Paging David Stern

For various reasons, last night I was watching a replay of an Australian Rules Football match on a local public station. The two teams were, I believe, St. Kilda and Geelong. Now, I'm not a big Aussie rules fan, but there was a interesting moment that showed the difference between Australia and the USA (and not the fact that no team in the US would ever be known as Geelong). No, what caught my interest was that at the half point of the match, a tussle broke out on the field. To all appearences it looked like the typical NHL scrum of jersey grabbing and chest thumping. Then one player just delivers a roundhouse to another. Cold-cocks him, closed fist right to the chin.

In the USA, this would be a time where Stephen A. Smith and Tony Kornheiser would issue thoughtful, or at least loud, analysis of how long the suspension should be. Then there would be a debate as to what message this sent to the children. In the Aussie world, they decide not to suspend the player because he didn't hit hard enough. Not saying it's a better way, just a different one.