Jordan Mailata: From Souths to the Super Bowl

[Futtocks]

The Australian Rugby League convert will play in one of the world’s most-watched sporting events after earning his place in Philadelphia and the League.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/feb/09/from-south-sydney-to-the-super-bowl-jordan-mailata-no-longer-regarded-as-an-nfl-sideshow

 

[Irish Saint]

https://youtu.be/RCbarLIlY1s

[gingerjon]

13 hours ago, Futtocks said:

The Australian Rugby League convert will play in one of the world’s most-watched sporting events after earning his place in Philadelphia and the League.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/feb/09/from-south-sydney-to-the-super-bowl-jordan-mailata-no-longer-regarded-as-an-nfl-sideshow

 

I'm posting this to show just how much work it takes to convert one player to a new sport.

For when idiots say that RL can just hoover up college gridiron dropouts just like that.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/2/9/23592968/philadelphia-eagles-left-tackle-jordan-mailata-nfl-journey-blueprint-for-international-players

[Maximus Decimus]

Tbf 5 years is somewhat incredible, especially in an ultra-competitive sport like American Football. There are many sports where if you haven't played from a child you can never quite catch up.

I've just finished reading Friday Night Lights and it was a real eye-opener to the sporting landscape in the US. Whilst converting American Football dropouts to RL would be difficult, the likely difference in quality and quantity of athlete would mean that it would likely be fruitful.

However, it's all pie in the sky anyway. They're far too insular and RL isn't attractive enough to sway any of them in sufficient numbers.

[gingerjon]

37 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Tbf 5 years is somewhat incredible, especially in an ultra-competitive sport like American Football. There are many sports where if you haven't played from a child you can never quite catch up.

I've just finished reading Friday Night Lights and it was a real eye-opener to the sporting landscape in the US. Whilst converting American Football dropouts to RL would be difficult, the likely difference in quality and quantity of athlete would mean that it would likely be fruitful.

However, it's all pie in the sky anyway. They're far too insular and RL isn't attractive enough to sway any of them in sufficient numbers.

Friday Night Lights is an incredible book, isn't it?

[Maximus Decimus]

13 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Friday Night Lights is an incredible book, isn't it?

It's such an eye-opener. While it's in some ways impressive that high-school football is so prestigious, it's also quite horrifying how it is in place of education.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

It's such an eye-opener. While it's in some ways impressive that high-school football is so prestigious, it's also quite horrifying how it is in place of education.

High School, and college, football (and basketball) are absolutely abhorrent in pretty much every way possible.

And yet ... they are also incredibly compelling, dramatic, community-bonding etc etc

[Maximus Decimus]

On 11/02/2023 at 14:16, gingerjon said:

High School, and college, football (and basketball) are absolutely abhorrent in pretty much every way possible.

And yet ... they are also incredibly compelling, dramatic, community-bonding etc etc

Just watched the Friday Night Lights film. As usual it didn't translate very well and they hollywoodised it.

[gingerjon]

12 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Just watched the Friday Night Lights film. As usual it didn't translate very well and they hollywoodised it.

I thought it was a decent enough film but a massive missed opportunity to do something really good.

There's a TV series as well, which I haven't seen.

[Maximus Decimus]

I'm not sure how related the series is to the book.

I think it was a classic example of a book being too much for the film to do it properly. They basically focused on the sporting drama side of it, when in reality the book was about something different entirely.

[Click]

On 25/02/2023 at 07:17, gingerjon said:

I thought it was a decent enough film but a massive missed opportunity to do something really good.

There's a TV series as well, which I haven't seen.

Can't say I've watched the movie or read the book, but I was a big fan of the TV show. It was a good mix of sporting drama, life in a small American HS town, and following the lives of the students/staff surrounding it.

It was unfortunately affected by the American Writers strike that happened a few years ago but is a good watch. I actually re-watched it a few months ago when it was on Prime.