Last Updated on October 12, 2021 by
Well, to be truthful, many Europeans think American football requires too much equipment, it’s similar to Rugby, its rules are complex, the gameplay is boring, and some players don’t get hold of the ball during the gameplay. A lot of Americans have been wondering whether their favorite sport is loved as well in the rest of the world. That’s why you see them go around to know the popularity of the sport in Europe and other parts of the world. Don’t be surprised to find out what Europeans think about American football and the NFL. Most of these European countries prefer soccer and other team sports to American football. So, don’t expect the best opinions. In this article, we’re going to be looking at what the Europeans think of American football. So, without wasting time, let’s dive in!
Is American Football Really Popular In Europe?
Not really. The sport isn’t as popular as other team sports in Europe. Most people in Europe prefer rugby and soccer to American football. But that’s not to say that the sport isn’t gaining popularity in Europe. As a matter of fact, American football has fans all over the world and it even gets better year by year. Most citizens in Europe still find time out of their busy schedules to watch the NFL games in Europe. Women and teenagers love the sport better mainly because of the tailgate parties and the celebrations of the event. However, that’s one of the criticisms of the game for some people.
What Europeans Think Of American Football
We’ve listed some of the things that the Europeans think of the classic football of the Americans.
This Game Can’t Thrive Under Harsh Weather Condition
Most Europeans believe that the sport doesn’t thrive well during cold and hot days. Well, that’s true. American football is a game that isn’t continuous; with series of breaks and short plays. As a result, players can get freeze when it’s cold and get overheat when it’s hot between plays. Don’t even try playing the game on the wet surface. It is almost impossible because you just won’t get the needed traction.
It Does Engage All The Players During The Game
Unlike other team sport where you need to be quick and pacey when passing the ball to any of your teammates, American football has a different playing concept. Literally, not all players get hold of the ball throughout the game. This is one of the reasons why Europeans feel differently about the sport because they expected all players to touch the ball during the gameplay.
This Game Requires Lots Of Playing Equipment
If you’re participating in the sport as a professional player or a recreational player, you’ll have to buy a couple of gear like helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys, cleats, thigh and knee pads, and gloves. The cost of buying all these playing equipment overwhelms the Europeans.
It’s Identical To Rugby
American football is quite similar to rugby, so most European still prefer rugby. The game of rugby is at least a continuous game to some extent, unlike American football that gets interrupted for a foul more often and has a lot of short plays and breaks.
Its Rules Are Too Difficult To Understand
Generally, American football is quite difficult to learn, especially for a none American. Since some Europeans find the rule of the game quite difficult to understand, they make fun of it and register their passion elsewhere.
The Gameplay Is Boring And Slow-paced
Most Europeans believe that American football is boring and too slow. Some of them even say it is one of the team sports with slow-paced gameplay in the world. They claim that they would have loved it if the sort engages all the players during the game like basketball and soccer.
American Football Is Still Gaining Popularity
The sport keeps soaring in popularity in some parts of the world even though some Europeans believe that it is a boring and slow game. If we look into some stats from Statista, which job is to deliver different statistics, including sports, we’ll see how popular American football is outside the United States. Let’s take a European country like Germany for example. Only about 1.5 million German fans watched the games in 2014. But there has been an increase in 2020 as about 2.44 million German citizens follow up with the American football weekly games.
FAQs
We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers about what Europeans think about American football. Let’s check it out!
Do Europeans Have American Football?
Yes! IFAF, International Federation of American Football works in hand with EFL, the European Football League, which is a major competition for European American football teams. The last game of the EFL was the Eurobowl which was normally played every year ever since 1986. The new BIG6 European Football League and the EFL Bowl introduce Europe’s top-tier club competition as the new final game of the EFL in 2014.
Is American Football Popular In Other Countries?
American football is popular in some countries outside the United States, but not as popular as soccer (European football). Most of the time, American football is still in the developing process in most countries. However, countries like Austria, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Australia, and Germany are countries with teams playing a professional level of American football with over 45,000 registered players and around 450 club teams.
Bottom Line
As you can see, the complexity and rigidity of American football seem to be the major talk of criticism in Europe. The Americans feel like their football is the best, while don’t even like the fact that it is called football when it’s played with the hands. If you’re a European still interested in the game of American football, you can check our related articles about the fundamentals of the sport. We’ve reached the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good resources in your quest to know what Europeans think of American football. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks
