Editor’s note: We would like to thank Ben for contributing once again to Colts Authority and giving us his unique take on the game at Wembley Stadium. Be sure to look for his special review of the Colts game in London in the coming week. – MD
As a relative new convert to following American football, I can’t claim to have followed the Colts for a long as many people reading this. Heck, I didn’t even watch my first game until 2010. That game however, happened to be Super Bowl XLIV and I took an immediate like to the Colts, even though they ended up losing. I like to tell people it was because I admired Peyton Manning’s field general-like command of the offense, but it was really because my other favourite team, Everton FC also play in blue & white.
Since then, I’ve become an avid fan. But despite being so distant, I’m really just like any other NFL fan. I sit down with friends and, invariably, beers to watch NFL Redzone on Sundays. I stare nervously at my fantasy team, praying for just one more touchdown from my quarterback, or 6 more yards from a running back. I cheer when the Colts score, and shout at the TV when Chuck Pagano mismanages the clock, or has Griff Whalen snap the ball to Colt Anderson in what remains the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen happen on a football field. I revel in the last minute victories, despair at the last second defeats and often pray that the former will outweigh the latter over the course of the season.
And I’m not the only one over here who does that.
There is a growing following for the NFL in the UK, as evidenced by the ability to sellout three regular season games on a consistent basis. What there isn’t yet is a solid commitment to one team. On Sunday at Wembley, you’ll see jerseys from all 32 NFL teams (as well as few committed fans who wear NFL Europe, or London Monarchs tops!) as English fans turn up not to support their team, but to revel in the opportunity to watch an NFL game with their own eyes.
I know that for many Americans, the International Series is a distraction. An annoyance. I know many people view it as a huge inconvenience that the teams have to travel across multiple time zones to play one game, to travel all the way back. And I get that. I know the timings are awkward. I know it’s annoying to have a game taken away from US soil, putting a huge financial barrier on you attending.
But all I’d say is this: Think about the love you have for the game of football. Think about how it makes you feel. Think about the excitement, the drama, the tension, the elation. If you had the ability to let someone else experience those same emotions, wouldn’t you want them to? Because that is what NFL fans, of all colours, get to experience when the NFL makes its annual pilgrimage over the pond.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve watched NFL games before. I go to the international series games every year, regardless of who plays, and on a recent holiday to Florida, I took my, very understanding, partner to a Buccaneers game.
But this time is different.
This time it’s the Colts. And I for one, can’t wait.
Ben Rathe tweets at @benrathe. He is also London based and is happy to help any Colts fans travelling over for the game with anything he can!
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