Football in the US is a religion.
More so than anything I have experienced before…not even AFL in Perth
can compete with the passion of the fans here in the US. In fact, parents have been known here to hold
their sons back a year or two in school to enable them to grow bigger therefore
improving their chances of football selection and scholarships! Many choose the school for its football
program – not its educational standing.
Interestingly, American Football had its origins in Rugby sometime
back in the mid 1800s. However, today
there is little resemblance at all, as far as I can tell, except to say you
have two teams of men facing off against each other attempting to gain ground
in the opposition’s territory. And they
are huge men!! These guys are all
generally over 6 foot tall and weighing in at 130 to 140 kilos! Add to that all the padding and helmet gear
and they truly do look like gladiators out there.
So my first Houston Texans game, playing against the San Francisco
49ers, was a great experience. Like the
men, Reliant Stadium is enormous and the game, the first of the season, was
sell out.
Everything about the night is certainly entertainment. Apart from the pre-game show, the
cheerleaders, and music throughout the game, the players themselves are also
showmen, playing up to the crowd and whipping up the atmosphere.
However, when all is said and done, I do love my rugby probably
because the teams just get out there and play. There isn’t the same amount of
stopping and starting, or team changes that you see here. Its seems to me that there is more standing
around and huddling then actual play.
But hey….that’s just my uniformed early view. I believe a few more games are in order
before I can commit to this new sport!
But I do recommend that everyone should trundle along to a game once,
just for the amazing experience of it.
