I'm a relative newcomer to the NFL. The first game I ever really watched was Super Bowl XLIII. It was one of the most exciting games of any sport that I had ever seen (it also probably helped that I had money on the Cardinals +6.5 points). From then on I was hooked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gs5IARvyZg
I became a fan because of that game but I stayed a fan for other reasons.
The main thing that I love about the NFL is that any one of the 32 teams could win the Super Bowl. You could juxtapose this with the Premier League which is a closed shop of only 5 or 6 teams having realistic chances of winning the Premier League title. The only way into this group is if you win the lottery of being bought by a Russian oligarch or a Saudi prince.
Every team in the NFL has the same amount of money to spend on player salaries. The only thing that seperates teams is the competency of their owners, the staff that they hire and the quality of the players that they choose to employ.
In 2010 the San Francisco 49ers had a 6-10 record (they won 6 games, lost 10). They made a coaching change bringing in Jim Harbaugh and last season came within minutes of reaching the Super Bowl.
In 2008 the Detroit Lions had a record of 0-16 (they lost all 16 of their games). Last season their record was 10-6, they made the playoffs. This was just 3 years after becoming the first team ever to lose all of their regular season games. There is always hope in the NFL.
It is this uncertaintity about who is going to win the Super Bowl from season to season that makes it a great sport on which to bet. Last season's Super Bowl winners the New York Giants were 20/1, the season before that the Green Bay Packers were 9/1. The Cardinals team that lost the lead with 50 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII were 40/1 going into that season.
The NFL is the most popular sport in the US. It might be more popular than all the other sports combined. It is rapidly gaining popularity on this side of the water. You can now watch live games on Thursday night, 3 games on Sunday and a game on Monday night on a combination of Sky Sports, ESPN and Channel 4 right throughout the season.
One of the reasons for it's popularity is the physicality of the sport. It is also the reason you should start watching this season. The game is changing as player safety, mainly because of concussions becomes a major issue. In a few years it is possible that American football could be a very different, less physical game. So what I'm saying is, get it now, while it's good.
It is a sport with many layers. It can be as simple or complicated as you want it. If you want to see big men hitting other big men hard then this is the sport for you. If you want a complex, tactical game then it is also for you.
I often compare the NFL to the TV show The Wire. You could just view it as a show about the police catching criminals or you can go deeper into what it says about society. For years people told me that I should be watching The Wire. They told me that I'd love it. I never listened to them. Eventually I did listen to them and as soon as I did, I wondered why I had put off watching. It was brilliant. It was the same with the NFL. As soon as I started watching, I couldn't believe it had taken me so long.
Now, one of my favourite days of the week is a Sunday spent watching Premier League followed by 3 NFL games. The season runs from September to early February. In the dark evenings of November and December it is brilliant entertainment.
-We'll be running a Balls.ie fantasy NFL league. So get in touch if you're interested in taking part. We'll also be running more NFL guides to help anyone interested in becoming a fan.
