09.10.07 4:59 AM CDT
• Sports
• Josh Robertson
On September 10, 2006, 31-year-old Jets punter Ben Graham became the oldest rookie ever to be part of an opening-day NFL roster. For Graham, the Jets job is a second act—he’s one of three players to make the jump to the NFL from the Australian Football League. (Aussie football is neither football in the European or American sense—we watched plenty of it on late-night ESPN in the ‘80s, but couldn’t begin to tell you how it works. Try here.) Freelancer Craig Stephens, an Aussie himself, asked Graham to reflect on his first season playing a strange sport in a strange land.PLAYBOY: How does it feel to suit up in full pads, compared to the wife-beater style jersey you wore playing Australian rules?
GRAHAM: Since I only come on the field to kick, I’m not involved physically with the other players, and the body pads I wear are a lot less extreme than theirs. The pads are part of the game, and I’ve gotten used to them.
PLAYBOY: Who’s tougher: AFL or NFL players?
GRAHAM: Australians are paid a lot less, so they’re driven by passion for the game. But at the professional level, everyone plays hard. It’s when you stop doing that that you should opt out.
PLAYBOY: Did you have any difficulty adapting to life in America?
GRAHAM: My routine is basically spending time with my family, training and playing, so I really could do that anywhere in the world. It’s the subtleties of home life that you miss: buying seafood at the markets, drinking your favorite beer and watching footy live.
PLAYBOY: How does your family feel about coming to America?
GRAHAM: My kids are really too young to make sense of it. My wife was against me doing this but you have to let your passion override. I do think she likes the shopping and the restaurants though.
PLAYBOY: It’s a safe bet that we’ll never see huge support for an Australian rules football league in the US (although one does exist), but Major League Soccer is making a bid for fans with David Beckham. Can Americans accept imported sports?
GRAHAM: Americans are very big on sports, but they’re also territorial and traditional. Soccer is a kids’ game here, and I don’t think that’s going to change.
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