Have any of you British saddo'ers tried to like American football?

First the disclaimer:

This is not a British vs American sports thread.
Sports are sports, and they should all be cherished, practiced, and/or watched.

Now that I cleared that up, I'm just curious. Does American football (pro or college) have any type of following in the UK? I know over there it's basically Association football first and foremost. I've learned to rather enjoy the sport myself. The biggest hurdle for me at first was the lack of scoring. But once you learn to enjoy the sheer ball handling skill and fitness of these players... it's kind of hard not to get caught up in the sport. I'm also happy to see that Association football is catching on in the U.S. I think the MLS has grown considerably and should continue to do so.

But American football has its own unique set of skills and strategy. It's a totally different sport. For those of us who have grown up with the game, it's quite exhilarating. I've seen over time that many of those who do not like the game it's mainly because they do not understand its many rules. I guess that would be true of any game. Once you get familiar with it, you tend to like it more.

But those who have honestly tried to like it and decided they don't... what is it about the game that you don't like? I'm just curious about that.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

First the disclaimer:

This is not a British vs American sports thread.
Sports are sports, and they should all be cherished, practiced, and/or watched.

Now that I cleared that up, I'm just curious. Does American football (pro or college) have any type of following in the UK? I know over there it's basically Association football first and foremost. I've learned to rather enjoy the sport myself. The biggest hurdle for me at first was the lack of scoring. But once you learn to enjoy the sheer ball handling skill and fitness of these players... it's kind of hard not to get caught up in the sport. I'm also happy to see that Association football is catching on in the U.S. I think the MLS has grown considerably and should continue to do so.

But American football has its own unique set of skills and strategy. It's a totally different sport. For those of us who have grown up with the game, it's quite exhilarating. I've seen over time that many of those who do not like the game it's mainly because they do not understand its many rules. I guess that would be true of any game. Once you get familiar with it, you tend to like it more.

But those who have honestly tried to like it and decided they don't... what is it about the game that you don't like? I'm just curious about that.

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1..It's played by Americans
2. It's Ghey
3. You enjoy it
4. An anal fistula is more appealing
5. It's not exhilarating
6. We have enough Proper Sports
7. It's stops every five seconds so that not only the fans at home and in the stadium can eat a bucket of lard but also most of the players and some of the coaches
8. If your going to wear armour you should work for King Arthur
9. A game that is mostly about holding an egg should not be called football
10. The day an American called football "Soccer" billions around the world vowed never to take your "sports" seriously again

Alright... that's a start.
Let's dissect your response, Beanz.

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Originally Posted by Greenbeanz

1..It's played by Americans
Mostly Americans, yes. But more and more... other nationalities are playing American football as well. Especially at the kicker position. It's becoming more of a melting pot, if you will.

2. It's Ghey
What's gay about it? The huddles? The quarterback lining up behind center with his hands against the center's butt? Hmm... I can see where that could be a problem. But other than that, what's gay about it?

3. You enjoy it
Yes... immensely. Isn't that a good thing? ;D

4. An anal fistula is more appealing
I've yet to see scientific studies or surveys regarding this particular point, but I would venture to say that probably over 80% of the world's population would prefer watching American football to an anal fistula.

5. It's not exhilarating
Exhilarating to whom? To you? To Brits? Define "exhilarating."

6. We have enough Proper Sports
Is there such a thing as too much sport? Sports are healthy, physical activities good for mind and body. Can one have too much of a good thing?

7. It's stops every five seconds so that not only the fans at home and in the stadium can eat a bucket of lard but also most of the players and some of the coaches
Yes... there are breaks in the action. But mostly timed so you don't spend all day at a huddle calling the next play. And yes... some of the players are FAT (mostly the linemen), and many of the coaches. The players are still pretty athletic, though.

8. If your going to wear armour you should work for King Arthur
The speed of the game and the violent hits pretty much dictate that some kind of protection must be used. Otherwise, it would just be organized mayhem.

9. A game that is mostly about holding an egg should not be called football
Well... the name was chosen a while back. It would be kind of hard to change to "eggball" at this point in time. And it wouldn't sound as cool.

10. The day an American called football "Soccer" billions around the world vowed never to take your "sports" seriously again
AHA! The real reason behind your inherent dislike of American football. What's in a name? Really. Why should anyone be offended at a name to describe a sport? In the overall scheme of things... what's the big deal?

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Seriously though... have you ever seen a whole game or part of a game?
Just curious.

I smell a new british vs US sports thread about to start!!!

Fuck cricket....and darts

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

I smell a british vs US sports thread about to start!!!

Fuck cricket....and darts

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Meh... that was about 3 months and 8,000 new threads ago.
I suggest "Advanced Search."

Suck my balls Tito I'm hijiacking your thread....Premier League blows goats!!!

At ease, soldier.
Go shoot some Coke cans or something.

We have a name for exhilarating in Texas and it is Johnny Fucking Football. The SEC is thinking about expanding with a couple NFL teams next season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp8iZAySN2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ERPczcLlGk

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

Suck my balls Tito I'm hijiacking your thread....Premier League blows goats!!!

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Careful or my nanny will really go off, :( some of us are Capricorns round here you know.

Whats difference between aMERICAN FOOTBALL AND RUGBY THEN? Whoops

Except for the addition of padding and helmets?

A few of our boys and the NZ team are that size without the padding, head size too.;D

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Originally Posted by Andre

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

Suck my balls Tito I'm hijiacking your thread....Premier League blows goats!!!

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Careful or my nanny will really go off, :( some of us are Capricorns round here you know.

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Tito does have a kind of motherly nagging way about him ;D

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

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Originally Posted by Andre

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

Suck my balls Tito I'm hijiacking your thread....Premier League blows goats!!!

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Careful or my nanny will really go off, :( some of us are Capricorns round here you know.

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Tito does have a kind of motherly nagging way about him ;D

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Relax, G.I. Joe.
Surely there's some Soldier of Fortune reruns you can go watch quietly.

So basically there seem to be a handful of reasons why (some) Brits do not like American football:

• It's not nonstop action. There's timeouts and huddles between plays.
• Pads and helmets are used.
• Linemen tend to be fat.
• They call themselves football.

Anything else?

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

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Originally Posted by Andre

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

Suck my balls Tito I'm hijiacking your thread....Premier League blows goats!!!

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Careful or my nanny will really go off, :( some of us are Capricorns round here you know.

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Tito does have a kind of motherly nagging way about him ;D

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Relax, G.I. Joe.
Surely there's some Soldier of Fortune reruns you can go watch quietly.

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Nah me and my Texas Secession Militia members watched them all last night. Nothing to do but bust your balls this evening. Don't be so sensitive.

lol American football. so dumb. They couldn't get anywhere close to the 10 yd. line like us up north, so just went ahead and added another down. Weaksauce.

@TitoFan that is an amazingly restrained and adult response to a very flippant post from myself. To be honest I have never been able to get past about 15 minutes of a game. I don't even really watch Premiership football on TV much, I much prefer going to watch my own cities team live. Therein for me lies the rub, I have no dog in the fight and so it's hard to be interested. I will occasionally watch the Rugby if England are playing the Aussies etc and for me it is a much more fluid and improvisational game to watch. Play is much more spontaneous with individuals running the virtual length of the pitch to score trys. College football seems to rehearsed and mechanical, defensive and without wanting to be offensive a bit dumb to the outsider.

English here
I watch the super bowl live every year, and enjoy it immensely.

I played American football, in school, a America coach came and sparked our interests, we tried organizing a team outside of school, but tag American football(using ribbons not physically tackling players), was while fun a diluted game and totally different from what we practiced, eg the real game without pads and helmets.

In uni I was told there was a team, I trained and played without equipment, had fun then they expected us to shell out £300~500usd for our own equipment, can not be sure on the price, but I didn't have the money to continue, felt like a loser borrowing equipment every session, so I quit.
I could of done some traveling and got pieces of 2nd hand equipment for around £80, but didn't even have that spare money or a car to collect the equipment.


I played Corner Back, but liked to be a Lineman as well, big build with a fast sprint.

In my town rugby was never a big deal, football was the be all and end all and it is no exaggeration to say I played football every day from 10-16.

I miss AF, and might give rugby a try, because I know I will not have to fork out lots of money just to practice with pads.

I would say the following of American football outside of uni, is very low, UFC is well know and popular, even Ice hockey is more popular we actually have semi-professional teams.

It is hard for American football, to achieve a following when rugby is a established sport which any kid can play, where as their is few(any) AF teams outside of uni, the costs of participating are astonishing.

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Originally Posted by Greenbeanz

@TitoFan that is an amazingly restrained and adult response to a very flippant post from myself. To be honest I have never been able to get past about 15 minutes of a game. I don't even really watch Premiership football on TV much, I much prefer going to watch my own cities team live. Therein for me lies the rub, I have no dog in the fight and so it's hard to be interested. I will occasionally watch the Rugby if England are playing the Aussies etc and for me it is a much more fluid and improvisational game to watch. Play is much more spontaneous with individuals running the virtual length of the pitch to score trys. College football seems to rehearsed and mechanical, defensive and without wanting to be offensive a bit dumb to the outsider.

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@Greenbeanz, I guess a big part of it is not having a "dog in the fight", as you put it. I don't live in the U.S., and thus do not share that bond people have in football cities, where they paint their faces in the team's colors, and crowd the stadiums dressed in all sorts of strange and colorful garb. They have their famous tailgate parties and generally have all kinds of fun at the stadium. I've only ever been to one NFL game live, and that was when I went to visit a brother-in-law in Jacksonville a couple of years ago.

Another big part of it is what you grew up with. I was introduced to American football at a fairly young age, and even got the chance to play in high school and one year at the college level. Something about the game truly appeals to me, even though like I said before, there are gaps in the action. It depends what you compare it to. We usually compare it to baseball, where of course there's no comparison as far as the flow of the game. Baseball is much, much slower. And yet it also has an appeal to many people. I personally cannot bring myself to watch a whole baseball game, unless it's the World Series or the World Baseball Classic. And yet I'll sit there and watch a whole game of Little League baseball, because I find the skill of these 12-year olds to be fascinating.

Association football, admittedly, is something I've learned to like in the last 10 years or so. The lack of scoring used to be an obstacle to me... but thanks to some buddies of mine, I've learned to appreciate the finer points of the game. As in any sport, international competitions add some spice to the pot for me... so I started just watching the World Cup. Now I'll catch the occasional Premiership game, or games from La Liga, which they sometimes televise here. But at this point I still prefer to watch international competitions.

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Originally Posted by boyla

English here
I watch the super bowl live every year, and enjoy it immensely.

I played American football, in school, a America coach came and sparked our interests, we tried organizing a team outside of school, but tag American football(using ribbons not physically tackling players), was while fun a diluted game and totally different from what we practiced, eg the real game without pads and helmets.

In uni I was told there was a team, I trained and played without equipment, had fun then they expected us to shell out £300~500usd for our own equipment, can not be sure on the price, but I didn't have the money to continue, felt like a loser borrowing equipment every session, so I quit.
I could of done some traveling and got pieces of 2nd hand equipment for around £80, but didn't even have that spare money or a car to collect the equipment.


I played Corner Back, but liked to be a Lineman as well, big build with a fast sprint.

In my town rugby was never a big deal, football was the be all and end all and it is no exaggeration to say I played football every day from 10-16.

I miss AF, and might give rugby a try, because I know I will not have to fork out lots of money just to practice with pads.

I would say the following of American football outside of uni, is very low, UFC is well know and popular, even Ice hockey is more popular we actually have semi-professional teams.

It is hard for American football, to achieve a following when rugby is a established sport which any kid can play, where as their is few(any) AF teams outside of uni, the costs of participating are astonishing.

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Excellent insight from an Englishman on American football! Obviously cost is a big issue. AF equipment is definitely not cheap. And unless you play for a school or another organization which supplies the equipment, it puts a big burden on those who'd like to participate. Rugby, in comparison, requires little or no investment at all and is obviously a more feasible alternative to young kids.

I played in high school and one year of college, where I didn't have to worry about forking out money for equipment. So I think it's admirable when people get together to play AF without that sort of backing, and still shell out the money for the gear.

You mentioned flag football. Flag football is basically AF without the tackling. Flag football is pretty popular in the U.S., not only because it's cheaper, but probably also because less risk of a serious injury, especially when you have to report to work the following Monday.

And then there's the Super Bowl. I also enjoy immensely and watch it every year. But you'd be interested in knowing that sometimes the playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl are as (or more) enjoyable as the SB itself. Thankfully, the SB has been more competitive in the last several years. But there was a period of time when SB's were generally blowouts, and most people tuned in to watch the halftime show.

Good God, hell no! I've watched it for periods of 20 minutes, thought 'WTF?' repeatedly and then given up.

That is not my idea of fun. It seems to be the same with me for all US sports. I deplore basketball, baseball, and American football all for different reasons.

I used to play for my University

it was fun, not a spectators sport tho is it

and obviously poo compared to real football

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

Good God, hell no! I've watched it for periods of 20 minutes, thought 'WTF?' repeatedly and then given up.

That is not my idea of fun. It seems to be the same with me for all US sports. I deplore basketball, baseball, and American football all for different reasons.

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I have to admit... I myself am not much into watching baseball (too slow) or basketball, particularly during the regular season. I will watch playoff games, however. But I'm curious. What is it specifically about American football that you don't like?

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Originally Posted by erics44

I used to play for my University

it was fun, not a spectators sport tho is it

and obviously poo compared to real football

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You played American football at the college level?
Cool!
Where did you play? And what position did you play?

I don't watch it (seen a couple of superbowls over the years), but the tactical aspect quite appeals to me. If I lived in America and started supporting a team i'd probably get into it.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

I don't watch it (seen a couple of superbowls over the years), but the tactical aspect quite appeals to me. If I lived in America and started supporting a team i'd probably get into it.

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I think you nailed it regarding the tactical aspect. This is what most appeals to me about the game. The hundreds of different plays and formations, both on offense and on defense. Playing to a team's strengths and weaknesses. Weather conditions dictating a game plan.

No other sport, that I know of, matches this degree of tactical strategy.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

Good God, hell no! I've watched it for periods of 20 minutes, thought 'WTF?' repeatedly and then given up.

That is not my idea of fun. It seems to be the same with me for all US sports. I deplore basketball, baseball, and American football all for different reasons.

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I have to admit... I myself am not much into watching baseball (too slow) or basketball, particularly during the regular season. I will watch playoff games, however. But I'm curious. What is it specifically about American football that you don't like?

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I just find it boring. If you are going to play a sport like that then just play rugby. It's done in 80 minutes.

I just don't enjoy it.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

First the disclaimer:

This is not a British vs American sports thread.
Sports are sports, and they should all be cherished, practiced, and/or watched.

Now that I cleared that up, I'm just curious. Does American football (pro or college) have any type of following in the UK? I know over there it's basically Association football first and foremost. I've learned to rather enjoy the sport myself. The biggest hurdle for me at first was the lack of scoring. But once you learn to enjoy the sheer ball handling skill...

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I stopped reading there. Very british...

:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

We have a name for exhilarating in Texas and it is Johnny Fucking Football. The SEC is thinking about expanding with a couple NFL teams next season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp8iZAySN2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ERPczcLlGk

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College teams are going to play NFL teams next year? How does thaty work?

i went to a few games and people explained it to me and it's OK to watch. I'd probably watch the odd game on TV if it coincided with spare time. I don't watch a lot of football either, almost no Premier league at all, maybe a couple of games a year. Used to watch Barcelona all the time but they get boring after a while, I watch the barcelona Madrid games though.

It was a joke Kirk. The SEC is far and away the most dominant college football conference and there is still lots of talk about expanding so obviously we are going to need some pro teams to give us some competition.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

Good God, hell no! I've watched it for periods of 20 minutes, thought 'WTF?' repeatedly and then given up.

That is not my idea of fun. It seems to be the same with me for all US sports. I deplore basketball, baseball, and American football all for different reasons.

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I have to admit... I myself am not much into watching baseball (too slow) or basketball, particularly during the regular season. I will watch playoff games, however. But I'm curious. What is it specifically about American football that you don't like?

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I just find it boring. If you are going to play a sport like that then just play rugby. It's done in 80 minutes.

I just don't enjoy it.

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Can't a game of cricket go on for days?

When I was a teenager during the Refrigerator days who played for Chicago Bear on channel 4 I tried to follow it. I was a Washington Redskin fan just because of the Red Indian/Native American angle and I even had a mug.

At school we played the game after school with no protection and it was well attended. However I have never watched a full match and have not followed it since. It was a fad more me.

Rugby is even worse and the people that I know who play it have serious injuries.

I really like it, I've been to a couple of the International Series games at Wembley which have been a lot of fun too (49ers v Broncos and Bucs v Bears).

It can be quite difficult to really get into a sport when you don't have a "home" team to support, which is why I'll always prefer football. I was at our (Sunderland) FA Cup match at Bolton on Saturday and it was mental when we equalised. You can't really experience that kind of passion and atmosphere as an outsider imo.

I do prefer AF to rugby though, I only really watch rugby when the World Cup or 6 Nations is on. I tried to play it when I was in school but decided it wasn't worth it when I tried to tackle one of the biggest lads in our year, went too low and took a savage knee to the face.

Cricket is shit too. If I'm going to spend 5 days watching a sport then there better be a fucking winner at the end of it.

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Originally Posted by Master

When I was a teenager during the Refrigerator days who played for Chicago Bear on channel 4 I tried to follow it. I was a Washington Redskin fan just because of the Red Indian/Native American angle and I even had a mug.

At school we played the game after school with no protection and it was well attended. However I have never watched a full match and have not followed it since. It was a fad more me.

Rugby is even worse and the people that I know who play it have serious injuries.

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Speaking of the Washington Redskins, M... have you seen this?

Washington D.C. Mayor Reportedly Wants to Talk About Changing Redskins' Nickname | Bleacher Report



I think it's unfortunate that we're putting so much weight on a damn team name. It's been the Washington Redskins since the beginning of time, and we're talking about a storied franchise. I don't think it's meant to denigrate anybody, and logo is quite dignified, IMO.

As if we didn't have more important things to worry about....

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by Master

When I was a teenager during the Refrigerator days who played for Chicago Bear on channel 4 I tried to follow it. I was a Washington Redskin fan just because of the Red Indian/Native American angle and I even had a mug.

At school we played the game after school with no protection and it was well attended. However I have never watched a full match and have not followed it since. It was a fad more me.

Rugby is even worse and the people that I know who play it have serious injuries.

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Speaking of the Washington Redskins, M... have you seen this?

Washington D.C. Mayor Reportedly Wants to Talk About Changing Redskins' Nickname | Bleacher Report



I think it's unfortunate that we're putting so much weight on a damn team name. It's been the Washington Redskins since the beginning of time, and we're talking about a storied franchise. I don't think it's meant to denigrate anybody, and logo is quite dignified, IMO.

As if we didn't have more important things to worry about....

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I guess if it a derogatory term then it does need to change. I also read somewhere that the previous owner was racist and did not allow black players in the team and the black fans of Washington and nearby supported the loacl rivals which would be Dallas Cowboys. Is that true?

Absolutely not true Master

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

Good God, hell no! I've watched it for periods of 20 minutes, thought 'WTF?' repeatedly and then given up.

That is not my idea of fun. It seems to be the same with me for all US sports. I deplore basketball, baseball, and American football all for different reasons.

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I have to admit... I myself am not much into watching baseball (too slow) or basketball, particularly during the regular season. I will watch playoff games, however. But I'm curious. What is it specifically about American football that you don't like?

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I just find it boring. If you are going to play a sport like that then just play rugby. It's done in 80 minutes.

I just don't enjoy it.

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Can't a game of cricket go on for days?

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Yes.

Choice: watch Cricket /watch grass the grow. Same shit over and fucking over.

They even have the name for the sections of the game correct, so as to warn people who are into adrenaline and real sports to stay clear. :)

Cricket, football and rugby are played by billions all over the world. Their ubiquity is not merely dictated by how easily even a street kid with no money can easily improvise without a marked out grid/pitch or full set of equipment, but by the very nature of the games. There are regular international competitions and enough variables and spontaneity to always provide room for individual creativity and a spectacle for even the neutral. AF seems more gridlike and inflexible, and insular. Is baseball not huge in Puerto Rico then?

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

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Originally Posted by Master

When I was a teenager during the Refrigerator days who played for Chicago Bear on channel 4 I tried to follow it. I was a Washington Redskin fan just because of the Red Indian/Native American angle and I even had a mug.

At school we played the game after school with no protection and it was well attended. However I have never watched a full match and have not followed it since. It was a fad more me.

Rugby is even worse and the people that I know who play it have serious injuries.

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Speaking of the Washington Redskins, M... have you seen this?

Washington D.C. Mayor Reportedly Wants to Talk About Changing Redskins' Nickname | Bleacher Report



I think it's unfortunate that we're putting so much weight on a damn team name. It's been the Washington Redskins since the beginning of time, and we're talking about a storied franchise. I don't think it's meant to denigrate anybody, and logo is quite dignified, IMO.

As if we didn't have more important things to worry about....

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I guess if it a derogatory term then it does need to change. I also read somewhere that the previous owner was racist and did not allow black players in the team and the black fans of Washington and nearby supported the loacl rivals which would be Dallas Cowboys. Is that true?

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I don't doubt that the previous Redskins' owner may have been racist. But unlike baseball, I've never heard of color discrimination in the NFL... maybe a long, long time ago. And for Washington fans of any kind to support the Dallas Cowboys is practically unheard of. The Cowboys and Redskins are in the same division, and are hated rivals.

On a sort of tangentially connected note. Did any of you American guys play Cowboys vs Indians as kids? Or War where one side was German and the other side, in our case British, in yours American?