Issue 158

Muhammad Darwish looks at the success of the National Footba

22nd October 2007

October sees some of North America's biggest stars showcasing in London. Basketball, Ice Hockey, and American football are all coming to Britain to show off what they do best.

It will be the first time that so many US sports have crossed the Atlantic and is already proving to be very popular. The events kicked off with the first two NHL games of the season played at the O2 arena to a sold out audience. The Anaheim Ducks played the Los Angeles Kings; winning one game each. The two teams were battling it out for what is known as The Stanley Cup.

The Ducks are the current holders of the NHL's most prestigious title, and are keen to keep their hands on the trophy. Although disappointed with their one loss there was some consolation. R�Reflecting on the team's week in London, the Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle said "we were in a first-class facility in a wonderful city and the experience has got to be a positive one for us. "The Stanley Cup often referred to by people in the trade as Lord Stanley's Mug has many superstitions surrounding it. The oldest one involves the winning team members drinking champagne out of the cup. The Cup was donated by Lord Stanley of Preston, a conservative MP who was the Governor General of Canada between 1888 and 1893. The Cup is also the oldest professional sports prize in the US and Canada.

It is not just hockey that is proving a hit. The NBA played an exhibition match at the North Greenwich arena in an aim to boost the sport which is exponentially increasing in popularity. The Boston Celtics won the match comfortably 92-81 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This isn't just a one off either; Britain can expect to play host to further NBA games in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games. Basketball is the most popular of the US sports in Britain, where according to NBA commissioner David Stern "......in Great Britain, basketball is the third most-played sport among those aged 18 and over."

The biggest of the sports was the American football. It was the NFL that was creating the biggest buzz with the Miami Dolphins playing the New York Giants on October 28 at the new Wembley stadium, in the first 90 minutes alone 40,000 of a possible 90,000 tickets were sold. The game which is rumoured to be the first of many to be played abroad, has received glowing endorsements from some the NFL's biggest names. Don Shula is seen as one of the sports greatest names. The former Dolphin head coach led the team to the only ever perfect run in the NFL's history and told skysports.com "We have been picked as one of the two [teams] and we want to put on the best show for our fans all around the world."

One game which fans may notice is missing is Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing games in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Japan, officials are very interested in playing games in the UK and Europe. They have met with Surrey County Cricket Club, which runs The Oval in South London to discuss the possibility of playing regular season games. Baseball's Senior Vice President Paul Archey said "Major League Baseball is very interested in playing games in Europe." Only time can tell if this will turn into a reality, one thing is for certain, and that is, judging by previous performances of the NHL, NBA and NFL in the UK, tickets will sell...very quickly!

Muhammad Darwish