Jackson Free Press

Remember Australian Rules Football? That was a staple on ESPN back in the early 1980s before the network got rich enough to show college football, college basketball, NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, etc., etc. 24/7 and had to expand to three channels to get it all in. The Australian game's rules seemed incomprehensible (Dr. S was probably drinking and not paying attention), but Dr. S found it fun to watch because of the violent collisions and frequent bloodshed. And Dr. S' roommate thought the referee's signals after a score were the funniest thing ever. His parents wasted a lot of money on a college education.

In his continuing quest to cover the sports world, Dr. S did a Web search on the Australian Football League. Naturally, he found the big league down under. What was surprising was to find that the game seems to have spread all over the world, with associations throughout Europe. And, of course, there's a U.S. organization, the U.S. Australian Football League. (So is the American football league in Australia called the AUSFL?) Clubs have sprung up all over the country (there seem to be a lot of Aussie ex-pats and violent collisions/frequent bloodshed fans in the USA). The closest are in Atlanta, Dallas and Nashville. The site also offers info on how to start your own AFL club. And even the rules of the game. Dr. S thought about reading them, but had a drink instead.

Dr. S found it all to be interesting reading. So quit watching that tractor pull on ESPN2 and broaden your sports horizons for once.