The silence of crowds.

⌾ : Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.
⚲ : ///mock.brings.shops

I travelled to watch an NRL match in Sydney last night. Australia vs New Zealand. The first time I have been to see rugby league played in such a large stadium.

The thing that impressed me the most was the visceral wall of sound that was pumped into place. Thumping bass beats and an over-caffeinated announcer encouraging mass sing-alongs (Sweet Caroline is apparently the anthem for this) and kick-off countdowns.
As soon as there was any break in play, it would all start up.

Yet once play was underway, a weird quiet would break out. I could hear people far away talking about the action, I could hear the thumps of tackles and the sound of feet running down the turf. Not total silence, but considering the number of people in the stadium, a noticeable one. People were paying attention. And attention begat silence.

Until, a try….

PS: It was an exciting, close match. Australia won.

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