Australian Rugby VS. American Football

20 May, 2012

Recently, my boyfriend came out to Australia to visit me. He had the pleasure of attending two rugby games. AT first he was very confused, but he quickly caught on. Having that he played football throughout high school, he was very opinionated about the differences between rugby and football. This led me to analyze my field trips and search for the differences.

1. Obviously, Rugby does not use pads, football does. 

2. Rugby is more fast paced, whereas football stops every time there is a tackle. 

3. The tackles themselves differentiate between the sports. In Rugby, the ball must be released once the player is tackled. In football, the player is able to hold on to the ball until someone grabs it from him or it touches the ground.

4. The ball in rugby is larger, making it so the players usually use two hands to pass. Football, the ball is specifically marked, making it easier for players to throw the ball with accuracy

These are just a few that I have noticed. There is a lot of talk about Rugby being a ‘tougher’ sport because the lack of padding, however, it is argued the football is the ‘tougher’ sport because it takes more skill. In my opinion, both games are great for different reasons!

TAB Online Betting

20 May, 2012

Being in Australia for nearly 5 months now, I have become acquainted with the life, culture, and the importance of sports. Just recently I went to a pub and notice a TAB stand. After that I began to notice to popularity of these TAB stands at all of the local pubs. As I researched what it was about, I discovered that TAB is a sports betting game. People that play this are able to bet on Australian’s most famous games like AFL, NRL, NBL, Cricket, horse racing, and many more. They also are able to place bets on American sports like NFL, NBA, and MLB. 

This is surprising to me because in America, we do not have these types of betting stands in the bars. Usually, when someone wants to bet on sports in America, they go through a private “bookie” who takes all of the bets. This is illegal in almost every state, so it is hard to question the legitimacy of the bookie. In my opinion, betting on games isn’t wise! I think it is more fun to just watch a game for fun instead of making bets that will cost you to lose! Sure, it is fun to win money, but that isn’t always the case.

Junior Rugby League

Sunday 13 May, 2012

This past Sunday, my classmates and I travelled to Yarra Oval to watch the La Perouse team play rugby. When I arrived, it already seemed different than the other rugby league and rugby union games I had previously gone too. It was casual, no stands, and a lot more family involvement. There were children playing around and families into the game. I noticed there were a lot more cursing, more intense reactions from the audience. I liked the type of atmosphere better at this game because it was more family oriented and a lot of support for the players. It reminded me of youth sports back at home like AYSO soccer. With the families cuddled in chairs and eating snacks from the snack bar, it reminded me of when I used to play sports when I was younger. The feeling to have your parents on the sidelines is encouraging, and I bet the players of La Perouse felt the same!!

Wheelchair Rugby

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

This last Saturday, my friends and I ventured off to Sydney Olympic Park to watch the Wheelchair Rugby match between Australia and Japan! Although it took my friends a long time to find the stadium (2 hours of being lost!), we made it just in time to get a feel for the game. The game was played indoors on a hardwood surface (much like a basketball court). Four players from each team play on the court at a time and try to score as many goals as possible. In order for a goal to count, both wheels must pass the goal line. I noticed that the wheelchairs that the players have are different than the standard wheelchairs. They are specially made with bumpers so that the players can "bump" the others players. Two players came to class on Monday and answered a lot of questions for us. They mentioned that their wheelchairs are very expensive (around $10,000) and it's difficult to afford because they do not get much federal funding.

Personally, the game and the interviews with the players were eye-opening. I was great to see the level of dedication and strength within these players despite their disabilities. It is people like them that inspire me to be the best I can be. If people are able to take their disabilities and use them in their favour (like wheelchair rugby) it teaches me to be more receptive to my own strengths and weaknesses.

Since there are Americans that play this sport, I hope to experience more about it when I go back home. It was awesome and such a cool experience!