At Belushi’s Bars we’re excited to announce that the team at Ninety-Nine Yards are joining us to produce fresh content on all things NFL through the season.
Our first contributor from the Ninety-Nine Yards team is Chris Lawton who has been a Miami Dolphins fan since 1982. American Football is a game for everyone and he shares with us detail - from the athletes, moments, drama, and the fans – that will make you want to jump aboard!
The 2021 NFL season starts on Thursday September the 9th, and this is the perfect time to jump into this sport. You won’t regret it.
This sport has it all. It is balletic, athletic, showcases agility and power. Speed and precision can come into play too. As well as being a game with a cerebral side – some of it might be instinct, but coaching and player know-how matter too.
About the athletes
When you look at the players involved in a lot of team sports they often have roughly the same build. But things couldn’t be more different when it comes to American football. On a 53 player NFL roster you can find skinny, broad, tall, short, muscular and lean players. They all have different skill-sets and they all bring something different to the team. It truly is a game for everyone.
Those different skill-sets can include wide receivers that can run 40 yards in around four seconds, whilst catching a contested ball and making balletic moves. Or beefy linemen that can bench press 250 pounds time and time again and are now battling it out to make space for the skill players to do their jobs.
And sitting at the centre of it all are the on-field generals. They are the men who lead the team. They are the face of the franchise. It is a sport with many facets but the quarterback is the key. This after all is a team sport where one position, quarterback, is considered the most important in all of sports.
The moments you won’t want to miss
Because of the way the game is structured, broken down into individual plays, you can come away with incredible moments. Even if your team are losing there are always some positives to point to. It might be a player turning on the burners and sprinting away. Perhaps it will be someone high hurdling over another player in full flight. Or it could be a large defensive player shifting to swat down a pass with a level of agility you never expected. Above all, American football, and particularly the NFL is all about moments. Explosive, adrenalin fuelled moments that make you leap out of your seat.
Oh the drama!
The NFL is structured to encourage competition. The team with the worst record each year gets to select the top talent coming out of the American college system the following year. There is also a salary cap in place meaning no team can stockpile all the best talent by outbidding everyone else. Imagine if all the Premier League teams had to spend the same amount of money! Whilst some teams can be dominant this means that every team has a chance. Competitive balance means every fan of every team can dream big every year.
Then there is the season. The fact that it is just 17 games long means that every game has to count. This can lead to some intense rivalries. Particularly between Division rivals who play each other twice a year.
…and of course, the fans
Every team has their passionate fans. But the NFL offers a little something more too. There are American football leagues around the world. But the NFL is the ‘big one’. And in the UK there is a passionate and knowledgeable NFL community.
They may have started watching the sport as far back as the 1980’s when it first became popular here. Or perhaps took more notice when the NFL started playing regular season games in this country. However they started they will have one thing in common. They will want to invite you into their NFL community. It is a warm and inviting place, full of passion and knowledge. If you are just getting started you will make a lot of new friends.
Ready to jump on board?
This is a great chance to get into a sport filled with drama, unpredictability, rivalries, passion, and where every team can beat every other team from one week to the next.
Sound good? Then the NFL is for you. Every Sunday during NFL season, you will see exciting games and memorable moments which will stay with you as your love for the sport inevitably grows.
We’ll be showing all of the NFL action at Belushi’s, and we’d love to have you join us. At Belushi’s we guarantee a good time, whether through its world-class sports screenings, live music, beer pong, and more. Find your nearest bar.
Don’t forget you can follow Chris @CFLFanUK and the @NinetyNineYards team on Twitter for the latest in NFL conversation, and of course, keep an eye out on the blog for fresh content from the team.
