  Readers, Sport and Technology has fallen in love. Our moments together were somewhat snatched but we are in no doubt that this is going to be a love affair that lasts for a lifetime (hopefully S&T's). The affair started as a flirtation in Melbourne last month, where S&T arrived having escaped a typhoon and earthquake in Tokyo, flip flops on feet, suntan lotion at the ready, to be greeted by the coldest snap of weather the Australian city has had in years. OK, we knew it was the end of winter there, but this is Australia for goodness sake. We all grew up watching Home and Away where it never rains (didn't we?)! There was even snow in the valleys, we kid you not. Whoever said "pack for your final destination" was misguided because S&T's luggage was sorely lacking in the layers department (although the flip flops came in handy in Bangkok - but more of that later).
So, picture the scene. S&T, having kindly been clothed in a fleece and Ug boots by its Melbourne-based chums, settles down for an evening in front of the goggle box, glass of Australia's finest Gewürztraminer Riesling in hand, to watch a phenomenon known as the AFL version of The Footy Show on Channel Nine. S&T had a feeling that something special was about to happen when our Melbourne chums outlined some of the shenanigans of The Footy Show's co-host, former Geelong Cats player and AFL Hall of Fame entrant, Sam Newman. Stories involving him being run over in a car by a spurned woman (allegedly) and owning a bar where punters are allowed to - how shall we put this delicately - relieve their bladders over mini-LED screens showing a selection of 'detested' celebrities to choose from - certainly appealed to S&T's penchant for toilet humour.
The Home of FootyTo say that Sam Newman is "a bit of a character" is like saying the International Olympic Committee is protective of its television partners. This guy is an irreverent comedy genius who apparently is either loved or loathed by the folk down under. Anyway, by the end of the show, S&T was smitten partly by Newman's inimitable humour, but whole-heartedly by our new favourite sport - the AFL - aka Aussie Rules Football, aka Footy.
Just as well really, because S&T was being whisked to the AFL end of season Semi-Final between St Kilda and Sydney the following evening by our lovely Melbourne chums, and it could have been a very long four quarters of action. The match was being held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which apparently is 'The Home of Footy', which seems a bit of an oxymoron to us, but is a fantastic venue nonetheless. We look forward to seeing it when it is finished.
After a very decadent day of wine tasting around the Yarra Valley vineyards outside Melbourne (it would have been rude not to), S&T arrived at the MCG, slightly rosy-cheeked and in search of a scarf for its adopted team, St Kilda, otherwise known as The Saints. S&T chose to support St Kilda for two reasons. The team's colours are the same as Exeter City FC's (red and white; with a bit of black thrown in for good measure) and St Kilda are often considered the underdogs. Also like Exeter City. There is no justice in the world.
And thus the new love affair with Aussie Rules moved to the next level as despite the lashing rain, The Saints beat the Sydney Swans in a closely fought match that seemed to involve more referees on the pitch than players at some stages, (not to mention no offside rule and no goalkeepers), and landed themselves a place in the Preliminary Final - the only obstacle between them and the ultimate prize - the Grand Final - the holy grail of the AFL - the FA Cup or Superbowl of the Australian sporting calendar. The climax of the country's winter sports season. The prize to end all prizes. Glory of glories, etc. (You should get the picture by now). Technology and the AFL S&T enjoyed its live AFL experience all the more because technology was at the heart of the event. The majority of fans in the stadium watched the match while simultaneously tuning into The Footy Show's Sam Newman's colourful Triple M special radio commentary on their mini radio sets or mobile phones (that chap certainly gets around). Unfortunately, some of Newman's funniest comments would not get by the S&T censors, so cannot be printed here, but if you e-mail us separately with proof that you are over 18 years old (21 in the US) then we'll give you the edited highlights. His comment about the Geelong Cats, lashing rain and wet [insert another name for cats and we don't mean kittens] is our favourite. As an AFL rookie, the commentary provided invaluable guidance to S&T, not to mention the odd bout of hysteria (cue strange looks from the few people not tuned into the Triple M commentary, what with another radio station - 3AW - providing coverage as well).
S&T was also delighted to see the Skycam camera in action, floating above the pitch (we are such technology-stalkers), although sometimes it looked like the referee's bouncing ball throw-ins would cause the camera untold damage. And those strapping young AFL players with their short sleeves and rippling biceps can certainly jump a mean height. (Although unfortunately not high enough. S&T was sitting almost in the top stand).
Pictures from the Skycam and more regular cameras were not only used for the folk back home who were lucky not to be getting a soaking, but also to furnish the two large LED screens in the stadium. Big screen features included the Vodafone Fancam that allowed fans to vote for the player they would most like to see tracked by a camera; virtual reality enactments of kicks at goal plus percentages of likelihood that the goal would be scored; and the usual statistics, replays and close-ups, all of course sponsored and half-buried behind logos. Amazingly, Newman managed to get the logos taken off for a while due to his complaints that they were obscuring the camera feeds - but 10 minutes later they popped back up, garish and all-dancing, much like S&T's parents at a wedding reception. The AFL Sensation S&T's new love affair with the AFL continued well into the next day (we're not fickle) with a trip to the recently-opened 'AFL Hall of Fame & Sensation' at the Queen Victoria Building in Melbourne. Having just posed next to several giant cans of baked beans and Irish Stew outside the Telstra Dome (where St Kilda play most of their matches), S&T didn't think life could get much better. But that was before the AFL Hall of Fame & Sensation gave S&T the chance to sit in the locker room during the build up to a Grand Final match and also to become a player that gets called onto the pitch of the MCG during the closing minutes of the crown jewel game. The visitor experiences the action through the eye of a camera, as if he or she is the player, and breathes and moves as the player. Fantastic. If only S&T could have also copped a feel of the player's biceps, we would have died and gone to heaven.
Also of appeal at the AFL Hall of Fame & Sensation were the interactive elements such as kicking a ball against a set of virtual goalposts (S&T managed to score a goal); or feeding a ball into a series of holes and then catching it as it pops out randomly (testing reflexes; or in our case, lack of them); the chance to record some radio commentary for an AFL match of choice and broadcast it; and S&T's personal favourite - the option to film a slot on The Footy Show, following an autocue, and to play it back in embarrassing video glory on a screen for all to see. In our defence, we did not see the cross marked on the floor where we were supposed to stand until it was nearly too late and consequently produced a stunning close up of an empty wall and some spooky disembodied voices. Much to the mirth of the passing schoolchildren who were clearly having the time of their lives at this excellent venue.
After a quick swoon at Sam Newman's moustached picture in the AFL Hall of Fame and a rekkie of the history of the sport (OK, we should have done that first but we wanted to get to the interactive bits before the pesky schoolchildren hogged them), S&T departed Melbourne, birthplace of the AFL, for Sydney, eager to continue Footy-related discussions with the locals. Imagine S&T's horror to find that everyone in Sydney loves NRL instead (that's rugby) and not our own new favourite sport. We even had a chat with Australian rugby union legend David Campese in one of his stores before having a quick trot across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (As you do). There's nothing wrong with a bit of egg-chasing, don't get us wrong, but that egg now has to be of the AFL-flavoured variety. We are ruined forever. Asia Sports Summit S&T's final destination on this trip (of sorts) was Bangkok for the inaugural Asia Sports Summit. We say 'of sorts' because S&T had to nip back to the UK from Bangkok for three days so was a bit delirious with jetlag during the second Bangkok stint. (What can we say, we missed watching EastEnders, hearing about Exeter City's latest hammering and eating marmite on toast). S&T's speech went well and we also enjoyed a sport of virtual golf in the show's thronging exhibition area.
According to singer Murray Head, singing a tune from the 1980s Andrew Lloyd musical 'Chess', apparently "One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster". Well, we didn't see much in the way of seafood (not that we were looking, to be fair), but after seven nights there, the world was certainly looking more colourful, and slightly more violent, after an evening of Thai Boxing at the National Stadium.
If there was ever a case for having a Thai version of Sam Newman explaining what the heck was going on via the medium of an in-stadia radio, then that was it. S&T was clueless. Although we worked out that by the end, the bloodier the boxer, the more likely he was to be proclaimed the winner.
Luckily, S&T had tracked down an Irish bar earlier in the day to watch the AFL Grand Final (no matter where you are in the world, have you noticed that Irish bars always show sport and play The Beatles?). Alas, St Kilda hadn't made it through but were despatched in the Preliminaries by the ultimate Grand Final winners Port Adelaide who gave favourites the Brisbane Lions what can only be described as "a bit of a thrashing" and denied them an historic equalling record of four Grand Finals in a row. The whole of the Australian state of Victoria must have wept that the Grand Final was played between two out-of-state teams.
But with a smattering of our new paramour the AFL on the pub screen, a glass of chilled Thai lager in hand, 'Love me Do' playing in the background and the promise of an evening's violence, we mean entertainment, ahead, at least S&T enjoyed its own version of a Bangkok Happy Ending. See you next week at the equally salubrious SportelMonaco! Rachael Church - Editor (Also see this month's Infostrada Sports' Databox for some AFL statistics). Do you think the editor will grow to love the AFL more than darts? Or is this decision not really something that is going to keep you awake at night? If you have any comments or feedback on this article or any of the features in S&T, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please e-mail your comments to editor@sportandtechnology.com. Go on, you know you want to.
This article was seen first by people who receive the monthly newsletter, join them.
|
