“It’s got running. It’s got kicking. No, it’s not rugby, it’s Australian Football!”
Strewth. That’s also how the AFL managed to convey our mighty sport to China ahead of last night’s clash between Port Adelaide and Essendon, which was the first league match ever broadcast to a Chinese audience.
Meanwhile Friday Night Footy in China! @AFL @PAFC @AFLdiversity @kochie_online pic.twitter.com/tnaOo9cR2O
— Jamie Pi (@Jamie6Pi) April 8, 2016
The home side’s 61-point win was the first of two Power home games set to be broadcast on an online offshoot of China’s state media channel CCTV, after the team struck a league-first deal with the network.
The Age reports that the two-man commentary team assigned to the match – themselves complete footy newbs – still gave it a red hot crack, which is really all we could ask for. Bless ’em for it.
Similarly, social media commentary on Weibo regarding this whole footy thing has been a predictable mix of curiosity and bemusement, but there’s hope for the great game yet:
Some opposition fans also managed to sneak in, taking a snipe at Port’s SANFL Magpie mascot:
And, if Google Translate isn’t taking the piss here, we reckon the game might have already built up some hype for the next Showdown:
The game was broadcast as part of the Power’s long-running cultural partnership program; the team also wore guernseys with their names emblazoned in Mandarin.
The next match to be shown will be Port’s match-up with Geelong in Round Five. We’ve obviously got some learnin’ to before then, too.
Source: The Age.
Photo: Daniel Kalisz / Getty.
Photo: Daniel Kalisz / Getty.
