How to make footy the most popular sport in the USA

[oh_my_hat]

Nice post USAEagle, while I share you enthusiasm and hopes I really doubt AFL ever taking off in the US no matter how much T.V coverage it gets.

We have had NFL, MLB & NBA on T.V here for years and it has never caught on with the masses so I doubt it happening the other way as I think Americans are more insular than Aussies which is a big obstacle.

There was a thread on this board about 5 or 6 months ago on this very topic that raged for days so if you could be bothered looking back you may find it and enjoy the read.

 

[barry]

Originally posted by Lionel Lyon


I couldn't see it happening. I've been here for a while; it would take an act of God to make USFooty professionally more attractive than the AFL. It'd never happen. But getting good Yank players to Aust. would be a real and very attractive possibility. Put it this way, if we could get to the point where one didn't have constantly to explain to people here, "No, it's not Rugby," then I think the mission would be completed.

In any case, if they're afraid of promoting it in US for those reasons, then at least promote it more rigorously elsewhere: PNG, NZ/Oceania, SE Asia, Africa. Just flood 'em with telecasts/replays. It's just too damned good a product to keep a secret any longer!

Well NSW and Queensland have known the difference between Aussie rules and rugby for 100 years, and in the last 20 we have heavily promoted the code and installed teams in both states playing at the highest level. TV coverage is as good as anywhere.
But, a combined NSW/QLD born team could barely match it with WA let alone compete in an international arena, and half of australias populations is from NSW and QLD.

What I am saying is that its very hard to get a region/country to adopt a new sport. Not unless you can have players from an existing sport play both, ala International rules. (Which has been much more successful in Ireland than an AFL games)

I think International rules has a much better chance of making it international, simply because the rules are still very negoitable, so, the rules could be slightly modified to allow a USA team to be competitive almost immediately, whatever their strength is.
Their players may come from existing Gaelic and aussie rules leagues there, plus a few ring-ins from other US-only sports.

 

[Stealth bomber]

Didn't the AFL/VFL have cheerleaders at some point?

There's a picture in an AFL book I have of Lou Richards in the middle of a kickline surrounded by cheerleaders who called themselves the Bluebirds. Judging by the Farrah-Fawcett hairstyles, the skimpy tops and the white go-go boots, I would guess it was taken sometime during the 70s.

Thankfully, Lou was not dressed like that.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by barry


Well NSW and Queensland have known the difference between Aussie rules and rugby for 100 years, and in the last 20 we have heavily promoted the code and installed teams in both states playing at the highest level. TV coverage is as good as anywhere.
But, a combined NSW/QLD born team could barely match it with WA let alone compete in an international arena, and half of australias populations is from NSW and QLD.

What I am saying is that its very hard to get a region/country to adopt a new sport. Not unless you can have players from an existing sport play both, ala International rules. (Which has been much more successful in Ireland than an AFL games)

I think International rules has a much better chance of making it international, simply because the rules are still very negoitable, so, the rules could be slightly modified to allow a USA team to be competitive almost immediately, whatever their strength is.
Their players may come from existing Gaelic and aussie rules leagues there, plus a few ring-ins from other US-only sports.

Good point but i think it would be easier to promote AFL in most other countries than in NSW and QLD because of those states inborn, inbred ( whatever u want to call it ) bias against AFL. These predjudices have been broken down to a certain extent in the last 10 years but other countries may be more open to other sports than NSW and QLD are to footy and footy may grow at a faster pace.

International rules may have a better chance of making it and even though i find it exciting, its not and never will be footy and as someone else has pointed out if it grows perhaps instead of theAFL picking the eyes out of Gaelic footy -inter rules could start picking players from the AFL