Monday Morning Rambling: Inside My Trip to Cover the Rams in Australia

During the every day grind in sports media, it can be difficult to take a moment and smell the flowers. Whether it’s simply getting to the next story or focusing on the next thing, sports media is a very fast-paced and at times energy-draining field. Taking a moment to step back and understand where you are isn’t always easy or at the forefront of your mind.

However, as I covered my first Los Angeles Rams game in Australia as a part of credentialed NFL media at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was important for me to take a step back and soak everything in. I’ve always done things big, and making my first Rams game as credentialed media the NFL’s first regular season game in Australia matched that. This wasn’t just another game or another assignment. It was years of work and long hours finally paying off.

Back in May, on a whim, I applied for media credentials with the NFL to attend the Rams’ game in Australia. Given the magnitude of the game, my expectations were low, but figured if I got accepted, I’d find a way to make it work.

Getting credentials for an NFL event isn’t something that I was a stranger to. Over the past few years, I had made trips to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Covering sporting events has also been a regular thing for me. In high school, I covered JV sports my senior year of high school in a small town in rural Montana. During college, I covered professional tennis, boxing and Indy Car. For five years, I worked in college athletics and worked events such as the Army-Navy game, Ivy League basketball tournaments, Penn Relays, and NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Final Four.

Still, covering an NFL game, and a Rams game for that matter would be different. Since 2014, I had been writing for various Rams websites, including a few of my own. This was a team that I had been following since I was six years old, back in the days of Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf. Most of my childhood was filled with losing seasons and little hope of a turnaround. I still remember my first Rams game with my dad at the Edward Jones Dome in 2001. In 2016, I traveled to California for the team’s return to Los Angeles.

In 2024, I traveled to Arizona to watch them play the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. I was blessed enough to watch them from a suite on the 50-yard line. While I’ve transitioned from fan to someone who has to provide fair and honest coverage, some of my favorite moments in life have centered around the Rams.

The Long Road to Australia

Finally, on August 17 and 24 days before the Rams would play the 49ers in Week 1 in Melbourne, I got the e-mail that my credential request had been approved. If I could get a passport, I’d be going to Australia.

As an S-Tier procrastinator, I didn’t have a passport as mine had expired back in 2021. Had I simply renewed my passport before it had expired, it would have saved me a lot of stress. But what’s the fun in that?

Somehow, I would need to renew my passport and hope to get it back all in time to make the trip to Melbourne. On the same day that my credential application had been approved, I filled out a passport renewal application, went to get a new passport photo, and got it in the mail before the end of the day. Not realizing that I could have done most of that online, I also fell into the trap of using a third-party website, only adding to the stress.

As I crossed my fingers and prayed that my application would arrive quickly, I relentlessly checked the USPS tracking. When my passport finally did arrive at the passport agency in Philadelphia, I called almost daily to the point where they probably got sick of hearing from me. Less than two weeks after sending in my application, my passport arrived and I was officially going to Australia.

Traveling across the country is one thing and something that I’ve done several times. With my family on the west coast and me on the east coast, I’ve done that distance more times than I care to count. However, traveling across the world is a different beast.

While my stepdad is from Australia and I’d been there three times before, I hadn’t made the trip in almost two decades. I made my first trip down under in 1999 and my last trip was in 2009.

Surviving 28 Hours of Travel

My trip would go from Bozeman, Montana to Dallas and then to Sydney and finally Melbourne. For 28-hours of travel, how does one even begin to prepare for that flight? I ordered a neck rest and ear plugs.

A lot has changed since the first time I went to Australia as a young kid. Instead of a Gameboy Advance and puzzlebooks, I had an iPad with various games and shows downloaded. Even in today’s technological landscape, nothing can quite prepare you for 28 hours of travel and what you might see and experience on a 17-hour flight. Plane etiquette is dead.

While it’s understandable for people to want to travel in comfort, my first flight included a guy in first class wearing white fuzzy flippers. On the 17-hour flight from Dallas to Sydney, there was another gentleman warping flip flops, but with bare feet. At one point during the flight, that same guy was seen walking around the plane without the flip flops and only bare feet. It was diabolical.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the airplane food was somehow worse. My first provided meal was a choice of chicken, teriyaki beef, or creamy mac & cheese. The mac & cheese seemed like the safest option, but I’m not sure a drunk college student at 2 a.m. would have found it appetizing. It lacked any flavor and included mushrooms and peas. While peas and mac & cheese is at least understandable, the combination of mushrooms was odd to say the least. It was a 1-out-of-10.

Later I received a soggy toasted mam & cheese that was at least edible. While the flight offered scrambled eggs for breakfast, that seemed risky and without much upside. The assorted fruit with yogurt and a muffin was a great choice and without a doubt the best thing that I ate on the plane.

My iPad provided some entertainment as I watched the Jose Mourinho documentary on Netflix. As a Chelsea fan, that was an interesting watch. The airplane movie selection included the movie Backrooms. Having played the Backrooms video game on the PC with friends, I enjoyed that as well. I was also able to start the HBO series Lanterns, which was also very good.

Thankfully, the 17-hour flight from Dallas to Sydney was fairly empty, making sleep easier. Through 28 hours of no wifi, a few crying babies, I finally made it to Australia.

Taking in Melbourne

Arriving on the Wednesday before the game, I would have most of the afternoon to explore the city. While the United States and Australia are relatively similar, there are still a few key differences. The main one of course being that Australians drive and therefore also walk on the left side. The amount of times that I nearly got blindsided by a cyclist is too many to count.

We might also speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t differences. At a restaurant, asking for ‘ketchup’ may get you a confused look. Instead, it’s tomato sauce. I learned this as I was served mayo with my ‘chips’ with dinner.

During the NFL Fan Kickoff Event, bags weren’t allowed. Looking for a place to check my bag, I asked multiple people where I could find a ‘bag check.’ It was only after being directed to several different “X-ray” machines at different entrances and being told that my bag wasn’t allowed that I learned a “bag check” is called “bag cloaking” in Australia.

Growing up with my stepdad from Australia, things like Vegemite, beans on toast, etc. don’t phase me like they might other tourists. Those are generally things that I also grew up with and found normal.

One thing that wasn’t covered enough before the game was how special the Melbourne Cricket Ground truly is. Even just walking around the outside of the stadium on the first day, it was hard to grasp just how large and monumental the stadium was.

The stadium was originally built in 1853 as a test ground and was used by the Australian Military during World War II as a recuperation ground. It was the main stadium during the 1956 Olympics and now holds more than 100,000 people and hosts events such as the AFL Grand Final and, of course, cricket. As someone who enjoys sports history, it was very cool to see that stadium in person. I’m also a big tennis fanatic. Seeing the stadium where Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal in 2017 was also awesome.

Just walking around the city, there was a lot of discussion about how both teams would handle the jet lag and time difference. I arrived in Melbourne at 12:30 p.m. local time which would have been 10:30 p.m. on the east coast Thankfully, Melbourne is the home of world renowned coffee. Despite waking up between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m., at least I had some of the best ‘flat whites’ to make it through the day.

The Moment It Became Real

After enjoying the city, Thursday and Friday were strictly work days. The Rams arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning and practiced that afternoon. Again, it can be difficult sometimes to take a step back and realize where you are. Walking onto the field to watch the media portion of the Rams’ practice and then taking part in the team press conferences was surreal.

Before that moment, I had been working to plan my travel and just getting to Australia. It was at that moment that it hit me that I was in Australia to cover the Rams as credentialed NFL media. Walking onto that field was years of hard work coming to fruition. It was truly a ‘dream come true’ moment and not one I’ll forget anytime soon.

For that moment, I wasn’t just a content creator. I was in Australia, sitting next to Gary Klein of the LA Times, Nate Atkins of The Athletic, and Sarah Barshop of ESPN. I was also part of the Rams beat.

Covering the Rams at the MCG

As expected, the game on Friday morning was just as surreal. The Wi-Fi may have been dodgy at best, but it was an unforgettable experience. Looking around at more than 100,000 people inside the MCG, it was difficult not to be in awe of the magnitude of the moment.

Melbourne Cricket Ground — Blaine Grisak

I’ve been to dozens of sporting events in the United States and nothing will ever compare to the atmosphere of more than 100,000 people at the MCG. The 13-year old me who enjoyed the Jonas Brothers would have appreciated the halftime show much more than the current me did.

The Rams may not have played the way that many wanted or expected them to, but the overall experience was unmatched. It would not be surprising if the Rams or another team were back in Australia sometime soon. It was clear that there is a market for the NFL Down Under. finall

Following the game, I was able to go to the Rams’ press conference and then sat in the media room to file my post game stories. Walking out of the stadium for the last time, I made sure to soak in the moment and appreciate where I was.

For that moment, I was once again just a kid from a small town in Montana with a dream of one day covering the Rams. When I first started following the Rams, I never could have imagined where it would eventually take me. Every once in a while, it’s important to stop, look around and smell the flowers.

For a few days in Melbourne, it was worth simply appreciating how far the journey had taken me.

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