Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements expressed “hopes of bringing US basketball, baseball and ice hockey to Melbourne — and more NFL action” following the success of Thursday’s Rams-49ers game at Melbourne Cricket Ground, according to Peter Rolfe of the Melbourne HERALD SUN. Melbourne has previously staged an NHL exhibition game and the Pelicans last year became the “first NBA team to play a match down under outside the regular season.” Experts said that the NFL’s “bold move” to play a regular season game in Melbourne would “have global leagues taking note.” When asked if successfully staging the NFL game at the MCG “could be the catalyst” for more U.S. sports in Melbourne, McClements said “definitely.” Rolfe noted Victoria is “guaranteed at least one more NFL match in the next three years,” but it is “hoped a longer term deal can be struck in the wake of the smash success of the first Melbourne match.” NFL Australia and NZ GM Charlotte Offord said that she “would not be surprised to see other US leagues follow their lead.” She said, “The NBA obviously came out last year and put on a really good show here, it was a fabulous event. But regular season games are meaningful” (Melbourne HERALD SUN, 9/13).
DOWN UNDER: In Sydney, Peter FitzSimons wrote the “carry-on about the NFL being in Melbourne is just embarrassing.” FitzSimons: “Australian rules, rugby league and rugby union are much better games than American football, both to play and to watch. … It’s fine that the NFL is here for a visit as a cultural curiosity. But the game should never take hold here” (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/12).
NOT-SO-GOOD IMPRESSION: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote privately, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league are “probably a little miffed that the Rams played so poorly.” Thursday’s Australia game was “really an experiment to see how feasible it is to play games on the other side of the Pacific.” Volin: “A Rams win, or even just a crisper performance, would have given the NFL all the ammo it needs to start scheduling games more regularly in Asia, even midseason.” Volin: “The NFL is still going to schedule more games in Asia anyway. … But the Rams’ poor performance will probably make the league proceed a bit more cautiously instead of diving right in” (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/12).