by Nwaji Jibunoh
It is approximately 2:15am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and the pre game show is about to begin. An alarm blares as a certain fan is forced to wake up from that early morning slumber, run to the refrigerator to get an ice cold beverage, a light snack, and then turn on the TV; but not too loud for fear of awakening others in that household who may be fast asleep. For the next almost 3 hours, with only friends stateside to talk thrash with via Facebook, an NFL fan is engrossed from half way across the world in the 2013 playoffs.
This is the typical situation that anyone living on this side of the pond (Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East), must go through in order to enjoy the playoffs live and not a broadcast delay the following day when you will pretty much have got the full synopsis of the game by the time the replay comes on.
Football, or better classified as “American Football”, has never been as popular as the other American export Basketball for numerous reasons. The main reason is that a lot of schools in this part of the world don’t have Football programs due to lack of interest and facilities, whereas basketball is quite popular because it is a lot easier to erect a few baskets than it is to buy football equipment. And with basketball being played as a global sport during the Olympics, the rest of the world pretty much understands, appreciates, and loves that particular “American” sport.
However, over the last 10 years with the globalization of ESPN and FOX Sports, there has been a huge introduction of American Football to the rest of the world. With such coverage, you will always find keen sports fans willing to learn something new and have a new team to support. For most people in the States, they support teams based on a particular affinity to either the city the franchise belongs to or certain players. The rest of the world has several different approaches to selecting favorite NFL teams. You ask the majority of Europeans, Africans, or Asians who have never lived or schooled in the United States who their favorite team is, they will either say the New England Patriots or the New York Giants. The reason being is that in the last 10 years, these are the two teams that have featured prominently in the Superbowl finals. And of course, with Tom Brady being married to one of the hottest women in the world, people kind of flock towards the Pats. In addition to that, a lot of new NFL watchers are starting to enjoy the sheer athleticism of the game and also the depth of technical coaching involved. The world’s most popular sport; Soccer, does not have as many playbooks or as many coaches as football does. This peaks a lot of curiosity into how the game is played and how every yard/inch/route/block counts for a victory or a loss.
This year, I have seen a heightened interest amongst sports watchers over the playoffs. Since leaving the United States in 2004, I have not witnessed as much interest in the playoffs from die-hard soccer fans as I am witnessing this year. ESPN International has spent a lot of marketing dollars hyping up certain players/rivalries/legacies/Cinderella stories to the point that folks over here just want to see how everything pans out. There are the traditional Patriots fans, and then amazingly there are Ravens fans all over the place. This is primarily due to people falling in love with Ray Lewis after seeing him do his intro dance, and of course the whole story with this being his curtain call. It is all getting very exciting and I sincerely hope to see more people hosting those early morning Superbowl parties like I have been doing for a long time now.
It is interesting to see the sport grow to the level it is now. It is also interesting to see little minor leagues pop up here and there with flag football tournaments.
With enough time, interest, and understanding of the game, I do believe that the NFL will gain as much popularity as basketball, showcasing how every sport has the potential to truly be a global game.
Nwaji Jibunoh, International Correspondent for War Room Sports
Located in Lagos, Nigeria, Nwaji Jibunoh is War Room Sports’ International Soccer Contributor. Nwaji also contributes commentary on U.S. sports from an international perspective. He’s an Atlanta Falcons fan, Howard University alum, and former tight end for the North Atlanta High School Warriors.
