Ball for One and One for Ball

I’ve been considering the recent arguments lighting up the Tab and I think it’s fair to say I disagree wholeheartedly with the notion we have no time for non-‘British’ sports. I should add that if I was reading this aloud when I utter the word ‘British’ you’d hear my voice dripping with sarcasm as I struggle to come to terms with what that even means.

 Our modern, globalised world is all about the sharing of ideas, politics and (you guessed it) sport.  Where would we be without the Chicken Tikka Masala dishes from the takeaway down the road, or the super noodles so many students live on? And, what about good ol’ democracy which is something, I assume, most readers are quite fond of.

The San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl entrance.

 These are all things that once (yes democracy is a real stretch but I feel the need for hyperbole) were as alien to us as the great and superfluous sport of American Football. Of course the key word here, is once: now these things are as much a part of our loose and fluctuating identity as wearing shorts when Spring hits (I’m looking at you fellow students) and a willingness to queue for an hour in  Nourish for a baguette.

  But where does this leave sport? I’m a football fan; I love the drama of the British leagues and get a warm fuzzy feeling sitting in a stadium as generations come together to chant “It’s your round” at a player for his recent drinking ban, or the respectful applause shown to an injured player. It’s homely and it’s safe. But I find sometimes that isn’t enough, sometimes the spectacle means as much as the game and that’s why every year I’ll tune into the Super Bowl.

Now, I don’t know the nuances of the sport and I couldn’t name a single player but that’s just fine. For that single night I’m a crazy drunken American cheering for the Green Bay Packers or the Baltimore Ravens and you know what, I don’t care. I’m happy to be able to appreciate this sport I’m unfamiliar with and accept that millions must like it for a reason. Ultimately, I’d hope they feel the same way about ‘soccer’ and in an ideal world begin to accept it as the one true entertainment (I’m kidding, jeez).

The Leicester Longhorns in action.

 For this reason I applaud our American sports teams here at the University of Leicester, it’s all too easy to forget we shared our sports with others all over the world and we wouldn’t have it any other way, and now we can start to take some back. American Football games here are as similar to the advertising giant that is the Super Bowl as a microwaveable chow-mein from Asda is to its original but for that, I love it.