on anybody?
So?
Who's forcing Rugby League onto
any Victorian?
AFL is a f**king plague in Sydney. It's been shoved down our throats for the best part of 30 years and we've shown scant interest. In fact, right now AFL is at it's lowest ebb in Sydney since the mid-1990's when Super League gave it a leg up. It rates like the Test pattern and it's crowds are dropping faster than Paris Hilton's knickers at a Chippendale's do.
AFL's answer?
Double the dosage.
People in Victoria criticise the Rugby codes because its players just run in a straight line bashing into tacklers repeatedly (that's how I actually viewed it at first as well). Once you understand and develop an appreciation for the sport, it's clear that it's so much more. I'm not suggesting you go watch AFL, but maybe understand that it isn't so black and white. Your views on AFL completely match Victorians' views on NRL - you're all as stubborn as each other!
Take a second and think about it this way;
Most football codes have a presence outside the countries they were spawned in.
Any idea why AFL is still, after 150 odd years, only popular in 1/2 of one country?
I'll answer that for you, it's because it's shit.
