An origin myth engraved in stone? : Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar and Australian Rules
| Deutscher übersetzter Titel: | Ein in Stein gemeißelter Ursprungsmythos? : Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar und Australian Football |
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| Autor: | Ruddell, Trevor |
| Erschienen in: | Sporting traditions |
| Veröffentlicht: | 33 (2016), 2, S. 57-78, Lit. |
| Format: | Literatur (SPOLIT) |
| Publikationstyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
| Medienart: | Gedruckte Ressource |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| ISSN: | 0813-2577, 0813-2577 |
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online Zugang: | |
| Erfassungsnummer: | PU201801000524 |
| Quelle: | BISp |
Abstract des Autors
Like the origins of many sports, origin stories about sports often germinate slowly and evolve haphazardly. One of Australian Rules football's more pervasive origin stories, chiselled in marble unveiled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 1962 relates that 'the first game of Australian football' was played between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School on parklands surrounding the MCG in 1858. Today many believe the claim but since the 1980s numerous Australian Rules historians have regarded the premise as incredulous. The match between the schools did occur, but it was not the first game of football in Melbourne and it predated Australian Rules’ codification in 1859.Few if any pioneer footballers of the 1850s and 1860s referred to it as ‘the first game of Australian football’; that designation was popularised from the 1930s and it remains popular. This article describes how the story evolved and its perseverance despite academic critique.