Last football season, I watched American football almost week... Go Vikings! :)
Obviously, now that I've been living in France, my options of tuning in to Sunday football are quite limited. I've been able to watch one game this season from beginning to end and bits of 2 others. My first encounter with the sport since being here was on Halloween. I was at an English speaking bar in Paris when I saw the purple and yellow jerseys I know so well. That's right! The Vikings were playing! If I remember correctly, we lost... but it was nice to watch a little bit of the game.
Then, a mere two weeks ago, my American friend, Sara asked the local English speaking pub to play the Packers-Bears postseason game. We have become friends with the owner and bartenders there, so they did us a favor and put the game on the big screen. You have to imagine the looks and stares we received as we shouted at the screen, clapped, and gave each other high fives. One of our bartender friends told us that it was not only a foreign sport to them, but extremely strange to see women watching a sport like that and enjoying themselves! Although the Bears lost (Sara's from Chicago), it was so nice to watch the game... and I had a really fun time explaining the rules to a bunch of men! :)
After the game concluded, Sara and I decided we HAD to watch the Super Bowl. It felt nice to participate in something so American... I'm not gonna lie! I found some bars that were showing the game in Paris, but since it didn't begin till 12:30am here and the RER (train) stops then, we wouldn't be able to get home till about 6:30am. We both had to work the next morning, so it just didn't seem possible. I ended up texting one of the other bar owners in town (I know... it sounds bad... but I have a lot of friends, ok?) to see if they were going to show the game. She told me they were hosting a private party but Sara and I could join them. We showed up to the private party on Sunday to find we were practically the only women there! My friend explained to us that the private party was for an American football team in France. As we looked around the room, I couldn't help but want to laugh. I could have tackled any of these men. They were all so short and skinny!
As we took our seats, we each got a French guidebook to American football. What a great souvenir! Because the party did not include little weenies, jalapeno poppers, meatballs, chicken fingers, queso dip, or anything close... we split a plate of fries. As our National Anthem began, naturally, I stood up. Wow, the stares I received. *** Days later my host mother explained that the French rarely do that and most don't sing or know all the words (Maybe Christina Aguilera should move here).
Although these men played the same sport, their reaction to the game was pathetic. Sara and I naturally would interact with each other, yell, and clap after a good play. These men sat there with blank stares on their faces. Occasionally they would groan. I told the quarterback (who was about 5'9 and 120lbs) that we Americans clap and yell after a good play....and only God knows what we do after a touchdown! Our reactions become infectious. After the first quarter, the game felt a little more like home. I hope those guys remember the "proper" etiquette for their next game!
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