It's our game; dont spoil it

Greetings all we're heading into week three of the NFL regular season and time continues to fly quicker than David Cameron pork jokes, The season began with a bang and already featuring incredible upsets and crushing defeats after only two weeks of football, Super Bowl contenders look like they couldn't run their way out of paper bags (which the fans will no doubt soon be wearing) and rookie quarterbacks hit the record books, it's the greatest sport in the world and after a fortnight the proof is in the box scores.

 

I guess apart from enjoying the games (despite Colts results) and the run of television programming for the NFL I can't help but feel that this season has been one of the bleakest after the off season of all the dramas within the league in the UK the fans are becoming spoilt, family run businesses are calling it quits and Patriots fans are acting crazier than conspiracy theorists with tin foil on their heads that everybody is out to get them. When I first started watching the game seriously in the mid 2000's I learned the majority of the game from watching way into the early hours the analysis from Mike Carlson who is no longer on Channel 4 as they refused to pick up their option for terrestrial television, Great American Sports announced in the off season they were calling it a day this is the family business I discovered in 2007 and never went anywhere else for my purchases. NFL fans on communities, social media and groups seem to do nothing more than make "banter" and argue amongst themselves through ridiculous meme's in effort to troll other fans and this has really started to grind me down. It used to be that when NFL fans met each other the conversation would be articulate and friendly, now I don't know if this is a generational thing because I certainly don't feel old at 28 but I'm beginning to wonder what the attitude problem is with fans in this country, now before I go further let me explain this article.

 

1. I know this is not all fans, just the most noticeable ones.

 

2. I understand that the NFL is a business.

 

3. You can't always get what you want.

 

4. Sometimes you don't get what you need.

 

5. The attitude of fans toward fans is nothing new.

 

 

The first time I watched NFL on Channel 5 I was blown away by the quality of the analysis with John Madden often leaving a lot to be explained in an articulate manner (though the "booms" "doinks" and stating the obvious was always fun at 3am) Michael Carlson became a cult hero in the dawn of the social media age amongst NFL fans and I made several friends through the "appreciation society" this group was a place for one liners and talk all about the sport where we earned nocturnal sleep pattern badges, this is the first NFL season I have watched without tuning into Carlson (and Nat Coombs 2007 - present day) since 2005. I could certainly state biased reasons for me wanting these two gentlemen on television but it's not just for me, it's for all those new fans who can't afford GamePass or the ludicrous prices for Sky's pandering to the rookie viewers, the insomniacs, the procrastinating students on a late night cram or just the kids in the school holidays who won't go to bed, what about the kids who just caught the highlights on the off chance at the weekend and became hooked. Channel 4 really screwed the pooch with this one, but that's ok I'm sure the Hollyoaks and Made in Chelsea will continue to keep the masses distracted with no chance of gaining anything out of their television time. Nat and Mike have been picked up by the BBC for the International Series games and a future highlight show later on in the season. If you were also not aware Mike and Nat appear on Americarnage a podcast available (www.americarnage.co.uk) so if you're like me and still trying to adapt to not flicking the television on at 1am you can still get your NFL fix. If the NFL want to continue to push and promote the game, not allowing a terrestrial deal was definitely not a step in the right direction, it's a sack fumble in the end zone.

 

NFL fans in the UK have often been a funny bunch, from not acknowledging each other on trains and coaches into London for the Wembley games despite the common interest (This is evidently a British thing since none of us seem to want to talk to each other any other time either) But recently behind the screens of computers all I seem to be seeing is insults, nonsensical smack talk. What happened to actual conversation? what's happening in the game instead of the latest internet meme? It's embarrassing to think that as a fan base we've resorted to dumbing down a great sport with dumb behaviour. After the week one boat race the 49ers put on the Vikings up in Santa Clara four 49ers fans were filmed beating up a Vikings fan on the floor in something similar to the football hooliganism we see here in England, it's depressing. Fortunately the four involved have been arrested, unfortunately one of those arrested is seventeen years old. Smarten up, Wise up and treat each other well at Wembley, around the tailgate area and the surrounding pubs, I know this usually isn't a problem but I find myself starting to wonder about those who can't go through a game without being loaded on booze. Patriots fans continue to make out the NFL is against them after a headset malfunction against the Steelers caused the Pittsburgh bench to hear nothing but the Patriot radio broadcast, cue another conspiracy theory about how the league is trying to screw the most successful franchise in recent years. Look, We don't hate you because we ain't you, we're not just jealous of your success (I've watched every Super bowl the Patriots have appeared in since 2001) I've admired your success (as I'm sure all real NFL fans have) I admire Belichick he's one of the greatest coaches in our games history, I've seen Tom Brady rack up a combined 100+ points in games I've attended with him playing in, the issue lies within the fact that the Patriots have constantly been caught out "misconstruing" the rulebook and why would any fan not doubt that their successes have been brought in by doing things that effect the integrity of the game, so please (As I said above not all of you) move on and grow up, that also goes to the fans who constantly do nothing but moan about the Patriots, it's a game.

 

I apologise if you didn't come here to read a rambling rant about the negativity I've felt towards the game I love and write about but this has definitely been one off season filled with nothing but bad news. I want to thank Great American Sports for the service they've brought to NFL fans in the UK for many a year from the small store in Five Ways, Birmingham to it's current home in Exeter. The service was second to none, the reliability second to none, Marguerite and Francis treated all customers like friends and friends we have all become, it's a crying shame that suppliers could not meet realistic fan demands but hey here's to the Bevans. Great American Supports supplied stadium edition Super Bowl programmes and delivered them first class every time, they sponsored the first UK NFL podcast in 2010 "The NFL International" podcast as hosted by myself and Jack Bloomfield.