From futbol to football: My journey into the world of the NFL
NFL brings a city together
Picture this in your head: a bright sunny day, not a cloud in sight, dewdrops on the grass glisten like diamonds, just a hint of breeze in the air. In this almost pristine environment you hear this sudden roar; it rises like a crescendo to almost deafening levels and you realize you’re surrounded by it on all sides. Welcome to a typical gameday in the National Football League, America’s most popular and hence most lucrative sports league in existence.
Having come from a country where cricket is treated like a religion and EPL is the diet most of the other time I was skeptical about the NFL. The name seemed preposterous, at least rugby had the decency to be called something else, this was more like hand-egg ball. Gradually after moving to the land of the free though it seemed almost inevitable that NFL fever would catch up with me, and so it has.
Gamedays are a veritable celebration of the team, the whole city is decked out in the team’s jersey, the billboards on buses all profess their support for the city’s team, it’s all encompassing. Each city has its own franchise team, this is important because what it does is it builds an identity among the fanbase. Everybody pours their heart and soul into that one team and the city is united, big difference from European football where a city like London has such divided loyalties with 13 professional teams all plying their trade in the same city.
Which team to support?
The next step was to pick a team to follow. This is a very intricate process for a person who has no real city loyalties and is a complete outsider such as myself. Picking a team in any sports is a challenge. Once you pick a team that’s it, you’re stuck with it for life, good or bad. You ride that rollercoaster till the very end. Unwritten laws do exist against abandoning your team for another, sure you won’t be vapourized by a lightning bolt from the sky, but you forever become the subject of much scorn from others. Having been thrust into this delicate environment I used my parameters to guide me in the process: the history, tradition and class of the team.
Wisconsin is considered to be America’s dairyland. A state located in the chilly north of the United States it’s famed for its cheese production. It is also home to the team I decided to devote myself to, a storied franchise if there ever was one: The Greenbay Packers. To idle viewers the Packers were Red Foreman’s favourite team in the popular comedy series “That 70s Show”. To the people who know their history The Packers are one of those ‘major league’ teams. The third oldest franchise in the NFL they were formed in 1919 and have a very proud and successful background. They have won 13 NFL Championships, more than any other franchise in the history of the league, 9 of those victories came in the era before the Superbowl began.
Support from home fans
The team plays their home games at Lambeau field named after their founder Earl ‘Curly’ Lambeau, a cathedral in all aspects to the game of American football. There are several interesting facets to the franchise which drew me to them. They are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States. The Packers have the smallest local TV market and yet despite that Lambeau field has always been sold out for more than half a century now and the fan base is famously dedicated.
The fans are referred to as cheeseheads, an insult at first from rival baseball fans from Chicago, but now a nickname embraced by the Greenbay faithful and so at the games you’ll often see them adorned with a literal ‘cheesehead’ hat. This fan ownership scheme means you have seventy to eighty thousand ‘owners’ egging you on at every game. They care about their team; they want to see them do well, which is why after every touchdown scored by the Packers the players jump into the stands in what is referred to as the Lambeau leap.
Vince Lombardi’s contribution to the team
In association football, certain clubs are defined by certain managers/coaches, whether it be Sir Alex at Manchester United, Bob Paisely at Liverpool or Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest for the Packers that man was Vince. The man is a legend in the NFL and the trophy presented at the end of the Superbowl is named after him, a true testament to his legacy. Like the Real Madrid teams on the 1950s, the Packers dominated the 60s and under Lombardi won 5 titles including 2 Superbowl victories.
Role of quarterback
A good team consists of several individuals, but a key component in any NFL team’s arsenal is the quarterback. This player calls the shots, he’s the playmaker and strategist in offense and a competent player at this position can make all the difference. The Packers have been blessed with such quarterbacks in their history who have defined their own eras. Whether it be Bart Starr in Vince Lombardi’s all-conquering teams in the 60s or Brett Favre who ruled the roost in the 90s to the current King in the North: Aaron Rodgers the Packers have had record-breaking quarterbacks who have pulled the strings with great success to lead their teams to ultimate glory.
Back them till the end
The Packers have been to 5 Superbowl championship games winning 4 in the process. The Superbowl is the grand-daddy sporting event of the year as far as America is concerned. It’s not just a sports event, it’s a commercial extravaganza with a lot of drama and excitement and a bucketload of entertainment and decadence that is showcased in almost chutzpah fashion in the half time show. Advertising companies always put their best foot forward on this day of days when every eyeball in the majority of North America is glued to the TV screens, anticipation builds up a week or two before the event. As I mentioned earlier when you stay in the States it is hard not to get drawn in by the hype of it all.
At the time of writing the Packers sit pretty in joint top spot of the NFC North the division they play in. Things change quickly in this league though, and the team knows it, after a tough start to the season the team has found their groove and things have started to click. Rodgers has earned the moniker of the Deepak Chopra of the dairyland after telling the Packers fans to relax after the difficult start the team had. This is the business end of the season though and with the knockout rounds approaching every win or loss could be the beginning of the end of the road to Superbowl.
It has been an interesting experience so far following the game. The incessant advertisement breaks are annoying and takes away from some of the viewing pleasure but by and large when you’re so invested in a team you forget these mitigating factors. The rules at times are complex to understand as well but it’s a learning curve. Time will tell if the Packers can reclaim the glory days, but I’m too far down the rabbit hole now to look back and I look forward with excitement and anticipation. As Vince Lombardi once said, “ Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is”