They Call It 'Footy'
Some of you may have heard the word "rugby." It's a very popular sport outside of the States, although I'm aware of the intramural and obscure (and perhaps not so obscure) universities that take their rugby seriously.
Here in Australia it's a past time. It's a requirement. The seasons just started. And they call it "footy." And yes, the word "seasons" is plural. I must say I'm not as excited about it as I am cricket. But I do watch it and I am more excited about Rugby League (the NRL) than I am Australian Rules Football (the AFL). They are two different sports and, oh, they call them both "footy." First of all, I hate the word. And I can't bring myself to say it. Call me stuck up. I don't care. "Footy" sounds like something that should be in a lullaby.
I can watch an entire game of Rugby League, because for some reason I find it interesting. The scoring is transparent, as is the point of the game. They pass the ball backward, which is something that is fairly easy to get used to. And they try to score a touchdown try. Another thing I like, which astonishes me, is the kick after a try. The place it comes from on the field depends on where the player scored the try. If it's on the far left or right, that is from where the kicker (who also plays in the game) kicks. And they can make them from those angles.
As for the AFL? It's not so clear. They punch the ball forward or kick it. And they kick it through goal posts. And then the referee guy does something funny with his arms.
So to try and follow along tonight with what has been deemed a big game between the Brisbane Lions and the Sydney Swans, I went to Wikipedia and tried to learn, once and for all, the rules. I read with interest the history of the league and how it was mainly limited to the Australian state of Victoria. Then I got to a paragraph about the various stadiums throughout the country.
Now I have seen some pretty bad Wikipedia paragraphs. But this had to have been the worst, with punctuation gaffes and factual errors. And, oh, I don't know, maybe because I'm an editor, I couldn't read any further. Without editing it. So I did. And it took me till the game started. So now the game is on, Brisbane's losing, and I don't know why. But I fixed the paragraph. And I still hate the AFL.
But wait...
There's also something called Rugby Union. For the love of god. When I visited last summer winter, there was some Rugby Union action going on. The Wallabies of Australia had just played the All Blacks of New Zealand. And the night before I left Sydney, they played the Springboks of South Africa. I know I was supposed to show some semblance of allegiance for the Wallabies, but after I saw the haka, I could no longer show my support. Especially because two of Australia's main players I think are playing for England. Talk about allegiance.
The haka? The haka. The All Blacks do it before every match. Behold:
