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If you speak to any of the Americans that attended Friday’s historic NFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it seems like they will all tell you the same thing.
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That more than anything else, what really stood out to them from their trip down under was how nice everyone is.
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It doesn’t sound like a big deal or anything noteworthy until you just keep hearing it. Over and over and over again.
“It was very friendly and everybody was so nice,” 49ers fan Miguel told foxsports.com.au.
“Manners, man, here you guys are born with it. Very friendly. When we play in other stadiums against the other teams, they’re mean. If you go to Philadelphia they talk about your gender and everything. But here it was just respectful.”
“I’m getting out-talked out here because you guys are so nice,” added Michelle from California, who had nearly lost her voice by the end of Friday’s game.
“I’m having such a good time out there. Any way shape of form you could think of, from going to the bar and drinking and talking to people to walking around and people just talking to you about nothing and they’ll talk to you about nothing for 10 minutes.
“I now know something about some 50-year-old guy and his wife and I met them for five minutes and now I know their whole life story. It’s been crazy fun.”
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While some fans with lower-level seats were left frustrated by the view, the message from all American fans foxsports.com.au spoke to was that this was just as good if not an even better experience than NFL games over in the States.
That isn’t to take away from what would have been a disappointing experience for those fans, but to stress that from all accounts that was the exception and not the rule.
Instead, the majority of the 100,021 fans who were at Friday’s game left eagerly awaiting the next instalment, which could be as soon as next year.
For Michelle, who was visiting Australia for the first time, the viewing experience was “very similar” to that at Levi’s Stadium — the 49ers’ home ground.
“This stadium is f***ing huge. But if you’re talking about viewing, I feel like it’s very similar,” she said.
“You see a lot of the same. At Levi’s, you can see the field very well wherever you sit. It felt that way here. When you’re here, you can see the field very well.”
Michelle with the Deebo touchdown ball.Source: FOX SPORTS
Amy from Denver, Colorado told foxsports.com.au that the atmosphere felt similar to that back in the States.
“The crowd was amazing and you saw fans from everywhere, which was really nice supporting every team,” she said.
“The wave lasted three rounds. That was incredible. The airplanes started coming down. It was just electric, and everybody was really nice.
“We do (have the Mexican wave) but I don’t think it lasts quite that long. No airplanes, though.”
Speaking of those paper airplanes which came raining down late in the game, Michelle said she had no idea what was going on and was “ready to fight” thinking she was under attack.
“That s*** was kind of crazy,” she said.
“I was ready to fight, but that’s only because of where I’m from. That was kind of cool. I didn’t know that was a thing, because when they started doing that I was like, ‘Who the f*** is throwing stuff?’.
“But then I realised that it was dope and it was fine and everybody was doing it. That was cool.
“The NFL’s kind of crazy. So if you’re throwing s***, I feel like you’re throwing s*** at me, right? Then I realised the more the paper planes were coming, I was like, ‘Oh, I think it’s fun’.”
It was some nice, light-hearted entertainment for the fans at the end of the game given the way the scoreline had blown out, with the crowd cheering every time one of the planes landed on the field.
Lauren and Stephanie, who both moved to Australia over a decade ago, said they are keen to come back to the next Melbourne game and that the overall experience was “so much better” than NFL games they have gone to back in the States.
“It’s just a melting pot. Everybody’s here wearing all different jerseys, all walks of life, everybody’s here. It’s neutral territory. It’s fantastic,” Lauren said.
“It just was more energy because it’s rare, it’s once-in-a-lifetime,” added Stephanie.
Even the accessibility of Friday’s fixture appealed to Lauren, who was sitting next to Stephanie and other friends on a picnic table next to the MCG after the game — just simply taking it all in and in no rush to leave.
She said the Australia game was “just a whole different environment”.
The fans showed up. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)Source: AFP
“Having attended other games in driving cities this was so easy. I walked, I trammed. We’re now sitting next to the stadium in grass,” she added.
“I feel like it changes a lot when you don’t have to leave the game and sit in your car in the parking lot with everyone else that just left the game. It kind of takes away a bit of the vibe. We all just walk out and head to bars, which is kind of like college.”
As for the much-discussed field size, both Lauren and Stephanie agreed it was far from the big issue that many people made it out to be before Friday’s game.
“I actually thought it was a better design than the typical rectangular stadiums of the US,” Stephanie said.
“Everyone was talking about how the field was going to look so small on the huge cricket ground, and I mean it was, but it was also kind of nice,” added Lauren.
“I still don’t think there were any bad seats. When I went to MLB in Sydney you were so far from the outfield. You were theoretically the first row, but you were so far from the outfielders.
“This was such a better fit. But I feel like the lower people might not have had as good seats. Being high was better.”
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San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the stadium felt “gladiator-ish” while left tackle Trent Williams said it was an experience he will “remember for the rest of my life”.
The same goes for Michelle, who travelled to Australia with her mum but left her husband and kids behind. That won’t be happening next time — and there will be a next time.
“I was not even thinking about wanting to take them because I just came here because of the ticket,” she said.
“But now I want to make an extra trip out here with my family because of the vibe, the environment and the way people are out here.
“It’s been so hospitable, so beautiful. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco with the big buildings. It’s San Francisco times 10, because it’s f***ing huge... but then it’s so green.
“It’s so beautiful... I’m just having the time of my f****ing life.”