On Football vs. American Football (gridiron) - Part 2

On some highly popular US based internet threads, it is almost a pastime for gridiron fans and football fans to square off toe to toe. I have seen the argument used that essentially, the two sports are not mutually exclusive. The fact this debate rages on, has led me to gather up some thoughts.

It's just funny that of all the sports out there, pure gridiron football fans seem to have an almost pathological aversion to the world game. There is something there, some animosity, I can't put my finger on. It's not like the two sports competed against each other for time in high school - at least not mine - gridiron was in the Fall and high school soccer was in Spring. In fact, we had a couple of guys that played both (besides the kickers). As a side note, I am happy to admit the hot chickies in school consistently went for the soccer team over all others - hmmm, in fact, that might make for an interesting survey...there could be something there. Some high school related Freudian slap in the face that builds in to this anti soccer mentality as an adult?

Beyond that, I think it may also be just a generic sports ego thing. Clearly NFL and NCAA gridiron are the biggest "per event" spectator sports in the US and yet, once every four years, we see how the entire world unites to not only watch, but live, a single month long sporting event. It may be a bit humbling for our gridiron brethren. A knee jerk reaction, albeit mostly exhibited in primary grades, may be to lash out. That being said, it is a rather bizarre response.

Oh well, no apologies, on Sunday's this Fall while a lot of Americans will be sitting on the couch watching NFL, I'll be out on the pitch playing the world's game. To each his own I reckon.

On Football vs. American Football (gridiron) - Part 1

I’ve just come across a news story on Yahoo titled, “Grads in pads: First U.S. national football team prepares for trip to Japan”. I’ve linked to the article for your reading pleasure – I for one, did not even begin to devote my time to it. Good on 'em for trying to export gridiron to different parts of the world, but for crying out loud, we’ve had a men's national football team since 1885 and played our first sanctioned match against Sweden in 1916. The US placed 3rd in the 1930 World Cup (albeit a sparsely attended tournament at the time). There is an international game of football already and the US is heavily involved – sheesh. My thoughts on the exportation of gridiron to the rest of the world is summed up as follows: it will not happen. By way of anecdote, the NFL tried an exhibition game with the Dallas Cowboys and someone else in Sydney, Australia and most of the audience left at half time. The people I talked to were bored to tears.

I think the stop/start nature of the game kills it. The rest of the world is quite used to the flow of football and rugby - whereas gridiron has so many rules, roles, special teams within teams, coaches, assistant coaches, special teams coaches, stops, breaks, huddles, conferences, warnings, 2 minute breaks, quarters, half time spectaculars, etc. All of which equals a big "huh?" for most people.