The Qatar World Cup is off to a flyer.
The host were outplayed by Ecuador who seized control from the time the clock started ticking. Even though it wasn’t an onslaught, the home fans left in numbers even before the final whistle was blown.
It was a show of strength from the men of Ecuador who smashed two goals to move to the top of the table in Group A. The popularity of the sport is second to none with people. Fans from all across the globe have made the trip to the middle east to support their country, and the ones who didn’t, are glued to their television, laptops or mobile screens to witness their star-studded team.
This euphoria surrounding it has many calling the quadrennial event the most-watched spectacle in the world.
But this contention has angered some of the North American fans, especially the people from the United States of America. For the US, the ultimate sport is the National Football League (NFL) which they refer to as football while the football that is played across the world is known as Soccer in their country.
US is the third most populated country in the world and have always been a trendsetter for the east. The final game of the NFL known as the Super Bowl is the ultimate finale for a sports frenzy nation which decides the champions for that specific year.
It’s equivalent to a UEFA Champions League (UCL) final but the biggest difference is that UCL has a much bigger audience as compared to NFL’s Super Bowl.
Plus what Americans refer to as football is not conventionally accepted by the rest of the world. For the people outside the US, there are no hands involved in the game but the Americans throw a cone-shaped ball from one corner to the other for almost five hours.
So when statistics were brought forward about how many people will be watching the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl fanatics couldn’t find a cave to rush back to.
It is estimated that over 5 billion people out of 8 billion will some way or another other watch the biggest sporting event in the world.
While Super Bowl only had a mere 208 million viewers in 2022. That surely angered the American football fans who fight tooth and nail for NFL’s superiority.
Some American fans came forward to diss the beautiful game but the true football fans called out their arrogance and ignorance.
When all arguments failed, the American football fans brought out their trump card – the halftime show performances which at times garner more eyeballs than the actual game.
The bottom line is that the FIFA World Cup is a global sport but NFL regardless of the Americans’ incessant cries and howls, fails to do so. It’s a niche sport enjoyed by one single country that continues to shove it down the throats of other countries in the world.
After all, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, and Kylian Mbappe are names echoed in every corner of the world but NFL superstars like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady’s fame rest within the confines of the North American continent.