The first-ever NFL regular-season game in Australia was supposed to be a grand sporting celebration. On the field of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, the The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Ramsmet. However, the main event of the evening unexpectedly turned out to be anything but American football.
The 49ers were confidently leading in the score, the game was becoming more and more one-sided, and the spectators—more and more inventive. By the fourth quarter, some of the crowd decided it was time to organize an additional sport.
Cardboard advertising placards that were handed out at the stadium came into play. Fans began folding them into paper airplanes and launching them from the stands. Soon a whole squadron was flying over the spectators.
Every successful launch was accompanied by joyful shouts, and the longest-range models made it almost to the field. Judging by the reaction of the stands, the paper airplanes had acquired their own fans, favorites, and possibly already several sports agents.
Some spectators joked that these were the only representatives of Los Angeles who managed to make confident forward progress that evening. Others suggested immediately signing the author of the longest launch: good arm, accurate pass, and so far a modest salary.
The match ended in a victory for San Francisco with a score of 27:7, but the true love of the Australian public was won by aviation made of cardboard.
Thus the first NFL match in Australia gave the world two sports at once: American football on the field and a paper-flight distance championship in the stands. And in the second competition, the suspense remained until the very end. 😄
