• Play action = Pass after fake run (That should make the play-by-play simple.)
• Pocket = Protection arc ("Ah ha! Our enemies are waging a lightning war against the QB! Quickly! Reinforce the protection arc!" Note: always to be spoken out of lip sync.)
• Punt = Give it up and kick it back (Implying there would be a Fake give it up and kick it back.)
• Sack = Capture the commander in chief (Somebody better call Jack Bauer for a rescue.)
• Touchdown = Step on the enemy's territory (Or more properly, have the olive-ball break the plane of the enemy's territory.)
I love those. I plan to use those terms in all future football commentary. You have been warned.
Seriously, all the major team sports north of the Rio Grande have been able to make international inroads for both players and fans, except football. The NBA has fans and players from all over the globe — Argentina, France, Croatia, China. Cold weather European nations are a great source of talent for the NHL, especially since the end of the Cold War. And Major League Baseball has lived fat and happy off the massive influx of Latin American players over the past few decades and now appears to be on the commencement of a wave of Asian players.
So what's up with football? Why are there virtually no foreign players? The CFL has plenty of Canadian fans but predominantly American players. The NFL Europe has had to mandate there be at least one non-American player on every play; there is no sign of an onslaught of middle linebackers emerging from the Black Forest.
That is probably the most important question facing the NFL in its effort to go global. Is it possible to generate an international fan base when you have no international players? I don't think so. I am not aware of a foreign sport ever taking hold in a country simply because of a massive PR campaign. There has never been a shortage of money and effort to get soccer to be popular in the U.S. and, decades later, there is really very little to show for it. Could it be because there are no truly great American players?
The reverse situation — talented players sparking the popularity of a sport in their home country — can work but even then you need a consistent stream of players not just one outstanding one; Lance Armstrong is gone and no one cares about cycling anymore. I don't know what the NFL can do to generate talented foreign nationals. Recruit failed sumo wrestlers for the offensive line? Raid amateur rugby clubs in Fiji? Offer contracts to bouncers in Moscow nightclubs?
Article comments
1 - alessandro nicolo
Great piece, David. Lotsa good info. The translation bit was funny. I would add one tiny thing: while it is true CFL rosters are filled with American born players, football at a grass roots level in Canada (especially in Quebec) is growing. I hear Mexico has taken a liking to the game it seems only natural they would be the third country. But for now, at the junior ranks Canada is the only country that rivals America. In fact, they've won back to back World Titles. It shouldn't surprise many since Canadians have been playing football as early as the 19th century and have contributed to the development of the game. Another issue is the small population.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
YOU CANNOT PREVENT AMAZING FUN MYSTIC SLANT ROUTE PASSES OF TOM BRADY!!! ^_^
3 - david mazzotta
All right, who gave Sussman caffeine?
Alessandro - I had no idea that Canada was so strong in the juniors. I wonder why it doesn't translate to college or pro. Interestingly, the NFL maintains a Canada specifc site where, among other things, they list all the Canadian players in the NFL Currently there are 14, of which 3 are on practice squads.
4 - Tinkerbell
Me and the Liz (dog) are gonna root for the Corn-Fed-One. It's his time.
And can someone please give Sussman his daily allotment of Xanax?
5 - alessandro nicolo
It's the same in baseball. Up to 18 years old Canada produces fine talent but beyond that we don't develop further. The only ones who squeeze through are the Nash's, Walker's and Morneau's of this world. I suspect it comes down to two things: money and commitment. There are other subtle considerations but that would take too long.
6 - Gary Garland
Actually, baseball was wildly popular in Japan long before the first pro league came along in 1936 and the sport has been played in Japan since the 19th century. MLB all star teams toured there many times before the war, the most famous being in 1934, when Babe Ruth came over with Lou Gehrig, Earl Averill and others and it was the impetus from that that helped create the current pro league. So baseball isn't just a postwar phenomenon in Japan. Check out my website and you'll see what I mean.
7 - RJ Elliott
ALL YOUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF BELONG TO US!!!
8 - RJ Elliott
And, yes, that was horribly unoriginal.
Great article, David. Go Colts!
9 - alessandro nicolo
Dave, make that three world junior titles in a row. Canada beat USA 23-13. Mexico beat Japan 25-17 for the bronze medal. Panama and France took part this year in the six team tournament.
10 - david mazzotta
Well, there you are. Total Colts domination as expected. Look at the stats and the score could have easily been a lot more lopsided. Congrats to Dungy and Peyton above all.
A hearfelt thanks to all my readers. You guys rock one and all.
See you in September.
11 - david mazzotta
Oh, by the way -- I'll be spending the rest of the year trying to get the image of Prince behind that sheet play with his, um, guitar, out of my head.