Me? Watching Sports?…More Americanness

Monday night, sat watching the Lakers game. The weekend, spent discussing the draft and watching college football highlights. Last Thursday, another Lakers game. Last week I even watched some baseball!

Anyone who knows me from England would never describe me as the kinda guy to sit and watch sports. It just never really interested me. I could watch the occasional important soccer game from time to time, most likely when it was United in a final, or England in an international competition. Even then, I’ll be the first to admit I got a little bored. I’d happily play any sport, but watching it, just wasn’t for me.

Well, watching soccer still hasn’t really changed, though again, England in the world cup will still have me. But American sports…. different matter. I think I am a football junkie now. I have really come to appreciate the skill and tactics of the game, even recognising some of the plays now. I am loathe to miss a Packers and Badgers game next season, and I feel like I might even find myself watching various other games too, both in college football and the NFL. I even watched some of the NFL Draft, the weekend where NFL teams pick up new players straight out of college.

On the subject of the Draft, it’s an interesting process. Too big a fanfare is made of it sure, but I like how it’s set up. Instead of professional teams picking up new players based on how much they can afford to pay in contracts, they are assigned positions in a queue, and simply get to pick the next best available player, or a player they particularly want. Your position in the queue is based on how well you performed the previous year…in reverse. So the worst team last season gets the first pick in the draft, the option to pick the very best available new player. And the team which won the Superbowl- the Packers this year- get the last pick, No.32.

Multiple rounds follow, picks are traded for better positions, or more players, and a saga unfolds. I like it because it means the teams with the most money don’t get to dominate, and by having the better teams pick later, it keeps a nice amount of fairness and competition in the game.

A similar process takes place in the NBA, the professional basketball league. I used to play basketball a little in high school (yes despite my height), but these guys are something else. I first started watching the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, when they won the NBA championship. We saw the playoff finals, and since then, the Lakers have been my team. (In fairness, I was a Laker when I was 4 too, with my very own Lakers bomber jacket!)

These past few weeks, I’ve been back into basketball, watching as the Lakers seek a third straight NBA championship. I’ve seen them play the New Orleans Hornets and now they’re playing the Dallas Mavericks. I’ve also caught the Chicago Bulls playing, and Miami Heat and the Orlando Magics. I know players, I know plays, and I am hooked.

I even watched the Brewers play a baseball game, though I confess, that wasn’t my thing. That was a little boring. Some more watching though, and who knows? Heck, I even read the sports section in the newspaper!

P.S. The Lakers lost by one basket! 😦

Superbowl- A Super Day

Another long overdue post, but hey, who’s counting!

Given that the new NFL season is currently in purgatory, bogged down with arguments over-as usual-money, it seemed fitting to reflect on the last season.

In particular, the final game of the last season, the championship match between the winner of the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference (NFC and AFC), known to every, single American as The Superbowl.

The name is even known outside of the American Football sphere, even it its association isn’t clear.

Full disclosure first- I do not profess to know very much about Football, or about the Superbowl tradition, and I think the titles of the two conferences (NFC and AFC) are very silly. However, I have fully adopted American culture, and embraced the football craze, if you didn’t already know. I have watched a number of full games now, could probably do a reasonable job explaining the main rules, and officially follow two teams- the Wisconsin Badgers, and the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers, the professional football team playing in the NFL out of Wisconsin, are awesome: Not just because their fans are the craziest in the league, sitting through numerous negative degree, snow falling games; nor because they are a franchise owned entirely by their fans; not even because you get to wear a cheesehead when watching them. No, they are awesome for all of these reasons and many more, and because they hold the most national league titles in history.

They added a 13th to that number by winning the Superbowl this year, an experience I shared with them (even if I was in Madison and they were in Texas). This despite a team plagued by injuries, and the least favourite to advance through the playoffs.  But they did it, and played an exciting game in the Superbowl to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory.

I digress, for this blog is about the Superbowl day itself, and not the actual purpose of the Superbowl- strange as that may sound- but here are some highlights from the game.

I’ll happily explain the game to anyone in England who is interested– also check out 4.28- when a camera man goes flying!

OK- back to original blog post purpose- Super Bowl Day.

As I said earlier, every American knows what the Super Bowl is, and a huge percentage of the population takes the time to participate in a Super Bowl party. It isn’t just about the football you see; it’s about the atmosphere, it’s about the family and friend get-togethers, the relaxing day before work, the food (traditional Wisconsin Brats) and the drink and the all-around merriment. Almost regardless of whether your team makes it to the final, or if they win or lose. Of course, a win does add an extra intensity to the celebrations.

There is nothing like it at all in the UK. 111 million viewers, tuning in to watch a sporting match. I doubt even England in the World Cup Final could draw that kind of (proportionate) response from the population.

Because the thing is, many people don’t tune in to watch the football, they are here for the entertainment: the half-time show, the trailers and the commercials.

Each year a “super act” performs at the stadium, broadcast live to a hundred million viewers. This year, aiming to please the younger viewers, organizers showcased the Black Eyed Peas. While they had a spectacular show in terms of dancers and flashing lights etc., they largely disappointed.

Again however, the half-time show isn’t necessarily why a lot of people watch the Super Bowl. Many people simply wait for the show to cut to commercials.

That’s because ad companies put their very best work into creating and debuting new, hilarious, inspiring, clever and downright silly adverts during the Super Bowl. These ads haven’t been seen on TV before, and are often kept tightly under wrap. Party goers sit around discussing the ads; websites reblog and analyze them afterwards. It is an ad companies dream to showcase their work during this time.

And the time doesn’t come cheap either. At the halftime mark, a 30second ad costs $13 million. Better make sure it’s good, and brings in new revenue!

These were two of my favourites;

For a full list of all the ads debuted, check out this link here

Along with the commercials, film studios debut new trailers for their upcoming blockbusters; this year we had previews of Captain America, Thor, Transformers 3, Super 8, the new Pirates movie and Cowboys and Aliens. Check out some of them here

With the game over, it was time for all the post-game analysis. And here was the one thing which bothered me- everyone was calling the Packers “World Champions”. Granted, they had beaten everyone there was to beat, made it to the finale of the football season and won. But world champions? There was not a single game that featured a non-American team.

Again, granted no other country really plays “American Football” but that’s no excuse. The answer is to simply encourage other countries to play, then perhaps eventually there can be a world championship, and the winners can be crowned world champions.

There’s one international convert in me already!