ESPN returns to roots, get Aussie Rules Football again

One of my college rugby teammates spent a summer in Australia and played some Aussie Rules. He said that in Australia, they called it "aerial ping pong for sissies."
He said the really tough game was rugby league.

 

OLIVIA POWER!

 

Freo, way to go! We are the Freo Dockers!

 

Two more teams will be added soon. The Gold Coast is getting one and western Sydney should get the second. The problem with the two of the main football codes in Australia is regionalism. Melbourne has 10 AFL teams and rugby league is concentrated main around Sydney.

I'll still take a meat pie, though.

 

No good until the refs ditch the "updated" uniforms.

 

I don't know why instead of the 300th repeat of SportsCenter at 2 a.m. they don't show AFL. I don't know the rules or strategy, but it's fun as hell to watch.

 

Go Bombers!

 

I don't understand that, Small.

I used to watch this all the time in ESPN's Stone Age. Every game featured guys running up each other's backs like they were climbing a ladder, kicking each other in the stomach to take "marks" (the catch they make from an advancing kick) and other bone-jarring extracurriculars -- and there are no whistles or calls on this. It's "play on."

Yeah, rugby guys are badasses. Yeah, we get that. But these guys aren't pansies either, especially with the amount of running they do.

 

Canadians take note: TSN is running a game tonight (Saturday morning) at 3:30 a.m. ET. Just found out about it. Enjoy!

 

An interesting SI article I remembered comparing AFL, rugby league and NFL:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016586/index.htm

 

The only interesting part of league is all the shenanigans players get up to off the field.

Play union or don't even bother.

 

This.