Many are surprised that most of the British population are yet to fall in love with one of America’s most famous sports. Although in recent years there has been a growing interest in the game, many involved in the sport, especially in the business side of American Football thought that the British people would have got more involved in the game by now.
The National Football League has been holding games for years in the United Kingdom to help promote the sport. For these events, the stadiums are often packed with screaming fanatics. A lot of Americans come to Britain to watch their teams play out on foreign soil, but there are a lot of British supporters who show up too. The ongoing pandemic has forced the NFL to cancel a lot of last year’s games that were supposed to be held in the UK, but an announcement was made in May this year saying that two games were to be held in Tottenham Hotspur’s brand new stadium which is located in London. A lot of the games are televised on British television, and supporters have easy access to all the details about the upcoming games online. They can find highlights of recent games on streaming services like YouTube. So, why are very few British people hopping on the American Football bandwagon?
1. British People are Soccer Crazy
In almost every town and village in Britain, you can find at least one full-size soccer pitch. Not only do most of the British population love watching the sport, but many of them love to play too.
There are a lot of different soccer leagues in Britain, some professional and some non-professional. The most famous league in the United Kingdom is the British Premier League which is televised worldwide. The league attracts some of the best managers and players from all over the globe, and it is arguably the best domestic club soccer league on the planet.
It is difficult for American Football to compete with soccer in Britain. The sport is a big part of the culture and very few would bet against American Football, or any other sport for that matter taking over its place. Although the two sports are very different, the fans show similar passion.
2. The Time Difference
This is a major factor why so many people in the United Kingdom don’t watch the sport. Live NFL games are on very early in the morning, and if you want to watch these games live, you will have to be prepared to stay up or wake up very early, which can make for a long day ahead. Although some fanatics who adore the sport work around the crazy time difference, for most it can prove extremely difficult.
Although fans can watch the replay the following day, many feel it’s not the same in comparison to watching a match live. A lot of Brits like to bet on games, and there are plenty of websites like SBOBET.tf that allow folks to gamble on the NFL matches, but having to stay up to watch the fixtures unfold live takes a lot of fun away from betting on these games.
For the Superbowl, plenty of people throughout Britain and the rest of the world stay up to watch the biggest game in American Football take place each year, but very few seem to tune in to watch the other games live. The Super Bowl is held on a Sunday each year in America. This year’s event kicked off in the UK at 11.30 pm, so if fans wanted to watch the entire event they would have had to stay up until 3.30 am. The time difference doesn’t suit those who need to wake up early on a Monday morning for work.
3. Too Much Protective Gear?
Rugby is another huge sport in the United Kingdom, and a lot of other European countries for that matter. Similar to American Football, rugby has a lot of complex rules, strong athletes, and a similarly shaped ball, however, professional rugby players wear very little protective equipment. A lot of British people look down on American Football for the amount of protective equipment each player wears during a game. Although some American Footballers sustain serious injuries while playing or training, plenty of folks in Britain believe they overdo it with the safety gear each player has to wear.
4. They find the Game Confusing
Popular British sports like soccer, netball, tennis, and golf are easy for people to understand. The basic rules of each of these sports are easy for an audience to figure out. Within minutes of watching most people can understand what is going on. Because most British people didn’t grow up watching or playing American Football, they find the sport extremely complicated which puts a lot of them off.