I’ve always had a soft spot for American Football.
As a schoolboy, I remember avidly tuning in to Channel 4, which had secured the UK rights to screen the NFL back in the 1980s, to keep up with the latest news.
I grew up watching stars such as Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Walter Payton and Jerry Rice, and sat mesmerised as athletes (and some not quite so athletic) in shoulder pads and helmets charged at each other in a game of aggressive on-field chess.
You see, unlike some of my more critical fellow countrymen, who have never taken to the sport, I appreciate the skill and technical planning that goes into a game of ‘gridiron’.
I’m not a fan of the over-the-top razzamatazz associated with it, or the fact that half of Texas is needed to make up each team and its coaching staff.
However, the overall concept and practical workings of the game have made me a fan and I avidly tune in every Sunday to watch my team, the Miami Dolphins, perpetually let me down, as well as many other games during the regular season. Then, of course, there’s the Super Bowl itself.
That said, there is one major gripe I have with the sport, and with other US sports, which has nibbled away at me for many years, and that is the tendency to declare teams ‘World Champions’ after they have won what are effectively domestic trophies.
To be hailed ‘World Champions’, you actually need to play teams from other countries.
For example, the following nations have all earned the right to call themselves just that by virtue of the fact that they have competed against other countries to secure their titles: Germany (“real” football), New Zealand (rugby union), Australia (cricket), and France (tennis – the Davis Cup).
Indeed, the US can rightly claim current world crowns in athletics (it constantly tops the Olympics and World Championships medals tables), and women’s football, not to mention golf, if you wish to class the Ryder Cup, which is contested between the US and Europe, as a truly international tournament.
Likewise, whilst individuals such as Anthony Joshua (boxing), Lewis Hamilton (Formula One), and Rafael Nadal (tennis) have deservedly claimed world crowns or number one global rankings for being at the top of their respective disciplines after competing against foreign opponents (as well as a few of their own), the same can be said for Americans such as Deontay Wilder and Keith Thurman (boxing), as well as Tori Bowie and the controversial Justin Gatlin (athletics).
However, in stark contrast, and by applying basic logic, we can clearly see that the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles*, are, in reality, domestic title holders, despite a tendency by many in the sport to bestow a global accolade upon the winners of the trophy.
By the same token, the so-called World Series of baseball is, in fact, a battle to be crowned US/Canadian champions (there is one Canadian team). The current title holders are the Houston Astros (pictured below), who beat the LA Dodgers during the most recent title play-off.
Furthermore, and before fans of basketball’s Golden State Warriors, who are the reigning NBA champions, start to get delusions of grandeur, the competition is national too (with the sole exception of Canada’s Toronto Raptors).
I, like many others globally, enjoy a whole range of sports. I am passionate about “real” football, love boxing, am a keen Formula One fan, and enjoy athletics in all its forms.
Those are just a few that interest me but, in each case, the status of every champion is measured according to the level at which they compete.
Sadly, it would appear that in the US the rules and criteria are interpreted differently in relation to their own national sports.
In a world full of talented teams and individuals, it would seem that a reality check and more humility is needed when Uncle Sam lavishes praise on its own teams/franchises.
In the meantime, I will continue to support the Dolphins, enjoy the NFL, and will be watching the 2019 Super Bowl LIII (53).
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Eagles will be able to successfully defend their “domestic” title next season.
* On a personal level, I was delighted to see the Eagles beat the Patriots.
The arrogance surrounding the team in recent years, Tom Brady‘s apparent lack of sportsmanship in failing to shake the hand of winning Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, and the very fact that they were backed by Donald Trump, hardly makes them a likeable outfit at the current time.
Added to the fact that the Eagles were major underdogs, it was great to see them lift their first Super Bowl.
Website: http://www.pauldbull.com/
