Super Doopa Bowl

Let me begin with a straight out, people seated in a circle, flip chart in the corner, tea and biscuits on a side table, stand up and introduce yourself, confession. I am in effect a sporting traditionalist. I dislike the way money and tabloid rumour mongering distracts from the true essence of any sport, I am disappointed when teams or whole sports feel the need to dabble into gimmicks and 'marketing appeal'. Don't get me wrong I'm all for sports and their natural progression, and to that end welcome the initiatives of say Twenty-twenty cricket, but the fact that it can be contested between the Northampton Steelbacks and the Derbyshire Phantoms makes me cringe. So with this in mind it is perhaps out of character for me to say; I bloody love the Superbowl.

It is easy for British sports fans to dislike the Superbowl, because it is effectively the antithesis of our own sporting traditions. Whilst we place a proud significance on the history of our sports, as can be seen in thesepia tinged montages opening title sequence to live sporting event, particularly any screened by the institutional BBC, American Football is unashamedly, well, American. Brash, bright, modern, convenient, in your face and as tacky as treading on chewing gum in a treacle factory. However, if you loosen your stiff upper lip and throw yourself into it, the Superbowl, or American Football in general is a great spectacle.

This year's Superbowl between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers was particularly epic. It may have been dragged out for four hours and punctuated with televisual challenges, ad-breaks, oh and a Bruce Springsteen concert, but it remained a brilliant sporting drama. The Steelers, favourites for victory, had amassed a 20-7 lead thanks in part to the longest play in Superbowl history, a 100 yard interception run from linebacker Jason Harrison. However, the Cardinals fought back to snatch the lead with just three minutes of play remaining. As the clock ticked down, the Steelers had one last chance and they took it; a touchdown with just 35 seconds remaining to clinch their sixth Superbowl.

If you're still not convinced about the spectacle of American Football consider it's merits as one of world sports last great socialist triumphs. American sport may be mocked for its franchised approach, a trait which allows teams to move home in search of fans, indeed the Cardinals themselves have migrated steadily south to make Arizona their third base after previous lives in Chicago and St Louis. However, the beauty of American sport is that it is yet to be monopolised in the way that top level British sport has been. In the Premiership the 'big four', aided by prize money and television revenue just keep getting richer and are subsequently able to buy up the best talent to maintain their place in the sports hierarchy. In American Football, income, from sponsorship, television and merchandise is distributed evenly, and the best players are drafted by effectively the worst teams to help balance out the playing rosters. The result; fifteen different finalists in the last ten years, a variety rarely entertained on these shores.

Yes, on the surface its as gawdy, showy and crass as Jodie Marsh attending a premiere, but deep down it remains a fantastic sporting event. The hype and the razzmatazz help mark the occassion, but even on its own, once you are willing to embrace it American Football's show-piece game is one of the most open and compelling sporting finals you are likely to witness in this modern sporting age. And for that we should all toast a giant bucket of Gatorade, woop and chest bump those nearest to us.