On Friday 11 September, Melbourne welcomed the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to play in the first regular season NFL game ever to be held in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite being favourites for the upcoming season, the Rams could not convert this belief into points, and, before an audience of over 100,000 (the seventh largest crowd for a regular season NFL game), the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7.

After the convincing victory, the 49ers can reasonably expect a surge of support in Melbourne and throughout Australia, however both on and off the pitch they had the upper hand over the Rams, who seem to have made the critical error of forgetting that supporters are not only a club’s lifeline, but the foundations upon which a team relies.

The 49ers landed in Melbourne one week before the game, on the fourth of September, while the Rams elected to arrive later (just one day before the game). Regardless of the pros and cons of each approach for the players, whether to arrive earlier to allow them to adjust to the time zone, or later to avoid the need to adjust at all, the early presence of the Niners in the city gained them the support of the crowd, erasing any advantage the Rams might have enjoyed from being named the designated “home” team, a fact that was cemented as they were booed onto the pitch by a decidedly unsympathetic stadium.

Family or location, generally both, are the main factors in deciding a supporter’s team. It is not a path chosen, but one inherited, and to even ponder on the prospect of changing loyalties would be nothing short of a cardinal sin. However, considering Australia’s distance from the home of the NFL, there are a lot of potential fans who are yet to be claimed and the 49ers’ early appearance in the city and their willingness to settle in Melbourne and adapt to the time-zone clearly helped to tempt more people to don their red jerseys. Sean McVay, head coach of the Rams, would not attribute the loss to their time-zone tactics, but the hassle of travel accompanied by such an unfriendly welcome could not have helped the players. 

This event could help to trigger a broader conversation about the actions of many clubs across a variety of sports. As teams get bigger, the risk of neglecting the responsibility they have to their fans and forgetting how impactful atmosphere is in a game increases. We see this neglect in supporters getting priced out of tickets or in owners who view their team as a business venture rather than an important hub for community and connection (a few examples will surely spring to the minds of many unfortunate supporters).

While the Rams have been investing in Australia over the past few years by means of visits from players, a floating fan-zone on the Yarra River and bidding (and gaining) NFL marketing rights in Australia, the fact that this did not translate into stadium support on the day is testament to the Niners’ efforts in giving back to the community and the power of timing. The Rams may claim to have genuine interest in Australian fans, but the failure to back this up in the run up to the event itself is telling. Fans, both current and prospective, can sense it—the gap between words and actions, between brand and team, and this disconnect, whether accidental or not, recasts their previous efforts as, at worst, hollow marketing strategies aiming not to create community but consumers.