Australian Rules Football is a better sport than American Football

Australian Rules football is a sport played by some of the most talented athletes in the world. Not only must they be physically strong and have elite running capacity, but they must be highly proficient in a broad range of skills and able to adapt to any circumstance throughout the course of a game. With the growing pace of the game players are now almost required to be dual position players and must be able to compete throughout all areas of the ground. This leads me to the first reason why Australian Rules is the better code of football: The players are more skilled And not just are the players more skilled, which leads to a more exciting spectacle, they are skilled in a wider range of areas than the average American Footballer The main skills required to be mastered by any player wishing to play in the AFL at an elite level are: Kicking - Short, long, across the body, from an angle, to advantage, to a loose player and on both the left foot and the right foot. Players need to be able to perform Drop Punts, Torpedo Punts, Snaps and Bananas. Players also need to be able to kick on the run, from a standing start and from a set shot at goal. Marking - Both uncontested, and contested, one on one, in packs, out in front, overhead, on the chest, while stationary, jogging or while running at full pace. Handballing - Under pressure, uncontested, while being tackled, to advantage, along the ground to a team mate. Tackling Players are also required to run over 10kms a game (closer to 20 is you are a midfielder) and withstand hard tackles and bumps and must still execute these skills despite fatigue. While it may be argued that all these skills are found in American Football, every player is only really good at one thing. Wide receivers only have to be able to run, catch and break tackles, skills needed by all AFL players. The running back only has to know how to run through people and the half the defensive team just charge at people with their heads while all the others have to do is stop players. I do however, have a lot of respect for the quarterback, how must weigh up options while executing precise passes or making runs. But this is just one player on the field for the entire team and he's only on the ground when his team has the ball. This overall talent that Australian Football players posses leads to an exciting, skill-based game, where every member of the team is required to have these skills covered, plus skills more specific the their own positions.It's more exciting:Australian Football is a continuous free flowing game where the ball moves all around the field and can change hands in the blink of an eye. The game also lends itself to breathtaking displays of skill and athleticism that leave the viewer wondering what happened. Examples of these can be found in the video provided. In contrast American Football seems quite bland. The ball moves back and forwards in a straight line and often a play consists of someone being tackled as soon as they get the ball, or a quarterback throwing the ball and missing the target. These plays are broken up by periods where there is no action of the field as players reset. Another issue reason why Australian Football is more exciting is because there is no second chances. In American Football when a quarterback misses the pass on a first down he gets another chance, actually, another two chances. In a stark contrast to this, if you miss a pass in an AFL game you place your team mate under immense pressure and stand a high chance of turning the ball over to the other team, who immediately begin a counter attack rather than waiting for a new play. This adds an air of excitement and uncertainty for players and spectators who are right behind their team. For these reasons, plus more, Australian Football is a more exciting, more skillful sport than American Football. It is a better quality sport both to play and to watch. http://www.youtube.com...