OK, lets get the Seppo's argument straight.
1) Padding is a weapon
Obviously being hit by a soft, foam object rates high in th USA's fear factor. But you have to hand it to Gridiron CEO-s - they invented Basketball to keep their athletes fit over winter. The also invented pillow fights to train their juniors.
Your juniour pillow fight is basic ignorance and the diff in injury rates between the two sports shoots down your argument in spades.
Rugby League actually has a similar concept of the aggressive pillow. It's called a Chris Walker tackle.
Yawn. Thats why league suspends players for high tackles. Thats basic violence that really isn't noticed in football.
2) Gridiron players are more active during a game
Never said more active - just every player on every play and constant one-on-one action. Two things that are not a part of in league.
Dickhead, you can't seriously think that spreading a team that plays half a game (approx 40 minutes) over FOUR HOURS to be strenuous!
Have league players change their game to start off every play with a scrum. Then allow and require blocking. Adopt the forward pass and your getting close. Idget.
Especially when your argument is based on the fact that for every play, all bodies are in motion.
One more time - not in motion. Either one-on-one contact or physically beating the man across from you on every play. League is NOT played like this.
Same in league. It's called a defensive line in the 10m rule.
What your describing here is whats happening in between plays in football. Not DURING each play as in league.
3) Americans have superior athletes
We dispelled that one at the last 2 olympics. And, unlike US teams, we didn't need steroids.
Good grief. Come in for a landing.
Why are Australians so fitter? Maybe something to do with the fact that every suburb, town, outback post or community has access to a swimming pool and a sports field. IN the USA, where a sizeable chunk of population is locked up in ghettos (Yes, we have areas of poor urban housing, but I can still show the pools and sportsfields available to those who live in Redfern, Claymore or Mt Druitt), no such advantage exists. Australian lifestyle is, overall, far better than the average US lifestyle. And we have more chance of living our natural life, and not being gunned down because of outdated gun laws.
A very high percentage of athletes come from poor neighborhoods in the states. You have no idea what your talking about here.
And finally, last Wednesday we saw a classic example of how League players are far more skilled that Gridiron players. Which Gridiron player in history has, during ONE game, showed the same array of skills as Andrew Johns did?