I'm going to law school in Melbourne until the end of June, and have started following the AFL a bit (supporting Collingwood, as the rest of my family goes for them). Question for you guys: how would you compare AFL teams here to the NFL teams at home? I'm trying to compare franchises and thought this might be an interesting discussion.
For instance:
Collingwood (AFL) --> Dallas (NFL): probably the widest support of any franchise in the AFL, the Magpies (like the Cowboys) are either loved or hated. Rich history with numerous league titles, could in fact make an argument for most successful franchise historically speaking, but with some recent problems choking in the big game.
Carlton (AFL) --> New York Giants (NFL): long, rich history with many titles through different eras. Arch-rivals of Collingwood (same with NYG-DAL). Large, wide-ranging fan support but especially popular among Italians in northern Melbourne (similar to the Italians in New York supporting the Giants).
Richmond (AFL) --> Cleveland (NFL): good (but fairly small), blue-collar fanbase who cheers for a tortured franchise. Proud history but have been mediocre in recent memory. Wears a colour-scheme that is distinctive from the others in the league. Have had some financial troubles in the past.
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