A few days ago I received the batch of paperwork for getting my Permanent Visa, and while this is one step closer to becoming a citizen, I find that having a footy team might be the better test.
I have been asked time and again who my footy team is. This is asked in Melbourne more often than what one does for a living. To clarify, footy is Australian Rules Football. I've been to a few games and there are couple of things that have impressed me. One is that the game seems to have just about one rule, which would be to kick the ball through the goal by any means short of manslaughter. The second is that people here absolutely love the game, and more specifically, their teams. Unlike the US where your team affiliation is almost always based on your state, here the affiliations seem to be more emotional. Most rabid fans have their affiliation due to a father or grandfather who went for the team. Footy is also primarilly a Victorian sport, located around Melbourne for the most part. The teams represent the inner neighborhoods in the area so it is not uncommon to have neighbors who all go for different teams, thus causing potential strife or long-lasting bonds.
Another thing that I think is really quite cool about the game is that the entire sport seems to be from another era. There is no padding to speak of, the players don't make gazilions of dollars, and the local stadium, the MCG, fills and empties with people who walk with their families through the surrounding gardens and parks. There is something quaint about it. After one game I attended the fans were actually allowed onto the field to throw or kick their footies around. Thousands of people threw as many balls through the air and it was as fun and playful as a family picnic. I thought fleetingly that if this was in the US, the balls would be sharing air space with the lawsuits that would be flying around with every kid who got beaned with a ball or accidently kicked.
And so, because I love baseball and have always been a fan of the Tigers, I have decided to be a Richmond Tigers supporter. It's also a cool part of the city. AND it has a club song that is right out of the 30s:
Richmond Tigers Club Song
Now I can cop all kinds of shit from friends about choosing such a mob of ferals and likewise find others who will be thrilled that I have been so wise and thoughtful in choosing such a proud and noble franchise.
I now have a footy club. I am now a little closer to being home.
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