Why Isn't American Football More Popular Outside of America?

[TheVoxyn]

We seem to go a bit off-track here, the name probably isn't the only thing withholding it from becoming more popular .

I think it has to do something with:
- it being too American
- slow pacing
- deep rooted soccer(or hockey, or whatever floats a specific country's boat) culture

[jammindude]

Again, not trying to defend our calling it football.  I already said it would be smart to call it something else.  I'm just saying don't blame us for the 'American' tag when we don't refer to it that way.

Right...so what name would you invent?

How about.....CRUSH!!!!

[Sigz]

The name doesn't make any sense, but there's plenty of things in language that make no sense. The game originated out of various football clubs trying new rules, and the name stuck around. It's really as simple as that.

[black_biff_stadler]

Because football is fucking stupid, and the pro players are the least intelligent, most overpaid douches in all of pro sports, save for basketball..

Thank you for your invaluable input. We're all better off having read this.

[Jaffa]

Right...so what name would you invent?

Well, considering I think the sport is boring as paste to watch, I doubt it'd ever be on my shoulders to come up with a new name for it.  For all I care, just call it Gridiron.  Or just some word that somebody makes up on the spot.  Or, how about something like Fieldball?  I suppose that's probably a thing, though.  Yardball.  Touchball.  Tackleball.  Huddleball.  Warball. 

[ReaPsTA]

- slow pacing

It's odd that this would be an argument against Football.  While I'd agree that the game on television has too many commercials, the normal stoppages of play actually make the game more entertaining for me.  The moment the play ends, you and the people you're watching it with start talking and breaking down what happened.  It makes the social experience of the game intrinsic to it.

[robwebster]

I think a huge part of it is the fact that it's got the word "American" in front of it. And the other huge part is that it's used the word "football" to describe something that, in the minds of a good majority of the planet's population, definitely isn't.

The second part, I can agree with, but I'm not sure about the first.  As far as I'm aware, we don't actually call it American football in America.  We just call it football.  The league is the NFL - National Football League - not the NAFL.  I believe it is only referred to as American football by people who aren't actually from America, and then only to distinguish it from 'proper' football, or what we call soccer. 

I could be wrong (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am), but I'm not aware of any Americans calling it American football.

I do agree that it would be smart to call it something other than football.

Ah! Yes, that sounds more plausible. See, said I knew nothing about sport!

Either way, regardless of where it comes from, because the sport's got a name that puts it in direct opposition with the most popular game on the planet, it has inherited the name American football - and who wants to play someone else's game?

Cos imagine if we in Britain invented a sport, nothing like baseball, and started calling it baseball! No bases, no balls, more like tennis than anything else, and it became the UK's national pastime. And then imagine we went completely gaga for it - really proud of it, best sport on earth, spending millions of pounds on transfers, stadia, ceremonies, and all of us baseball fans were really enjoying our new sport. How many US baseball fans would seriously go, "Ooh! That sounds like fun!" And how much coverage would it get in the US, d'you reckon? How much airtime would be devoted to the gift of baseball that the UK's nobly donated to the world?

Some people would enjoy it! Perfectly fun game, nothing wrong with the game, no reason that it should have to compete. But just based on the (apparent!) sheer audacity of naming it baseball, most baseball fans (real baseball fans) would just go, "Right. On your own, then." And rightly so! It'd be called British Baseball. Even in countries that don't love the original baseball - who'd want to be on the French British Baseball team?

I know you're not trying to be inflammatory - you're just summing up an argument, but I hate the notion that we're wrong to call American Football Football.  It makes the implicit assumption that we did this as a country purely to have it our own way as an act of defiance.  I don't know much more about the history of the game than what I've read on Wikipedia, but it seems the process was very organic.

As I said - totally aware that I'm arguing from a position of ignorance! I'm sure there are umpteen reasons it is called football, and I think you're probably right to resent the implication. But that's how it looks! And that's what reactions are based on. Logically, and objectively, it should be a game like any other. But sharing a name does set it up in diametric opposition. It's the other football. Your own brand of it. A retort. Whether by chance or by design, they're sharing the same headspace. It makes them into rivals. Gut reaction will make much more of a difference than the long, fruitful history of each game. Logic barely gets a look-in.

I can't really argue against this.

I'd actually bet that a lot of Americans like the fact that the sport is such an "American" thing.

Yep - and that's the flipside! Your culture's been enriched by your own brand of football in a way that no other country's has. It's as American as peanut butter, space-travel, and the right to bear arms. And it's all over your exports. Particularly your comedies, weirdly. Friends, the Simpsons, Seinfeld - football sticks out of each one like a red phonebox might out of an episode of Doctor Who. It's curiously American, in a way that might be lost if it were to catch on globally in a bigger way.

Would you say there's anything different about these people from your other fellow countrymen?

Well! Everyone's different, but there's a group of them who all hung about a bit in school who've all ended up watching it. I imagine a few of my friends like American football for the same reason a few of my friends like Dream Theater. One of them probably came across it, and they'd have said "Hey! Check this out." And they did, presumably! Knowing is half the battle, etc.

[Jaffa]

Either way, regardless of where it comes from, because the sport's got a name that puts it in direct opposition with the most popular game on the planet, it has inherited the name American football - and who wants to play someone else's game?

Oh, I do understand this.  I just wanted to clarify that it wasn't us who chose to call it 'American football'.    

[orcus116]

Being someone who is getting into both American football and football I can easily say that I understand why football is more appealing worldwide as far as number of fans is concerned. Less complex, faster paced, way more no nonsense and frankly way more fun to watch with a group of people. American football can be engaging but definitely slow paced and hard to grasp as far as rules are concerned. Maybe because I'm not that big on both quite yet but it seems silly to me to be confused as to why American football is, well, still only really an American thing. It's pretty obvious.

[senecadawg2]

eh... metric system?

[Perpetual Change]

We could turn the reasoning around, and ask why normal football (aka soccer) isn't popular in America? it's pretty much popular in all parts of the world, except for USA.

Not sure about that. Americans don't really watch soccer, but a lot of people enjoy playing it. When I was a kid we played soccer quite a bit iirc.

[Nekov]

eh... metric system?

 

[Jaffa]

We could turn the reasoning around, and ask why normal football (aka soccer) isn't popular in America? it's pretty much popular in all parts of the world, except for USA.

Not sure about that. Americans don't really watch soccer, but a lot of people enjoy playing it. When I was a kid we played soccer quite a bit iirc.

Well, I don't think it's accurate to say that soccer isn't popular at all here (it was my favorite sport to play as a kid, and probably still would be if not for foot surgery), but it definitely isn't as popular in the U.S. as it is in some places. 

[FiberglassMoon]

It's not a game that can be easily formed into a youth league...You need a lot of players to have a team, specialized equipment, fields, etc. and I think that has a lot to do with its failure to expand to other countries.  Essentially it's not a game well suited to be easily embraced by other cultures.

And I find it funny how some people think it's a mindless sport.....sure there are plenty of positions that don't require much thinking, but playing quarterback is one of the most challenging positions in any sport.  The amount of knowledge required to be a successful QB is insane, and even more so for a coach.  Coaching and  good strategy is more important in football then in any other game I can think of.

I'm not a huge football fan though...I never played it growing up so it doesn't engage me like baseball or basketball.  The pacing and constant stoppages can be pretty dragging, though.  Even still, I find soccer to be mind numbingly boring myself.  Sure, play rarely stops, but I get bored to tears watching a 90 minute game end in a 0-0 draw.  And I could never get into a sport where you aren't allowed to use your hands.

[Dr. DTVT]

Because football is fucking stupid, and the pro players are the least intelligent, most overpaid douches in all of pro sports, save for basketball..

I'm sorry, but it takes more intelligence to play football than any other team sport.

I'm willing to bet that American football isn't popular abroad the same reason soccer wasn't popular in America 20 years ago.  It just isn't understood at a deep level.  When I was ignorant about the strategy and nuances of soccer, I had a rather low opinion of it.  When ESPN, in one of the few things they've gotten right lately, started putting on the Euro and World Cup games with knowledgable announcers who disected the game the same way Madden did in the 80s, my appriciation of the sport went way up.  Basketball isn't hard to figure out, which is one of the reasons it's grown internationally.  Football and soccer are much deeper than they seem on the surface, so it is easy to dismiss them with simple statements if you're not attached to them

[senecadawg2]

eh... metric system?

 

I agree with just about everything said there ^. Another aspect is costs, which are much higher for organized team football (American that is). Soccer, on the other hand, requires nothing more than a relatively round ball. It's completely understandable why kids growing up in a third world country would find soccer to be the much more appealing sport.

[reneranucci]

- The main reason has to do with the same reason why cricket is big in India but not in the United States, or ice hockey immensely popular in Canada but non-existent in Brazil: cultural heritage, traditions, national identity, natural conditions, etc.

However, this applies to every sport, so we need to be more specific. Being a non-American who actually can follow an American football game and discuss plays with big football fans (I'm living in Texas now, football is everything here), I can mention the following:

- The sport is extremely complex, it has too many complicated rules, and it's just not appealing to watch for an person who's not familiar with it. Imagine a 15-year old girl who watches tennis just because she's in love with Roger Federer. Even though she may not know the details about the scoring and the tie-break rules, she can still follow the game, and have a very good idea of what's going on (ball out, ball in, simple as that). The same happens with soccer: I know many people who are only interested in games that are big (World Cup finals, national team's games, etc.) and watch only 2-3 games per year, but they can still get excited and follow the game. They know what's going on.

- The slow pace and constant interruptions also detract the uninitiated from watching it.

- It's difficult to expand it to other parts of the world simply because it's an expensive sport, which requires a lot of resources accessible only to people with high income. Being an American, you may not think of this as a big factor, but if you were from almost any other country you'll see my point. Parents and schools cannot afford all the necessary equipment, not to mention the fields with all the specifications. The games need  to we timed acurrately, and such systems require technology  not accesible everywhere. Compare this to football: you only need a ball to feel you're playing the real thing, while playing a dumbed-down version of American football like ultimate football is not attractive at all.

- Unlike other many sports that are reasonably safe (not only tennis but even football or basketball, contact sports where almost any form of violence is against the rules), you need to significantly commit your physical well-being in order to play it. Not many people is willing to make that commitment. Small, thin guys are already discarded. Women won't play it. Seniors say guacala. 6-year olds won't get permission form their moms (I think that even in the United States many moms don't like their children playing it). If you think about it, only a small fraction of the population has the physical condition (being big enough) and mental condition (enjoying getting beat enough) to play it. On the other hand, a 4'6 kid playing football against a 6'0 guy is the most natural thing in the world, short stature is not an obstacle to being good at it. My dad is 62 and he still plays football in a competitive league for veterans. A 5-year old can get permission to play and enjoy the game. We have girl's football teams everywhere that don't require putting lingerie on.

- The sport is not that fun to watch after all (3+ hours, too many boring phases, too little action).

Heck, after writing this, I've realized the real question is why is American football popular in America. The rest of the world doesn't care about it, and it has every reason for that.

[hefdaddy42]

Because football is fucking stupid, and the pro players are the least intelligent, most overpaid douches in all of pro sports, save for basketball..

Not only does this contain a factually incorrect statement (about the intelligence of football players), but this is simply not the kind of discourse we need or want at this message board.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I'm going to prefix this by saying I actually know a. bugger all about sports, and b. a fair few American football fans here in the UK. As in, proper fans. A good friend of mine played American football locally for a few years - might still do, not heard from him as much lately.

So, with the preface that not only am I completely ignorant to this entire subculture but I'm trying to argue a rule that I've met living exceptions to - I think a huge part of it is the fact that it's got the word "American" in front of it. And the other huge part is that it's used the word "football" to describe something that, in the minds of a good majority of the planet's population, definitely isn't.

Real football, as people in every other country consider it, is one of the most beloved sports worldwide. Calling your sport American football sets it up as a direct opposition. A counter-argument. "Here's what we're going to do instead." The two sports needn't be mutually exclusive, but by insisting on calling it football, it feels like someone's looked at soccer and gone, "You can keep that bullshit with the sphere - we're going to don some armor and carry an egg."

On top of that, the word American is in itself a big sign that says "This isn't yours." When people follow a sport, they like to feel involved. They like to support their local team, feel like they're on the journey with their heroes. Very few people are going to feel personally involved with a sport that has a foreign country's name in front of it. Who's heard of the "English American Football Team?" I presume it does exist, and I presume it's got fans, but even just as a phrase, English American Football Team is, semantically speaking, nonsense. Giving a sport a particular geography limits its breadth innately. It's a psychological barrier. A big mental wall that, again, implies "The rest of you are not part of this."

If you started calling soccer football, and came up with a new name for American football, I think a lot of people would feel a lot more like it was a game they could be involved in. Because while there are fans worldwide, it's not really a global sport, and with a name like that I don't know if it ever can be. Hell of an image problem if you ask me. Which you didn't.

I was just about to post and then came Rob and hit the nail on everything! Well spoken!

[King Postwhore]

What's the big deals Lucilles?

To me, I just enjoy checking out sports I've never seen or don't understand.  I know that some sports don't translate overseas but why does it?

American football has grown to to overtake all sports in America (College kicks major butt too in TV ratings) so it's huge here.  I still love to click on and see Australian rules football.  I don't understand it all all but it's entertaining all all hell.

So again I ask, What's the big deal?

[Fluffy Lothario]

This clip says a fair bit about the perspective of other cultures of American sport and in a lot of ways of American culture in general. Though to be honest, Stephen Fry was trying to create a positive image of America on this show, so he sugarcoats a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cl-f8NABMM


There have been two, maybe three occasions in my life where American football's on TV and I spend fifteen minutes watching and trying to make sense of things and give a shit.

Reapsta, it kind of says it all that you're trying to pass off the extreme complexity of the game and the amount of downtime during the game as a good thing. To watch, it just seems unbearably slow and convoluted and clunky. No game should be too simple, but it also has to function in a way that allows for game play to flow, a) because more stoppages and time sitting around waiting for something to happen are frustrating as an audience member, and b) because if players can only be doing anything for five to ten seconds before play stops again, the game offers them very little opportunity to display talent, and at the end of the day, watching athletes display talent is what makes sport entertaining, to me, at least.

This is why I've never understood the argument that American football is more of a "coach's sport" than most other sports and less of a "player's sport", and that that's somehow a good thing. I don't watch sports to see two coaches match wits while a bunch of players stand around doing fuck all. I watch sports to see two coaches match wits within a game system in which athletes can actually perform. If a sport is written in a way that I can't turn on the TV and rely on seeing players doing that, on a minute for minute, or even second for second basis, why would I watch it? 

That's one of the worst arguments against football.  If the game were played without pads, at least one person would literally die every weekend.  The first football safety equipment was invented specifically because people were killed playing the game.  There's nothing pansy about it whatsoever.

That doesn't make it pansy, it makes it fundamentally negligent. Why should any sport be written in a way that if you aren't wearing an insane amount of padding, your life is at threat? Especially where all you're doing is running a ball towards a line and your only obstacle is other human beings.

Not to mention that people wearing massive padding are limited in what they can do, and thus in its current form, we're seeing a diluted version of what those athletes could do were the sport written properly and they weren't wearing cushioned space suits from the waist up.

I also feel less inclined to watch a sport where I can't recognise, and thus can't really empathise with, the people underneath cushioned space suits. A fairly vital human element is gone.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

John Cleese rants - Soccer vs Football

[snapple]

Um, football isn't clunky at all. It's completely fluid. People who say that have never seen a good play sequence. Football is like, the most strategic of the popular sports.



soccer general

[Super Dude]

There is no cultural group within the United States that doesn't like Football.

And that's where you're wrong.

[snapple]

There is no cultural group within the United States that doesn't like Football.

And that's where you're wrong.

I know plenty of Jews who like football (assuming that's where you were going with that)

[senecadawg2]

Asian-Americans?

[Super Dude]

There is no cultural group within the United States that doesn't like Football.

And that's where you're wrong.

I know plenty of Jews who like football (assuming that's where you were going with that)

Well, specifically Jewish nerds. No one I have ever been friends with (except one exception who's recently become a paranoid gun nut) has actually been interested enough in football to watch it on other than Superbowl Sunday.

[snapple]

Jewish nerds? Oh man, that's a...

[Nekov]

Um, football isn't clunky at all. It's completely fluid. People who say that have never seen a good play sequence. Football is like, the most strategic of the popular sports.

I beg to differ. If it has a flow it's a very strange one. The game is stopped constantly and as some people stated before, half the game is watching the teams discussing a play and getting into position. I understand that is because of how strategic it is but as I stated before, improvisation is one of the most interesting things in sports and American football doesn't seem to leave a lot of room for that

[Super Dude]

Jewish nerds? Oh man, that's a...

Um, excuse me?

[snapple]

Jewish nerds are a cultural group? I mean, at least in the more commonly accepted definition of "cultural group"

[King Postwhore]

There is no cultural group within the United States that doesn't like Football.

And that's where you're wrong.

I know plenty of Jews who like football (assuming that's where you were going with that)

Well, specifically Jewish nerds. No one I have ever been friends with (except one exception who's recently become a paranoid gun nut) has actually been interested enough in football to watch it on other than Superbowl Sunday.

Hey, hey, hey!!  Not everybody that likes football likes guns!!   Geeesh!

[Super Dude]

No I know, that's the only friend (or former friend) of mine that has actively liked football.

Jewish nerds are a cultural group? I mean, at least in the more commonly accepted definition of "cultural group"

A cultural group can mean something other than different ethnicities or nationalities.

For instance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture

[snapple]

The issue is defining what a "nerd" is. That's why I'm shitting on it (not trying to be rude).

[King Postwhore]

You know, I don't think it's a cultural thing at all.  I think it's the style of game. 

There is baseball in other countries and yet it's not as big as it is in America and Japan ect....  because of the down time between pitches and the speed of the game.  I've heard that a lot from my Euro friends before. 

I can equate it to Nascar racing in the states.  I am no fan Nascar but there is strategy to it that appeals to some and I think that applies to American football.  And yes I do understand that there is strategy in all sports but to some, it's a personal interest is certain styles.