Pro-football has seen an unbelievable rise in popularity in recent times, from being an afterthought in the minds of many people in the mid-20th century to becoming one of the most watched and popular sports in the United States, with that popularity now spreading across the world. The NFL has become a cleverly managed game that markets the sport and its entertainment value as its top priority. The rise in popularity is an epic story that witnesses the rivalries of teams, the passion and the competitiveness which is epitomised by players such as Ray Lewis, Brett Favre and Steve McNair.
American Football is extensively marketed. Pete Rozelle, who became the NFL’s commissioner at only 33, initiated many of the measures that have ensured the sport’s cultural ascendancy, including a television deal that distributed revenue equally among all teams. The availability of football through cable and network TV has seen NFL games on ABC, CBS, and FOX average 15.6million viewers. Indeed more people watched the last Super Bowl than voted in the Presidential election. The NFL’s policy of televising most of their games has transformed the experience of millions of television viewers, who might only go to the occasional game, into knowledgeable and enthusiastic football fans.
One of the most distinctive differences of the NFL compared to other sports is the level of competitiveness and parity the league has. There isn’t an NFL club now that won’t try and sell its fans on the belief that, when training camp opens it, too, can finish on top. That includes the St. Louis Rams, who finished as the worst team in the NFL this season, having a record of 1-15, but whose coaches will go back and look at the tape of the game played against the eventual Superbowl champions New Orleans Saints and claim they were a catch away from beating the Saints, the game having finished 28-23 to New Orleans. This level of competitiveness gives fans such as the Rams renewed hope that next year may be their year, that next year they will sell out the stadium. Merchandise will be sold in the belief that a side, who won only one game in the 2009/2010 season, will be parading the Vince Lombardi trophy in downtown St. Louis in 2011 as winners of Superbowl XLV.
This league parity is unlike any other professional sport. Any team is able to compete realistically for a place in the Superbowl. It makes for a more exciting product, which makes for a more popular product which in turn leads to greater wealth for everyone. The NBA have followed the NFL’s lead in trying to divide the money between teams and bring parity to the league but still can’t get around the number of teams that are victim to empty seats, mostly because the teams have little or no chance of competing for a title. In the NFL it is a different story as all but 4 of the 32 teams have been to a Superbowl and in the last 10 years there have been 7 different winners.
The NFL has also developed a distinctive fan culture. The clubs allow tailgating or picnics in the parking lots before matches. These tailgates involve barbecues and an unlimited supply of food and drink. The enjoyable pre-match activities attract a large amount of people. The culture of American Football is comparable to Soccer as NFL fans will travel vast distances for Bowl games or close rivalry games. Indeed it has become part of the football culture of dedicated spectators.
The NFL has increased its popularity in the UK too in recent years with over 7,000 people actually involved in the sport – and it is one of, if not, the fastest growing sports in Great Britain, growing at over 12% year on year! The primary league for football is the British American Football league (BAFL), a growing league with 50 teams across Britain competing.
Sky Sports must take some of the credit for American Football’s sudden rise in Britain. They started to show double-header NFL matches live from 6pm-1am on a Sunday night, and as time has gone on the popularity of the sport has risen as a whole new generation of fans have been attracted. This renewed interest prompted the NFL to announce they would stage a regular-season game at Wembley Stadium on October 28th 2007 when the Miami Dolphins played the eventual Superbowl champions the New York Giants. All available UK tickets (90,000) were snapped up within 90 minutes of going on sale leaving approximately half a million disappointed applicants. This was the beginning of an annual international series in London which has subsequently seen visits from New Orleans Saints (the new Superbowl Champions), San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2010 Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers are the participating teams. The NFL is planning on an increase in the amount of international games, hoping to play two games annually in London from 2011– and, at some point, current Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league may even place an expansion team in the city. “We’re thinking about it. As long as we continue to get a positive reaction, the possibility is that we could bring the sport here on a full-time basis. To own the first international franchise would be a pretty cool thing”.
Nick Hill
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