I have to admit, when I decided to study abroad in London for the fall semester, I didn’t think I would have much of a chance to participate in my fall obsession: American football. Whether it be our boys in blue and gold that we root for every Saturday afternoon, or the men making millions of dollars professionally on Sundays, I can’t get enough of it. I build my study schedule around football and even had my brother change the date of his wedding so that it didn’t conflict with a Notre Dame game. I get it, I’m a little weird. But football is football. Nevertheless, I realized that I would miss out on this American pastime while abroad. That is, until last Sunday.
Behold:
Unbeknownst to many Americans, the NFL hosts a series of games in London in what they call their “International Series.” This past Sunday marked the first international game, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, which will eventually be followed up by a late October match up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers. The games are held at Wembley Stadium, which traditionally is used for professional soccer games and was a key site for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Luckily for me (and my roommate Katie), we were able to get tickets to Sunday’s game and enjoy a little taste of America while in London.
The experience of going to an NFL game in England was definitely different than any game that you would experience at home. First off, there was no tailgating. Coming from Pittsburgh, where tailgating is a way of life, I was surprised by the lack of fanfare before the game. There were no tailgates and no merchants on the street peddling their wares for the hometown team. Instead, the fans calmly marched themselves in an orderly fashion toward the stadium just before game time, only stopping to take a picture. Secondly, the Brits blew us Americans out of the water with their national anthem. In the beginning, I was so looking forward to belt out “The Star Spangled Banner” with every ounce of American bravado. With Gene Simmons as our leader, Americans throughout the stadium sang a respectable, yet not-quite-amazing rendition. It didn’t seem too bad until the Brits brought out an award-winning opera singer to lead “God Save the Queen.” The stadium absolutely erupted with noise and pride. Those darn Brits up-staged America, while playing American sports! Although impressive, I don’t think I could get used to anything but our National Anthem being played before kickoff.
Third, most of the fans in attendance were not specifically Steeler or Vikings fans. Although there were a bevy of fans decked out in purple, black, and gold in attendance, who must have come over for the game, the majority of attendees were Europeans from across the continent who simply came to enjoy the sport. I saw more jerseys of teams not in attendance than those who were actually taking the field. I guess if you’re a NFL fan in Europe, it doesn’t matter who you root for, just that you belong to the NFL fan base. This definitely played out in the parade of jerseys I saw during the game.
Lastly, there was a definitive decrease in the energy of the fan base. Throughout the game, the cheers coming from fans seemed decibels below the ruckus you usually hear in a stadium. The Leprechaun Legion thinks our stadium is too quiet on Gameday?? They should have heard a sold-out Wembley Stadium! It was as quiet as a church. This may have been due to the lack of the team-specific fan base in attendance, but it was shocking nonetheless.
Despite these differences, getting a taste of American football was fantastic. For the first time since coming abroad, I didn’t feel like the American who spoke with a silly accent. I was amongst peers. Even the stadium announcer had a reassuring American accent. Honestly, my evening at Wembley felt like a loose rendition of an American stadium experience. I paid too much for beer in the stadium. American music was on constant replay. Some fans were over-served and there was a shirtless man painted in black and gold. And at its core, everyone in attendance was celebrating something essentially American: football. And despite my Steelers losing in the end, Sunday night was wonderful reminder of our home across the Atlantic.