The final score is one thing, but the adoration of an entire continent is another. The Rams didn't make merely a mistake in terms of jetlag with their actions, but they just handed an entire continent of potential fans to the 49ers.
I don't like to be the guy who thinks they know better than anyone else in an organization, because goodness knows, I don't. But even a regular fan had to feel a bit justified if they had questioned the decisions of the Los Angeles Rams after the San Francisco 49ers took them down 27-7 in Melbourne.
Read More: 49ers' decision to travel to Australia early gets vindicated by win vs. Rams
Anyone who has made the long flight between the United States and Australia understands that jetlag is a powerful thing. The Rams may have had sports scientists and years of study to supposedly help them make the decision, but they didn't seem to factor in you also have to play a football game on top of that.
But even more bafflingly was the decision to treat the game as any other for their fans. Australia is their international territory, not that of the Niners. But the 49ers are the most supported team Down Under.
Instead of taking the chance to come early, given it was the season opener like San Francisco did, Los Angeles decided on a dash-in-and-out approach that not only made no sense on the field, but as little sense off it.
Australia officially turned against Rams and embraced 49ers, here's why
As an Australian, there's a very big cultural reason why the Rams decision made no sense. Australians love sport. It's more important than oxygen. We also love to host outsiders, to proverbially invite them in and take their coats.
The Rams were supposed to be the hosts we were welcoming, the team that brought the NFL to Australia. The NFL is one of the most fastest-growing sports in Australia; this was not only a chance to experience that game but to showcase Melbourne to a wider audience.
The 49ers understood the assignment. They didn't just come early for onfield reasons. They were at local events to drum up support, Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn became a minor celebrity as he was gawking at everything Australian, from the food to Australian football to magpies.
The end result? The Niners became Australia's team, and Australia turned on the Rams, big time. Instead of Levi's South, the Rams played the 49ers at Levi's Southern Hemisphere as locals clearly favored the visitors (no, the actual designated visitors not all of the visitors) and turned against the home team.
This news.com.au article put it bluntly:
"The Rams will be holding a training session on Thursday just hours after they land and staff are on the ground hosting promotional events.Tyson Otto, News.com.au
The so-called Rams House: The LA Tailgate Experience site in Southbank includes free entry, entertainment and a floating 22-yard football field on the Yarra River.
However, the 49ers struck last week and planted a flag in the heart of the city.
San Francisco Standard NFL journalist David Lombardi also called it a “bizarrely quick turnaround in all of this”.
He noted the Rams have wasted their NFL’s marketing rights opportunity.
The truth for Australia, however, remains brutally true.
The potential to grow a generation of Rams fans Down Under is slipping by."
49ers can't let Australian opportunity slip
Unfortunately for Australians like myself, the game is now in the rearview mirror. The game is played, Matilda has Waltzed and both teams now return to the US.
But, even though Australia may not officially be the Niners' international territory, the respect and love they showed for Australia and the Australian psyche reveals the country is there for the taking.
I'm not sure how likely the 49ers will be coming back to Australia for a game, but surely there must be some way for the Niners to build on the Aussie goodwill.
Leave that for the team to decide.
But the Rams fumbled the ball, both literally and metaphorically. The 49ers scooped up the ball for the former, and they have a big chance to plant their flag and scoop it up for the latter.
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