The 80/20 View: A non-Melbourne AFL Grand Final delivered a bumper outcome for the AFL – should they keep doing it?
In his regular column for Mumbrella, media analyst Ben Shepherd examines the real battle amid broadcasting the AFL in the COVID era.
The scoreline may not have shown it, but Saturday nights AFL Grand Final was an electric affair, producing one of the most exhilarating third quarters in modern memory. I swear, if I listened hard enough I could hear the howls of delight from Demons tragic Russel Howcroft 30 kilometres away from my house.
And for the second straight year, it was an AFL Grand Final featuring two Melbourne-based teams battling it out outside of the city of Melbourne. Brisbane in 2020. Perth in 2021. Both under lights. Both bursting with atmosphere. Both triumphs for both the winners and the hosts.
The question of whether the AFL Grand Final should be played under lights, as well as the more radical concept that the AFL should consider other cities outside of Victoria host the Grand Final are as much cultural questions as they are commercial.
For many Victorians, the idea of the AFL Grand Final anywhere but the MCG is a thought too radical to entertain. It has always been played there, and always should be played there. Even the idea of a night Grand Final is highly controversial.
