Full house, September sun, the MCG looked familiar, but this was unlike any show it’s seen before

September 11, 2026 — 3:16pm

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It had many trappings of an AFL grand final: national anthems and patriotic displays, a vast array of entertainment, bright September sunlight, 100,021 fans paying hundreds of dollars each and a vaster audience watching on screens.

But the 49ers v Rams game was unlike any other event that has visited these shores, or the MCG. Possibly excluding Taylor Swift.

Melbourne and the MCG were the hosts, and there were nods to Australian rites and traditions (e.g. Midnight Oil and a John Farnham cover), but our sporting cathedral was utterly taken over by the NFL and Americanised.

The MCG was transformed in every way, not just the rectangular playing field drawn inside the oval, but culturally.

Australian sport is pure sport with a smattering of entertainment. The NFL is an entertainment package, in which the game is central but only a portion of the offering.

This was a concert, replete with bands (Jonas Brothers at half-time, a Mariachi band), dancing troupes (including the Rams cheerleaders) between each of the dozens of breaks in the game, and thumping music. The PA system boomed with a wall of sound as loud as when Carlton piled on four early goals here against the Cats a week........

© Brisbane Times