Just because I missed that party, though, doesn't mean I'm going to miss out on the next big party -- the Australian Football League Grand Final. It's the equivalent of the Super Bowl for this unique and entertaining football code, and an estimated 300 million people will be watching live around the world.
Of course, watching a live event that starts on Saturday afternoon in Australia means staying up really late on Friday night in America, but you don't have to go through that alone. Dozens of pubs throughout the U.S. and Canada will be hosting Grand Final parties for footy fans in those countries, and the Australian Football Association of North America (AFANA) has a complete list of Grand Final parties taking place on Friday night.
If there's a party near you, you might want to go check it out. Aussie rules -- which is not rugby, by the way -- is a fun game to watch once you figure out what's going on. (Here's a quick primer.) The two teams playing in the Grand Final, the Geelong Cats and the Port Adelaide Power, finished 1st and 2nd in the AFL this year. The Power uses their speed to great advantage, while the Cats like to swarm on defense and move quickly up the center square to get scoring opportunities.
The last game these two teams played a month ago was an instant classic. Port won that game by 5. Will Geelong get their revenge? We'll find out by early Saturday morning.
