How did it get so popular

[grazza]

I'm not really that familiar with American football I seen a couple of claymores games at Hampden. Seems like a very tactical sport though stoppages are tough to deal with.  I'm just interested how NFL has became so big say in Scotland with having its own section in the forums. I suppose with Sky plus and on demand apps its easier to watch games a day or 2 later and skip the stoppages and ads etc. Until the last couple years its only really been Sky that has shown it. I wonder how it has done so well over here in comparison to NBA and NHL. Perhaps playing lot less games makes it easier to keep up with and a bit like how folk maybe follow 6 nations but not other rugby to the same extent. I'm an ice hockey fans and Scotland has 4 pro teams in the UK pro league. Since NFL europe stopped there doesn't appear to be anything in UK beyond semi pro level. Given the popularity of NFL surprised there hasn't been a successful attempt at a pro league in UK or Europe say in the NFL off season even if it had no affiliation with NFL. Just curious how you got into the sport and stuck with it over the years and what NFL is doing that other sports ain't doing. 

[invergowrie arab]

It has been far more accessible on TV in UK than other US sports. Also having a set time of Sunday night and one Monday game traditionally has helped. I used to follow baseball but 5 games in a week was too much to keep up with.

Also, its a TV sport.

Mike Carlson talks really well about how it is perfectly sized and laid out for all the action to take place on that perfect wee box sized bit of turf. It sounds shit when i say it but like I say he says it well.

There are plenty stoppages but every play is so intense and meaningful that its a blessed relief. Compare that to icing in hockey which to a newbie just seems like a completely random stoppage.

It mirrors what has happened in the states, the NFL has eclipsed all other US sports in terms of viewers and has been light years ahead of any other league in marketing at home and abroad.

Dunno why it is not a hugely popular game to play other than it requires a lot of equipment, very specific positions and skills and a specific field to play on whereas basketball can be played at any sports hall in the country by 5 guys getting together, same for rec hockey. Putting together even a semi pro league would be hugely expensive and anyone who has ever watched European international american football on Eurosport will know unless it is the top players it really is shite to watch.

 

[placidcasual]

28 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

It has been far more accessible on TV in UK than other US sports. Also having a set time of Sunday night and one Monday game traditionally has helped.

That's nonsense. Baseball and Basketball have infinitely better coverage on BT Sports than NFL does on Sky. 

[invergowrie arab]

9 hours ago, placidcasual said:

That's nonsense. Baseball and Basketball have infinitely better coverage on BT Sports than NFL does on Sky. 

Try reading it again. The context is clearly historical and it is absolutely accurate to say NFL has historically been much more accessible on UK TV than other US sports.

[irvine_buddie]

I find NBA and MLB pretty boring to watch and there is far too many games to really follow the league or a particular team properly. I would probably watch NHL if it was on sky.. I've only ever seen it on Premier Sports which you don't get with a normal sky sports package.

[steelmen]

With the exception of the film major league I think baseball is sleep inducing, basketball is ok but it's an everyday thing where as NFL is set pretty much in a Sunday and I can plan round that.

With red zone you can cut out all the adverts and watch the exciting bits of multiple games if you don't fancy the live game.

Add to that I picked my team years ago before we got all this coverage so I was already invested in the NFL.

[Stewbo]

I know a load of folks, including myself, who got in to it just from playing Madden on the playstation/xbox. Its a much more digestible way to learn the rules properly and getting attached to players/teams.

As a few others have said, having just one game a week makes each match feel so much more significant compared to other sports. Like if a team loses a game, its far more impactful than if a baseball team loses a game. I like that aspect of it and again it makes me feel more attached to it than i do with other sports.

I feel like having such an involved fantasy scene is a big factor too, its a lot more engaging than fantasy basketball, less complex than fantasy baseball, and a lot more competitive than fantasy premier league. Having a platform for the audience who dont really have an allegience to one team or another is such a big deal. Accumulators are kind of our version of that for football here/down south.

[1320Lichtie]

Fact it's only on a few month of the year is a big thing too... just perfect. I feel like a junkie needing a fix waiting on it coming back.

For me it's just the way everything's done, it's so smart.

The stadiums, well some of of them are absolutely ridiculous.

The iconic teams/franchises representing some amazing cities.

The glamour around the sport, I also like the fact that there are only 32 teams with 53 roster spots, meaning only 1696 players in a country that is football mad and absolutely huge. Sort of makes me not even bother that they're getting some ridiculous wages. Incredibly hard level to get to for players.

The variation between the players playing in each position, how different they are physically, all the different attributes that are required. Love that.

The drama that the sport can create, not unique in this but there really is huge drama at times. So many different factors. The stop/start side of play also appeals to me, I like how it's in quick bursts.

Also said this in another thread but I just love the way American sports are done. So good to watch with the coverage.

It's a fantastic sport and I can't believe it took me so long to become hooked. Even watch all the college stuff now too which I also love. I find America fascinating as a country, it's so diverse and OTT with everything.

Can't wait for it to come back.

[Todd_is_God]

There's no semi-pro league in the UK because the standard, frankly, is shite. The two big London teams and maybe Tamworth are decent, but below that it's full of guys who think they are NFL players without much of the skill. In terms of defensive players there are a lot of big guys who do their job well, but offensive play is largely poor and doesn't overly test them. A team with a good running back will do very well in the UK, whereas finding a good QB is almost impossible, for obvious reasons.

As an amateur sport it is fun to play, but is a lot more expensive to get into than, say, football. At that level it is not a particularly good spectator sport, however, and would lose money at an alarming rate. Its not for the lack of trying - EK and Edinburgh try their best to get paying people in the gate, but those that go along see the NFL on TV and their expectations are way off.

Anyone half decent that wants to get a paid holiday can go and play in Europe anyway.