In 2008 I was lucky enough to snag a second row seat to the friendly game between Australia and Iran at the Cage in Melbourne. The Boomers won the match and I was able to watch some guys that I had never seen before like AJ Ogilvy so all was good in the world. There was just one thing that bothered me during the game – the Iran fans.
They weren’t rude, obnoxious or insulting, but they were loud and passionate. They waved their massive flag and cheered when their team scored or made a great defensive play. The Australian crowd? They clapped, they sung along when the announcer told them too or the 1980’s music was played but any other time the Australians sat on their hands and watched the game like it was on television. If a blind person was in the crowd and didn’t know what country the game was played in he would say that the Iran team was at home. To make matters worse, there were no more than 30 Iranian fans in the crowd.
I’m telling you this because it can’t happen again. Ever. Having a home crowd is supposed to be an advantage to the home side, a sixth man on the court that gives the visitors the jitters every time they touch the ball. I just didn’t see that from the Melbourne crowd years ago. Which is strange because usually a Melbourne home game is packed and loud and it can’t happen when New Zealand come to town.
The Boomers are playing New Zealand for the Oceanic championship in September in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and it would be shameful if we go down to our trans-Tasman rival. It would be more shameful if we didn’t support our best and brightest basketballers. You don’t see a Wallabies crowd sit on their hands whenever they play the All Blacks so please, please channel your inner Townsville crowd and go nuts. Drown out those dirty kiwis and show your pride, not only for the Boomers but do it for me who lives over 500km away from Melbourne or Sydney and can’t make the game. Here are some ideas:
- Buy a horn or drums and do your best Indian cricket crowd impersonation.
- Pick a New Zealand player and pick on him mercilessly (my old favourite was Dillon Boucher, man he was a jerk).
- The Mexican wave may not have an on court presence but it gets the rest of the crowd excited.
- Sing the national anthem – loud. Nothing galvanises a crowd like singing their country’s song together. We may not have the haka but Advance Australia Fair is pretty damn patriotic.
- “Accidently” spill your drink on any New Zealander in the crowd to get them kicked out of the stadium. This is a last resort as you will probably get kicked out as well but at least it is one less kiwi cheering for their team.
- If everyone can get on the same page, all spectators should wear the same colour clothes. Green and Gold are applicable but a black out or white out are also awesome.
Above all, cheer. Cheer and clap and yell and get on your feet. This is your country going to war for bragging rights against its fiercest rival. I want to be able to hear the crowd going nuts when Brad Newley throws one down or Patty Mills crosses up a slow New Zealand forward for a circus shot. Do it for Australia.
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