Gambling ads broken up by rugby game

Citizens!

This evening young Kolya and Pseudo Professor Zosima sat down to watch the television. 

On screen was a seesawing contest between the mighty Lithgow Leprechauns and the Rydal Rhinos. 

Tries were scored, kicks converted, playmakers poleaxed. Young Kolya screamed at the television as if his intervention could do anything, whilst older wiser Pseudo Professor Zosima sat in glum silence. 

Half time arrived, refreshments were taken, the players took to oranges and cordial. 

The coverage went to a break. 

Their eyes were greeted by a jubilant well dressed man from a city based studio, assailing them with all manner of terms, numbers and statistics. 

‘Why do they always bombard us with betting advertisements?’ bored young Kolya enquired.

‘What? This is the best bit,’ said a now enthralled and animated Zosima, ‘I hate how they make us sit through forty minutes of footy, it punctuates my favourite program. Please be quiet, I’m trying to double my super tonight.’ 

The break elapsed, the game resumed. 

For the next forty minutes Zosima rode the wave of every play — vicariously he took every hit up, made every tackle and pass as if he was there in the flesh. 

The sound of the buzzer was met with sobs and cries from Zosima all alone, for everyone had departed from camp, including young Kolya, who didn’t wish to incur the wrath of the enraged Zosima with his freshly depleted super. 

Thought provoking further reading: 

Forsdike, K, Laslett, AM, Hooker, L, 2022, ‘Domestic violence and the Melbourne Cup,’ La Trobe University, https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2022/opinion/domestic-violence-and-the-melbourne-cup