Sydney Roosters vs. West Tigers

I attended my first National Rugby League match this past weekend; it was a tie between Sydney Roosters and West Tigers. I was on the side of the roosters, being that this was the team that most locals in the area cheer for. It was a very exciting match and there were many things about it that will spur me to go again. The facility was the first reason; it was fairly large and once I was in, I could (relatively) sit wherever i wanted. This was a nice change compared to most professional sports in America, where fans are designated to specific seats (often regulated very rigorously). Also, with the cheap price for a ticket ($20) I will definitely be at more matches this season.

The crowd at the competition was very intense, and did not hesitate to state their opinions of the officiating. This was more familiar to the way things are in the states. With the combination of beer and strong opinions, it got pretty rowdy in the stands. This was not discouraging, however it was actually nice to be able to keep involved in the match without knowing all of the specific rules. I was able to just follow the crowd and learn more about the sport.

The children present at the event also seemed to be having a good time. They looked up to their parents and even tried to imitate their cheers to some extent. This could be said as being a bad influence, however I do not believe it was. There were specific sections in the stadium that were alcohol free, which is perfect for parents to take their younger kids for a more sheltered viewing. This allowed them to still enjoy the match without having as much risk for their kids to develop bad behaviors. Overall the day was a success as the Roosters took the match handily with a score of 24-6.

Lawn Bowls - A Popular Sport in the Future?

Before arriving for lawn bowling, I admit I did not really know what to expect. I had a faint expectation of playing boccie ball, which is popular among elder relatives of mine back home. I would sum up lawn bowls as a more structured form of boccie, however, and much more competitive (being as it is played as a sport and not just for recreation). Overall, the sport involves a significant amount of concentration and being able to repeat a similar motion in an identical fashion time after time. It is not a sport that requires a high amount of athleticism and at the higher levels it is more strategy than athleticism in my opinion. For the sake of our competition, however it really was more about fun and learning the basics than anything.

I can understand how it is considered a sport in which (generally) one gets better with age. It has not historically been a popular youth sport. However, in recent years the popularity has grown for several reasons. One is that it can be played competitively from teenagers all the way to people in their 90's. With it also being non-contact, this allows for a competition to develop between multiple generations. Also, since it is generally just fun to play, I can see this sport becoming a popular recreational sport in many more countries in the future. I do not see the sport reaching global popularity as being a top "spectator sport", however primarily because it does lack contact. It is fun to play for sure; nevertheless, it is not as exciting to watch in my opinion. For this reason, I do not see it reaching high popularity past recreational purposes.