The British are coming! The British are coming … for the Tremendous Bowl.
An English diplomat apparently needs to convey the crown jewel of American sports activities to the UK.
“I need that Tremendous Bowl in Britain,” Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the U.S., instructed an viewers in Chicago final week.
“I do not care when it takes place, however I need it introduced whereas I am ambassador,” he added. “We like it, we like it.”
Sluggish your roll, Lord Spoilsport.
The Tremendous Bowl is ours. It is as American as apple pie, sort 2 diabetes and scholar mortgage debt. You don’t see us making an attempt to steal your valuable cricket championships — and even perceive the foundations, for that matter.
There’s no precedent for exporting one among this nation’s skilled sports activities championships, until you rely Canada. And who may even keep in mind the final time one among our northern neighbor’s groups gained a Stanley Cup?
We perceive why the U.Ok. would need to host the primary worldwide Tremendous Bowl.
First, there’s the cash. A great deal of it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated the native financial influence of Tremendous Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas at $1 billion — about 740 million kilos for our pals throughout the pond. That a lot quid will purchase lots of hats and jerseys at Ye Olde NFL Fan Shoppe on Oxford Avenue.
Subsequent, there’s the league’s rising international recognition. The NFL has been taking part in regular-season video games in England since 2007, together with three in the course of the upcoming marketing campaign. But regardless of what number of Jacksonville Jaguars video games we preserve sending to London, fan curiosity continues to swell. Tickets are already bought out for the Oct. 5 sport between the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
We get it, England. However there are many football-mad American cities that might use an financial increase. And the place would it not finish? The NFL can also be taking part in video games this 12 months in Brazil, Spain, Germany and Eire.
One strike in opposition to a British Tremendous Bowl is the notorious climate. When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs met in Tremendous Bowl LIX final Feb. 9, it was sunny with temperatures within the mid-70s in New Orleans. On the identical day in London, it was wet and 40. That’s Fahrenheit, by the way in which. Soccer is just not a Celsius sport.
Then there’s the time distinction. The kickoff for the Massive Recreation is often round 6:30 p.m. ET. In the event you began the sport at 6:30 p.m. in London, that’s solely 10:30 a.m. in Los Angeles. You would possibly get pleasure from “Breakfast at Wimbledon,” however we require far more time for pregame overindulgence.
Neglect the Tremendous Bowl, England. The closest we need to get to the royal household is a Prince halftime hologram present.
Apart from, a staff referred to as New England already shares the bloody report with six Tremendous Bowl wins. Isn’t that sufficient?
Revenge could also be a dish greatest served chilly, however ready 1 / 4 of a millennium to get even to your former colonies’ declaration of independence? That’s colder than day-old fish and chips.
With all due respect to His Excellency the Proper Honourable Lord Mandelson, you may borrow our Jaguars, sir, however avoid our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the Lombardi Trophy.
