Amerikansk Fotbol. In early February each year, Americans celebrate the final American Football game of the year, the Super Bowl. This championship game is played on Sunday, like all other games during the season, so this day that is celebrated more than most national holidays is affectionately known as "Super Bowl Sunday." However, a funny thing happened on my way to celebrating Super Bowl Sunday in Sweden. That's right, Sunday became Monday long before the game started. So this blog is a special tribute to a uniquely European sensation: Super Bowl Monday Morning (12:30am - 4:30am was the game time).
Before I found out that the game is actually shown on Swedish television live, I made my plans to head to O'Leary's, a chain of sports bars throughout Sweden styled after famous Boston sports bars. While here in Sweden, O'Leary's has been a great place for me to go for a small touch of home and catch some of my beloved American sports, even deep into a Monday morning.
A truly international crowd was in attendance at O'Leary's as the Colts and Bears squared off in the 41st ever Super Bowl game (it is estimated that 1/7 of the world was watching!); Some American ex-patriates, many who had lived in the U.S. at some point and others who, somewhere along the way, began to understand American football and the fever has never left. There are, in fact, American Football leagues in countries throughout Europe, including Sweden. And I found out last night that Stockholm is represented by the "Stockholm Mean Machines." Check out the website:
http://www.meanmachines.se/
As you can see, we destroyed the pansies from Moscow, but those Austrians were tough. I don't think the Mean Machines will be replacing the Raiders as the meanest and most destructive team any time soon, but you've got to appreciate the participants in a sport that most people in the country don't understand or care about.
As for the Super Bowl, while Indianapolis was wrapping up the city's first championship ever, I was concluding my explanations of American football to two Brazilians who admirably sat through the whole game willing to learn about a new sport into the wee hours of the morning.
Watching this truly American event from an international location was just one more memory of many so far in Sweden. I imagine I will be watching most Super Bowls in the future at the regular time, but I'll always remember Super Bowl XLI live from Stockholm.
Go Mean Machines!
5 comments:
It was wonderful to talk to you during your Monday morning Superbowl party ... You were missed at the Maki shindig!
It's only fitting that if you all are watching American Football in Sweden, that I insitute "Mean Machine Monday" in New York. We could even watch it at Fika - The NY Coffee Bar. (http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/fika/).
Now, how do we get the feed?
Hey Sean, I love your blog! I have been following it ever since the article in Corren was published, it´s so fun and interesting to read about your adventures here in "Svedala" :)
I told my english teacher, Tina Hallberg, about you and surprisingly found out that you know each other? Great, then you can come and visit us in the Björkö Fria Gymnasium school, which is located just around the corner from the library. Give it some thought!
Cheers,
Anna
I feel badly for all your Brazillians , who got their introduction to football via the most lackluster Superbowl of all time...and the commercials weren't even that good. =)
GO COLTS!!! Thanks for the calls and email Sean...it was a wonderful day and great to see Indy get their first championship since the ABA days! Super Bowl Monday would be a wonderful thing...although I had to take the morning off because i was so "tired"...I can't imagine any work got done there on Monday! -Gabe
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