On 24 Jul 2023, "Lock 'Em Up!!!" <nowomr@protonmail.com> posted some
news:u9nb20$ve65$6@dont-email.me:

> Megan Rapinoe and the other USA losers were out getting drugged up and
> shitting on American flags.

There always has to be one.

Australia has been gripped by Matildas fever in a collective sporting
moment arguably not seen in this country since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Fans have turned out in droves, not only to games but also live sites
around the country to watch as a collective and TV records have tumbled
as the nation tunes gets behind Australia.

While the TV ratings for Saturday night�s gripping quarterfinal that
became the longest ever shootout in FIFA World Cup history � men�s or
women�s � weren�t yet out, the ratings had only been climbing game after
game.

More than 3.5 million watched the Matildas� round of 16 win over Denmark
on Monday night on Channel 7 � 3.18m on TV and 385,000 on the 7plus
streaming service in Australia.

Even just those numbers were enough to outrate every NRL Grand Final and
State of Origin since 2016 as well as five of the past seven AFL Grand
Finals. And even more football fans more would have been watching via
Optus Sport, as well as all those at live sites.

It was the highest audience for any TV show so far in 2023, although
it�s expected the quarterfinal against France and Wednesday night�s
semi-final between the Matildas and England will eclipse it.

There was pandemonium after the Matildas downed France as videos poured
in about how people were tuning in to watch the game.

However, not everyone was watching the game as vision from popular
broadcaster Jacqui Felgate showed.

Sharing a video from a flight, it appeared that almost everyone was
watching the tense shootout, erupted in cheers after Cortnee Vine
slotted the winner in the shootout.

All except one person, who was watching Lord of the Rings.

It seems crazy that someone wouldn�t want to be part of this collective
moment with the rest of the nation, whether you like sport or not.

Fans at the MCG � after the big screens were turned off at the end of
regulation time � got to TVs anywhere they could to see the tense
shootout.

The Channel 7 AFL commentators, who were covering the Blues and Demons
game, simply had to watch as well.

AFL Media�s Michael Whiting even snapped a photo of Adelaide Crows and
Brisbane Lions coaches gathering around a phone to watch the final
stages of the match, delaying the press conferences.

t was truly wild scenes from coast to coast around Australia.

ABC broadcaster Tyson Whelan put together a great thread on social media
showing fans celebrating across the nation.

>From Adelaide to Sydney fans went absolutely mental as the Matildas made
it through to semis for the first time.

And it�s set to get even more chaotic now that the Matildas will face
England in the World Cup semi-final at Stadium Australia on Wednesday
night at 8pm AEST.

While we were able to edge past World No. 5 France on Saturday night, it
only gets harder with World No. 4 England.

While France bowed out of a third straight quarterfinal, this will be
England�s third straight semi-final with the Lionesses having finished
third in 2015 in Canada and fourth in France in 2019.

This is the furthest the Matildas have ever made it in a World Cup.

Maybe if the Tillies make the final that person will turn off Return of
the King and join the rest of the country�s celebration.

https://nypost.com/2023/08/12/plane-passenger-watches-lord-of-the-rings-a
s-australia-goes-nuts-for-matildas/