It appears that Australia revolves around its sports. People are defined even more by the sports they played or play than they are by the schools they attended or the jobs they have. It's more than a passion. This was highlighted to us in many conversations. A computer scientist from Melbourne that we met scuba diving talked about the importance of sports over academics at school for his kids. Often, school field trips are taken to cheer on local sports teams, with lessons to be made up in some distant future time.
Our friends, Lee and Sam
This passion was made every more apparent when we settled in Brisbane. Our friends, Lee and Sam, were both prodigous athletes in Australia and we saw the incredible network of people they knew through sports. But even when we had a casual dinner with their neighbors, the conversations revolved around what sports the kids play, what sports the parents used to play, and local gossip about the sports teams. In fact, they even use the term 'sport,' as a standalone. It's so important, it's a noun, an adjective and a verb.
It was so much fun and completely intimidating. Every person we met through Lee and Sam seemed to be a world-class athlete. One of our many nights out, as we came back to our room, Rob looked at me like he had lost his identity. He would listen to their tales of breaking world records, winning olympic medals, or simply accomplishing mind-blowing feats of athleticism, and inevitably the question would come 'what sport do you do?' It was always asked with genuine interest and sincerity, like a standard getting-to-know-you question. Rob looked at me and was like, (Rob typing now) "What is happening around here? How do I respond to these people? Everyone I meet has an olympic medal or has some World Cup. Hi, I am Rob and I, well......did baseball through 9th grade.....and couldn't make any high school teams...., nice medal."
Luckily, a lot of them were also surfers, so the subject would quickly move to surfing, comfortable and passionate territory for Rob.
Given all this, it only makes sense that one of the Brisbane highlights was going to our first Rugby game. It was the equivalent of attending and watching an NFL game, but with a baseball crowd. Lots of families and polite cheering and booing without the rabid, face-painting, overintoxicated fans. It was an exciting game, even without knowing the rules. After all, physical specimans playing with athletic prowess in short shorts. What's not to like?
Pennells at our first rugby game
On the way home, we passed by a street that felt like Bourbon street with bars, loud music, come-hither lights and well-heeled young professionals talking animatedly. Apparently, the intoxication is what happens after the game.
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