Who Dat?

25 January 2010

If ever there were a game to convert you to the pleasures of American football, it was tonight's NFC Championship contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. The match up between an entertaining team from a hurricane-ravaged hard-partying Southern city with an infectious level of hometown pride, against a solid yet unexciting band of interlopers led by an aging turncoat of a quarterback (fans of his previous team, the Green Bay Packers, are none too happy about his Vikings' contract), made for a contest in which even a novice could delight. That the two teams were matched touchdown for touchdown, field goal for field goal, heartbreaking fumble for heartbreaking fumble, made for the kind of epic drama that makes it seem not-so-silly to get worked up about two packs of armor-clad grown men smashing into each other for a few hours on a Sunday night.

Because, really, I'm not usually a fan of any kind of sport. I make an exception for the NFL, and watching this game in a noisy Virginia sports bar, where even the wait staff would halt their work and cheer on the major plays, was an absolute delight. That this game was the kind that was won with a field goal prised in an overtime period the Saints gained only through a last-second Vikings fumble made it even better.

In two weeks time, the New Orleans Saints will face off against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami for Super Bowl XLV. Millions of Americans will tune in, many of whom will be watching solely for the big budget commercials and the cultural experience; I will be watching for the football as well. It's tough to see the game in Australia due to the time difference (it will kick off mid Monday morning in Sydney), but if you get a chance to watch, give it a look. The big budget spectacle of football is one of America's great and unique joys, and seeing the time-tested, superstar-led Colts face a New Orleans playing the franchise's first Super Bowl promises to be an excellent experience. I'll be eating chili, drinking a few Buds, and cheering on the Saints. Y'all should join me.

Tags: Culture, Sports