Americans live-tweeting through their first AFL game

[one-eyed]

Please Enjoy This American Man Hilariously Live-Tweeting His Way Through His First AFL Game

By Lavender Baj
pedestrian.tv
22/03/2020

An American sports fan has just discovered the AFL in a desperate attempt to watch some form of sport as US teams call it quits amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Around the world, thousands of sporting events are being called off because 1. it’s a health hazard for the crowd, and 2. it’s a health hazard for the players.

But one US sports fan has grown an interest in our little ol’ AFL thanks to the fact that our Saturday afternoon Essendon/Fremantle match airs at a prime time for some Friday night footy over in the US.

Pat McAfee, who is a former NFL player himself, live-tweeted the Bombers/Dockers game from his home in Indianapolis on Friday night (Saturday afternoon here in Australia).

    Watching this Aussie Rules Football.. I think it’s my favorite sport I’ve ever seen. About 6 punts a minute right now.

    LET’S GOOOO MATES #ForTheBrand

    — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2020

He seemed a little confused by the concept of a mark (which is obviously not a term in the NFL), but thankfully the USAFL account cleared it up for him.

    That is acknowledgement of the mark, the catch. Once you make an attempt to play on “or go off the mark”, you are fair game — the umpire Will shout “PLAY ON!”

    — USAFL (@USAFL1997) March 21, 2020

I’m not quite sure why Pat’s tweets have warmed my cold, dead heart so much but there’s something so wholesome about a former NFL punter seeking comfort in the AFL in a time of crisis.

    I’ve watched one quarter of Aussie Rules Football and I already know that this sport was supposed to be my calling back in the day.

    This was supposed to be my sport.

    When my child arrives in the next couple yrs, his ass is gonna be punting & punching balls all around the house.

Is this the biggest field I’ve ever seen something played on? I think so … The AFL’s review system is also great. This is insane.

Also, a referee just threw a ball like 65 yards. It’s perfect … I can’t believe this is my first time watching a game. This is amazing.

I’m not ready to declare my fandom just yet. I think that’s going to be a rather large decision for me … Still trying to figure what the hell’s going on first.

    — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2020

I’m not going to include the entire Twitter thread because it’s pretty extensive (you can read it here). But hoo boy, Pat’s mind has been well and truly blown by our beloved AFL.

    Rather long halftime.. probably smart tbh.. this sport has to be an absolute kick to the sack cardio wise.

    What is training camp called? Do they do 2 a days and such? I bet it is disgustingly hellacious to get thru

    Puke and rallies happening all over the place I assume

    — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2020

    WHOA.. what the stuff was the backwards overhead throw in thing?

    DIDN’T THINK THIS GAME COULD GET MORE ELECTRIC then the ball went out of bounds.

    Is this the 2nd greatest sport on earth?

    — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2020

AFL fans quickly welcomed him into the Twitter community, bonding over historic moments like that time Dustin Martin left his car at the MCG for 3 months after the grand final.

If you’re having a bit of a bad day, I encourage you to go read the replies to Pat’s tweets because the sense of community among footy fans is sure to warm your heart.  Honestly, this is what makes our beloved AFL so great.

But Pat isn’t the only American getting in on the AFL action today. Here’s just a few of the countless American-watching-AFL-for-the-first-time tweets I found today.

    Watching Aussie Rules because hey, why not. It's basically several hours of aggressive punting.

    — Erik Petersen (@ErikPetersen) March 21, 2020

    I have no idea what's going on in this Aussie Rules game but the boys are cute and it looks like they are killing each other so it's watchable.

    — Michelle Watson ⚽⚾???????????? (@kcmichelle72) March 21, 2020

    You probably understand why you see a big influx of Aussie Rules Football players coming to America to punt now. One of those goals made in the first half would've been equivalent to a 60+ yard punt.

    — Travis Leder (@travisleder) March 21, 2020

https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/american-afl-live-tweet/

Dozens of other American sporting fans have voiced their new-found love for AFL on Twitter. One sporting fan posted: “I have no idea what is going on but it’s quite possibly the most entertained that I’ve been for days”.

Another gentleman posted: “This s**t kinda lit. Still haven’t figured out how they score yet.”

One more said: “This is an awesome sport. You should totally try it out if you’re an American soccer fan. It’s way more free-flowing than rugby or American football”.

Sport has provided a source of comfort and familiarity during a scary period for many. One American tweeted, “Aussie rules football may be my lifeline from this dystopian nightmare”.

A second fan said: “Do not talk to me while the Australian Football League is one, it is literally all I have in life now”.

Another posted: “Apparently all we need to get the US sporting public into AFL is a good ol’ global pandemic”.

NFL Green Bay Packers player Oren Burks even shared his interest in the Australian sport on Twitter.

“Caught a Sydney Giants AFL game in 2017 and really enjoyed it … Man I miss sports!” Burks posted on Saturday.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/american-sports-enthusiasts-turn-their-attention-to-the-afl-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/news-story/f4195404a950acc8f8763cd0661f6661

[JP Tiger]

Well, its great to see some Yanks getting into our game.  Too bad we just shut down the sport for the foreseeable future! 
Maybe the AFL could come to the party & start putting some match replays on their web site!  You know the type - 1980 Grand Final would go down a treat right now!  Maybe the 1974 GF would be good for some nostalgia too.  Wind back the clock & use replays from last year as a substitute for the matches that are now cancelled!  Make the whole site free to all comers (instead of this subscription BS!) & give some badly needed joy back to the people who have supported the game for over 50 years! 
Oh ... & a handful of Yanks will like it too ...   

[one-eyed]

Talking Footy showed some TV station in North Carolina adopting us as their team.

[one-eyed]

The AFL ‘one-night stand’ former NFL star will never forget

March 28, 2020
news.com.au

Like the ex-girlfriend’s phone number you just can’t bring yourself to delete after a break-up, the AFL is maintaining its hold over the former NFL star turned podcaster despite it being cruelly taken away from him.

McAfee has gone viral in Australia after he discovered Aussie rules last weekend, tuning into the footy early one morning in the US because coronavirus had caused nearly every other major sports league to be suspended.

He has since spoken openly on his podcast about how it might now be his favourite sport ever, but that only made the heartbreak worse when AFL bosses suspended the campaign after just one round of playing in front of empty stadiums.

McAfee’s joy was only fleeting and he likened his connection with the AFL to a short-term relationship - but he hasn’t given up hope of hooking up with the Sherrin down the line.

“Everybody knows I had a one-night stand with the AFL,” McAfee said. “I found them, I fell in love with them, and then they were postponed.

“I had a one-night stand with the AFL. By the way, it was a glorious one-night stand. It was everything you could potentially want in a one-night stand with a sport.

“It instantly caught my attention, I then went through a rabbit hole on YouTube and the internet about the sport.

“I was invested, having a good time, excited about my new favourite thing on earth and then two days later after that, after me being too loud, I get told it’s gone from my life, see you later.

“So I had a one-night stand. I hope I’ll get back in the sack with the AFL, and I think that is coming.”

Like a lot of sports-starved fans, McAfee will have to find something else to occupy his time now the global pandemic has effectively cancelled competitions everywhere.

At least now if the former punter ever comes across a rugby game while channel surfing, he’ll be able to explain to his American mates the difference between the 15-man game and AFL, having previously thought they were the same thing.

“I don’t want to offend my new-found friends in Australia but whenever the Australian punters were coming over here, the original statement was they were punting rugby-style,” McAfee said earlier this week.

“I actually punted rugby style in college, that’s what we called it, when ultimately it wasn’t rugby-style, it was Aussie rules football-style. But we called it rugby-style. The marketing from the beginning was wrong.

“Everybody said, ‘He’s going in for the rugby kick’, and then I started talking to some of these Australian punters who were like, ‘It’s actually Aussie rules football, mate’.

“I always blew them off and was like, ‘Yeah I get it, but it’s rugby, it’s the same as rugby’.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/former-nfl-star-pat-mcafee-keeps-raving-about-onenight-stand-with-afl/news-story/bf9ff1e4bceea389bfd520c985f68552