The Carlton Blues are the first of ten (count them: ten!) AFL teams from the state of Victoria in Australia - essentially, the region in and surrounding the city of Melbourne. The reason for this is that the AFL grew out of the previous VFL, or "Victorian Football League", which was (as the name suggests) originally comprised only of such teams. (The "National" Basketball Association in the US comes to mind for comparison; no longer is it comprised solely of American teams.) Carlton is one of the oldest, celebrating its 150th year of existence, making it many years older than the leagues it's played in.
In recent years, the old Blues have been more legend than threat, sneaking into the final eight last year only when Essendon was disqualified at the last minute (more on that in the Essendon piece coming soon!), and was well out of contention again this year, although they have merited playoff appearances in recent years. They are known as a tough team, one that plays a hard-nosed, traditional brand of footy. And they wear dark blue...and have a big "C" on their uniforms...and are located in the epicenter of the football nation. Hmmm...
Their American counterpart: The Chicago Bears
The NFL's "Monsters Of The Midway", George Halas' Chicago Bears, "bear" a striking resemblance to the Old Blues - similar history, similar recent frustrations, similar reputation that precedes their true mediocrity of the present day team. While Jay Cutler's talent and the usual strong defense has the Bears again looking upwards, their most recent Super Bowl title is almost thirty years old now. But "Da Bears" are always going to be a centerpiece of American football conversation, just as "Da Blues" are in Australia: except for Collingwood and possibly Hawthorn, Carlton boasts the highest patron membership numbers in the league, despite their lack of recent success.
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