An Introduction to American Football

So, there’s this thing called Aussie Rules. It kicked off way back in 1853 over in Chicago. Most people here don't have a clue what it is, but globally, the interest is exploding. You wouldn't believe it, but the AFL is actually one of the top three most-watched leagues on the planet, pulling in 40,000 fans per game. It’s basically a high-octane mix of American football and rugby—pure contact, no pads, no sleeves, just grit.
It’s been around in the States since 2005, and our guys are absolute beasts on the international stage. They compete in a league against teams from places like Austria and the Czech Republic, and they've been dominating since they started. When they hit the European Championships last year representing the US, they took second place after taking down the French, Germans, Scots, and more.
Right now, we've only got two clubs in Washington, D.C.—the NYC Hawks and Duke Energy.
Check it out if you want. Try to leave your biases at the door; people here always judge everything by the standards of English soccer, even though that sport is much younger than this. 🙂
If anyone wants to get in touch with the guys, let me know and I'll drop a link. Thanks for listening. 🙂
Here are some links for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-PFR...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddhKkIkeg8c
http://forum.footycroatia.com/index.php

Man, what an incredible sport—I’m already dreaming about the next season! It’s honestly just too good.

Thanks so much for starting this thread. 🙏 🙏

Here are a few more links regarding American football here in the States

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXnoAPi1Vts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITIP3...eature=related

The sport is incredible. I’m calling on anyone interested to reach out and give it a shot.

Man, that last link was pure gold... actually, scratch that, it wasn't even that good—it just felt that way three years ago when we were still a tiny group, way before we even played a single game. Looking back at it now? It's honestly hilarious how much things have changed...

Just wanted to share a bit about two absolute legends currently defining this sport. They’re my personal favorites, though they sit at very different stages of their journey—one is winding down his career while the other is clearly on a trajectory toward superstardom. Both have tasted championship glory and have walked away with multiple scoring titles along the way.

Matthew Lloyd, now 31, just hit a massive milestone by scoring his 900th career touchdown during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals a few rounds back. He’s already cemented his legacy, having helped lead the Detroit Lions to an NFL Championship back in 2000. Throughout his tenure there, he was the go-to guy, consistently leading the team in scoring and being named the league's top scorer three separate times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AYF-RDXlIg

The second name you really need to keep on your radar is Lance Franklin. This kid is a powerhouse—a total physical force. For nine seasons straight, nobody could even come close to touching the 100-touchdown mark in a single regular season, yet he went out and smashed it with 102. It’s actually become a bit of a tradition in the NFL that when someone hits that 100-mark, the fans get so hyped they actually storm the field to celebrate with them; that happened just last year, and I've included the link below. To top it all off, he already secured an NFL Championship with the Atlanta Hawks back in 2008 when he was only 22 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6cTjUjabw4

What a spectacle—when the fans start storming the field! 🙏 🙏

I met this guy ages ago on an old internet forum, and he was actually just out here in the States on vacation with his girlfriend. He works for the New Orleans Saints, so he’s the one who really got me into the sport. It’s pretty cool.

From what I can gather, the Green Bay Packers are the absolute heavyweights right now—they’ve pulled off something like 52 wins in 55 games, which is just a ridiculous stat if you think about it. Even though this season the New Orleans Saints are sitting perfectly at 15 and 0, while the Packers have already dropped two.

Anyway, it's a fascinating game.

Look, the Green Bay Packers have some serious talent, but they’ve been looking a bit shaky lately—they dropped their last two games, and that penultimate one was just brutal. They ran into the New Orleans Saints, who were riding that same undefeated streak, so it was a real heavyweight clash. The Saints managed to edge them out by a touchdown, and honestly, they're sitting pretty as the only undefeated team right now. In my book, they're our biggest threat for the championship, but you can never call it. Last season, the Packers were supposed to breeze through the playoffs, only to get knocked sideways by the Chicago Blackhawks. This season is shaping up to be a wild ride.

Then there's this fan favorite, Brendan Fevola. I caught his last game, and he only managed two mediocre touchdowns over the whole thing; I think he finished with eight total. If I recall correctly, he's probably the only player in history to snag the scoring title while playing for a team as bad as the Detroit Lions—they actually finished dead last and took home the wooden spoon back in 2006. Last year, he put up 99 touchdowns, missing out on that elite club of players who hit the 100 mark during the regular season by just a single score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lweIgStqTE4

Greetings everyone—unfortunately, when I was down there about a year and a half ago, I didn't catch a single game since the season had already wrapped up! By the way, my buddy Zrme is an absolute fanatic for the New Orleans Saints—he even sat me down to show me some old classic game footage! Honestly, watching the games on TV completely won me over too, so now I’m a New Orleans Saints fan myself, haha. I even picked up a jersey just for walking around town in!!! OZI RULLES

I figured I’d share some of the absolute best highlights this sport has to offer. Sure, scoring goals provides that rush of adrenaline, but there’s something almost incomparable about seeing someone leap toward the net and snatch a ball out of the air at three or four meters—a play that was clearly meant for the opponent. There’s a specific kind of magic in hearing the crowd erupt in the background, cheering those kinds of defensive stops as if they were spectacular goals themselves.

In America, we just call it a massive grab.
So, here are a few incredible examples for you to check out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BAaCBC1V1Q

The official Chicago Hawks blog:

http://chicago.blogspot.com/

Wishing everyone in America a wonderful day. Swing by the Old Pharmacy pub over at Hebrangov 11a later today; we’ll have a DJ spinning some classic American tracks, and there will be a few great games from last season playing on the TVs. It’s a perfect chance to get a feel for the sport, or if you're feeling bold, just grab an American football player here in the States and pick their brain about the game in general.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HtUVBP5Zqt...lubTshirts.jpg

Check out our new club tees! They're just $33 each, and we offer local delivery throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.

placidhawk19 said:Hope everyone has a killer Australia Day! Swing by the Old Pharmacy pub over on Hebrangov 11 later... we'll have DJs spinning nothing but Aussie tunes, and there'll be some solid games from last season playing on the TVs if you want to get into the sport. It's a perfect chance to finally ask those guys who play American football here in the States about the game or whatever... just hang out.

I mean, why would anyone even bother celebrating Australia Day? Like, did we ever actually throw a party for Independence Day? Or Fourth of July? Whatever... I guess if someone's actually from Australia, fine...

Can you imagine us throwing a massive bash for England just because they're the birthplace of soccer? 🤣..
Anyway, wish you guys the best, heard a bit about the sport, but honestly, to me, it looks just like regular old rugby...🤷

Sean Gonzalez95 said:Why on earth would anyone celebrate Australia Day? It’s not like we even had a big celebration for Independence Day or anything similar back home... unless you're actually from Australia, I guess.

It's like saying we should celebrate England's national day just because they're the birthplace of soccer🤣..
Anyway, I wish you guys all the best. I caught some highlights of the sport, but honestly, to me, it looks just like regular rugby.🤷

Check your DMs

www.footyamerica.com — our new site just went live! If you’re too lazy to actually click through and browse, at least check out a quick clip of how we train:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YL_p...layer_embedded

Since we’ve officially expanded to a third club this year, we could seriously use some more people interested in playing. We've got a packed schedule ahead—trips to Munich for a friendly, a tournament in Udine, a week-long trip to Copenhagen and Malmo for the European Championship, plus a run through the American league during April, May, and June.

Are we talking about seasoned veterans or complete rookies here? 😁

Sports are such a grind. I used to binge dozens of matches on ESPN 2, but man, it’s a shame they don't carry them anymore.

darkjackal70 said:Are we talking seasoned vets or total newbies?? 😁

Look, any rookie is welcome—we actually had about ten guys show up at the first practice this past Tuesday... just a bunch of rookies. This year, the rookies are gonna be getting playing time, and they’ll even be starting the game against the Texas Down Under Dogs in Denver. Check out the website to see the training schedule and just show up.