American Football is Better
Sarah says:
My parents’ love of American football did not rub off on me. Their pilgrimages to the Super Dome, their New Orleans Saints shirts, hats, all around color coordinated outfits, the non-stop football on television, both college and pro – none it made an impression on me. In our house, football was not only on the television but simultaneously on the radio as well. In fact, it was not at all uncommon to find my dad sitting with headphones on listening to one game on the radio while watching a different game on TV. You could hear him yelling at the TV down the street. He was religious about his college game statistics. I liked for my Dad to teach me about football, but not really because I was interested in the game. It was just fun to see my Dad get so excited. I also secretly liked that my Dad had football on the TV all the time. Again, not because I was at all interested, but because it was one of our family traditions and I liked that. To this day, the sound of football reminds me of my Dad.
I was on my high school dance team and performed on my high school football field every Friday night for 2 years. I was required to learn about the game and cheer on the team and I did so obediently and had plenty of school spirit but none of it made me a true football fan.
And then my college football team, the LSU Tigers, made it to a bowl game the winter of my sophomore year. My friends and I were with that team every step of the way through that winning season and I loved every single college game I went to. The pre-game parties, the tailgating, pom poms, pendants on our cars, flags hanging out dorm room windows, the games in LSU’s beautiful stadium, the band, the cheering, everything about college football is just plain fun. But….I haven’t seen an LSU game since I graduated.
When I moved out of my parents’ house, I moved away from the sounds of football. When I left college, I left college football. Contrary to my father’s assertion otherwise, I did manage to find a non-sports fan for a partner and even married him.
Yet another opportunity to officially label myself a football fan presented itself in January 2006 when my home team was fighting for the title of Superbowl champions. And of course it was exciting and of course I put a sticker on my face and wore a t-shirt and went down the pub with a group of friends and got just as excited and had just as much beer as everyone else there and it was fantastic. Even though, thanks to some absolutely insane calls by the ref, the Seattle Seahawks lost the game and the championship, that day is still one of the best football memories that I have.
As I take this casual walk down football memory lane I am actually surprised by how much of a football thread is woven throughout my life. And still not a fan. Until……..
The 2007 Rugby World Cup
England vs. South Africa
played in Paris
watched in Amsterdam
I can hear it now the shock and awe from my English family and friends – the Rugby World Cup actually made me an American Football FAN?? And didn’t serve to reconfirm my lack of interest in the sport?? How can this be.
Well, the entire event is one big shocker.
Shocking that I woke up Saturday morning excited about our plans to spend that evening in an Australian theme bar.
Shocking that I was so excited about this Australian theme bar that I wondered out loud over breakfast whether or not they served cheeseburgers and thus set my heart on a said cheeseburger as my dinner.
Not shocking that we, as we do, completely underestimated how many other expats had planned to have cheeseburgers at the Australian theme bar and by the time we arrived there were security guards blocking the entrance.
Shocking that I insisted we go straight to the next bar down the line, an Irish theme bar, to quickly grab a seat.
Yuuummmmm, cheeseburger.
Then shocking that we enthusiastically changed venues because we could not concentrate on the game at the Irish theme bar….could not concentrate on the game!
I had received some rugby tutoring the night before from one of David’s new co-workers, a very nice man Ravan from South Africa. We were very excited to watch the game with Ravan and have a true England vs. South Africa but, alas, Australian them bar, security guards….all we could do was wave to each other – Ravan being on the inside, us on the outside. Anyway, my point here is that I knew going in that there were clear differences between rugby and American football and so far, it seemed rugby was far superior. I was prepared to embrace a new sport.
There is no denying, rugby players are the superior athlete. Every member of the team knows how to kick the ball. I mean, it basically being a combo of soccer and American football, every player kicks, runs, passes, defends, offends, tackles, jumps feet in the air, what goes up must come down, gets piled on, collides, dives, everyone does everything and they do everything without a single pad - no pads and no helmets. So that part is impressive and I will trumpet their athleticism. And mild stupidity – seriously they should at least wear helmets. I could quite clearly see why they call it cauliflower ear and at one point during the game the ref forced a player off the field because he was dripping too much blood: very thin, eerie streams from both eyes and both nostrils. But I digress.
Completely contrary to what I expected to be happening, though, was not an arms wide open embrace of a new sport, but a strange feeling welling in my heart. An unfamiliar feeling, almost a yearning, an allegiance almost to – the other football!
With beer in hand, surrounded by tourists and expats from every nation congregated in this fair city of Amsterdam to watch a sport that the entire world not only plays but firmly believes comparisons between it and American football are nothing short of ridiculous for football’s inferiority, I found myself, first thinking and then yelling out loud, listing reasons why football is BETTER!!
Firstly, I don’t like how the ball never dies. It is always in play unless it goes out of bounds. So just when you think, well naturally the ball is dead – it’s on the ground and 20 men are piled on top of it, it POPS out of the pile up like a slippy baby and off it goes again. I don’t like this. It’s messy and confusing and it should just be dead.
Secondly, there is no concept of an interception which kills many a gasping cheering opportunity. When one team kicks the ball and the other team catches it and starts running the other way, this event is completely anti-climactic. No one even mumbles a comment. I’m screaming to fellow fans, “don’t you know if you made that a big deal how much more yelling you could be doing??!!”
Thirdly, the Rugby World Cup happens onnce very 4 years. It’s equivalent to the Superbowl but if the Superbowl was only every four years. Can you imagine the hype and excitement if we Americans had to wait an entire three years between Superbowls??!! Rugby fans get nothing. NO pomp and circumstance. Nothing. No half-time show! No pre-game, no post-game, no post-post game, no special uber-expensive highly anticipated commercials, no post-commercial commentary, post post commercial debating rating. No flashy celebrities, no wardrobe malfunctions, no high school dance teams from around the world, no dry ice…..The only thing I can say is that the Princes were at the game. And the British Prime Minister. Does George Bush go to the Superbowl? I don’t think so. So I guess that is something.
But I found myself yelling in my beer assisted homesickness, Bring on the Pomp!! Bring on the over-the-top! Bring on the touch down dances, the lone kicker coming onto the field to a roar of applause, the 1st down, 2nd down, 3rd down, 4th down, sacking the quarterback, the interceptions, the bionic arm passes, the cheerleaders…..bring it all on.
Everything about America is excessive including football and I believe we all love it. It’s what we want. As I finish the diary marking my official entry into the world of American football fanaticism, I have to remark on a strange coincidence. I currently have BBC World News on TV and they have just done a commercial for a sports show that will take a serious look at the Rugby World Cup and will also peek into the glamorous world of American football. Proves my point exactly. With rugby, all you get is the game. With football, you get glamour. Thank you, rugby, for opening my eyes and helping me to accept and open my arms to the game that has been trying my entire life to grab my attention and make me fall in love.
October 25th, 2007 at 1:44 am
Sarah, this damn near brought tears to my eyes! I’m so proud of you for coming over to the dark side of football fandom! I loved reading about your memories of our family football atmosphere on late summer and fall weekends. One thing though, your dad wasn’t actually listening to one game on headphones and watching a different game on TV. He was listening to the local radio game announcers calling the game, while watching it on TV. We always wanted to hear what the national sports guys were saying about our Saints but we really wanted the local touch with the local radio guys… remember how after the game there would be a few hours of listeners calling in to talk about the game, your dad was always glued to that too.
And I’m very proud of you for knowing enough to mention the horrible refs that gave the Superbowl to the Steelers! They aren’t called Steelers for nothing!
Go Hawks!
October 25th, 2007 at 9:49 am
How could I forget Buddy D!!??!! Thank you, Mom, for setting me straight because it’s terrible that I left out this important detail. I always thought that Buddy D looked like Grandpa and I remember Grandpa hated him and Dad loved him.
October 28th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Well, THAT was a walk down memory lane…we were a part of a few of those days…and, I have to say, that as a mother of a now 20 year old who managed to break his big toe in a way that litteraly could have crippled him and took 2 casts and 8 weeks and a thousand or two of hard earned money to heal..all from playing rugby, I’m NOT a fan