The NFL on FOX SKY

When we moved to Dublin, we made the choice of getting the “local” (UK) satellite system, called SKY. We were amazed to discover this fall that SKY Sports is showing NFL games each Sunday. As we started to research exactly why, we discovered that Miami and the NY Giants were going to play a NFL game in the new Wembley Stadium, outside London. In the last few years, interest in American football has increased in Britain and now, we are reaping the rewards with games each Sunday. Today is the day of the big game at Wembley.

While we weren’t always the biggest NFL fans back at home, we have found that watching the early game on Sunday night is a relaxing way to end our weekend. We’ve even had Kathryn over for pizza and football, since she is a huge fan and hasn’t gotten to see a lot of games since she moved to Europe.

The strangest thing to overcome is the British accents talking about the game. It just sounds off. But, the beer commercials are just as good here as they are in the States. The ad firm for Coors took advantage of the combination of American and British accents. And, I think the folks here have an even bigger obsession with the cheerleaders that the guys back home. There was as much cheerleading as football in the previews on SKY Sports for today’s game.

3 Comments to “The NFL on <s>FOX</s> SKY”

  1. Dave said...
    29 October 2007

    On behalf of the Giants and Dolphins, I apologize for the terrible football you were forced to watch on Sunday. From reading the recap, it seems the two highlights of the game were God Save the Queen and the streaker at halftime.

    I find it odd that you have British commentators for the NFL games. Fox Soccer Channel (which is affiliatied with Sky) broadcasts the English Premier League games in the States. The pre-game guy is American, but at kickoff we switch to the British annoucers. It makes for a much better watching experience because their knowledge of the game is higher than that of an American announcer, and they use some funny phrases. “He’s got real quality in that foot.” “He’s Incandecent with Rage!!!”

  2. Anita said...
    29 October 2007

    I should clarify — for the play calling, we get the regular announcers (so, if they are showing a CBS game, we hear the CBS announcers). However, American TV takes tons more commercials than UK TV, so they bounce it back to the SKY Studio and two Brits plus a former American player comment on the game as it progresses.

    So, it’s the same as the Fox Soccer channel — pregame, half-time, etc. handled locally, with the actual game being done by the experts (such as they are).

    Clearly, the editors on the Staff did not modify my remarks for clarity. We will ensure that this oversight is mentioned at the weekly staff meeting.

  3. Dave said...
    29 October 2007

    That makes sense. Granted, there are no commercials during a soccer game, so we don’t have this problem. I’m sure the Irish and British wonder why we have to take a 2 minutes break for every 5 minutes of play.