An American's experience watching the Super Bowl in England.

markjrubin

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Jan 17, 2000
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An American's experience watching the Super Bowl in England.

This year's Super Bowl was on public television in London. Several of my American friends came over to my apartment for a very hurriedly organized Super Bowl party. With the game having an 11:18 PM kickoff, we didn't get too many people. The hard core fans had already called in sick for this morning. Aside from Tampa doing what everyone knew they were capable of, there were a few things missing or different from the typical American Super Bowl Party. While my friends in Tallahassee were deep frying turkeys and cooking burgers and dogs, my friend Karl and I walked to a pizza joint to pick up 4 pizzas. In our previous experiences 4 pizzas would have been good enough, but because the game was so late, we only finished 2?among 7 of us. I was so embarrassed. While my friends were pounding down weak American beer, we were drinking Strongbow, a very delicious cider that's cheap and gets you really messed up.

During the actual game, we didn't have the US commentators. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed John Madden. The play caller (not sure who he was, but he was American) was speaking to the British audience who really didn't have a clue about what was going on, so he was explaining most of the obvious rules and penalties. Well, actually I guess that's what John Madden does too.. If that was the only thing, it would be ok, but it wasn't. Instead of the guys from Fox doing the half-time show, they had one American guy using 1980's green screen technology examining plays, a young English guy who didn't know a thing about football (other than he enjoyed it) and Seal. Yes, Kiss From a Rose Seal. He's a Raiders fan and they somehow got him on the show. During breaks in the game they would also speak to another English guy who actually at the Super Bowl and was interviewing celebrities. This guy interviewed MC Hammer, Eric Idle and Jane Seymour, whopee!

Because TV over here is gov't supported, the TV stations don't need to run as many ads. When they watch their football (soccer) matches here, there are no commercials at all during the first half and only some during half time, even during the World Cup (which unbeknwonst to most Americans is probably the most exciting sports tournament in the world). Keeping this in mind, it wasn't a shock that there were no BIG commercials. No commercials premiered over here during the game. In fact we saw the same 5 or 6 commercials repeatedly.

I didn't search before posting this thread but would love to know how other Americans not living in America did for the Super Bowl.

Mark


 

Analog

Lifer
Jan 7, 2002
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too bad on the commercials. I loved the guy with the upside down clown suit asking for a hot dog.
 

Snapster

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Oct 14, 2001
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Not entirely true about the TV stations. The BBC are publicly funded (licence fee) maybe with a little government help, hence no TV ads at all. All the others as far as I'm aware (especially SKY TV) are own their own feet, hence the adverts. SKY would run a 45 min show over an hour with a 5 min break every 15 mins, whereas BBC would run it a straight 45 mins.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
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I remember living overseas before satellite television and we were lucky to get the superbowl within a week or two after it was aired. Eventually it was broadcast live but you would have to get up at 5:00 a.m. on Monday morning to watch it.
 

Snapster

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Oct 14, 2001
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lol, yeh allot of events/shows were like that. Satellite tv was a blessing when it first launched, think it was 6 or 7 channels at first when I got it. :)

Now at least you can catch things live, or just record them for viewing at your leisure.
 

royaldank

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Apr 19, 2001
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When they watch their football (soccer) matches here, there are no commercials at all during the first half and only some during half time, even during the World Cup (which unbeknwonst to most Americans is probably the most exciting sports tournament in the world). Keeping this in mind, it wasn't a shock that there were no BIG commercials. No commercials premiered over here during the game. In fact we saw the same 5 or 6 commercials repeatedly.

Not to be picky, but when the World Cup and most all soccer matches are aired in America, they are commercial free as well.

Glad you got to see the game. Commercials are ok, but they are available nowdays on the internet, so no real loss there. Look up the Reebok ad, it was funny.


 

blakeatwork

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: royaldank
When they watch their football (soccer) matches here, there are no commercials at all during the first half and only some during half time, even during the World Cup (which unbeknwonst to most Americans is probably the most exciting sports tournament in the world). Keeping this in mind, it wasn't a shock that there were no BIG commercials. No commercials premiered over here during the game. In fact we saw the same 5 or 6 commercials repeatedly.

Not to be picky, but when the World Cup and most all soccer matches are aired in America, they are commercial free as well.

Glad you got to see the game. Commercials are ok, but they are available nowdays on the internet, so no real loss there. Look up the Reebok ad, it was funny.

I think most commercials during the World Cup which aired in N. America were used on a split screen basis... you still had the game going on, but no sound while to commercial was on... I think most commercials were for Carlsberg anyways...
 

Snapster

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Oct 14, 2001
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Further note on the football (soccer) ads. The reason we (and most other nations) don't have ads during the match is because football is nearly non-stop, and if it does stop for a foul etc, it's never for long and nowhere near long enough for an proper ad. Besides, it would royally p*ss people off. :)
 

B00ne

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May 21, 2001
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Not so in .de, the public stations didnt have the rights for the soccer worldchampionship, so it was braodcasted by RTL (i think) which is a normal TV company and they sure have commercials in between. - No riots at RTL headquarters though ;)
 

markjrubin

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Jan 17, 2000
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Originally posted by: Snapster
Not entirely true about the TV stations. The BBC are publicly funded (licence fee) maybe with a little government help, hence no TV ads at all. All the others as far as I'm aware (especially SKY TV) are own their own feet, hence the adverts. SKY would run a 45 min show over an hour with a 5 min break every 15 mins, whereas BBC would run it a straight 45 mins.

Just semantics, but thanks for clarifying.

Mark

 

MemnochtheDevil

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Aug 19, 2001
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You should be very glad that there weren't many commercials, when I was in England 5 years ago watching the Superbowl and NBA finals, almost all the commercials they kept putting on were for phone sex lines, gay porn, or some other crap... Really made me dread any break in the games. They did have Kevin Greene on the Super Bowl halftime show getting very angry at the british commentator. Nothing like mocking a very large man late at night to keep the viewers interested.... :Q

I do miss Strongbow though, that stuff was very easy to drink. I can't wait to go back to England this summer, my sister-in-law's getting married :) Should be a good party!

Memnoch
 

markjrubin

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Jan 17, 2000
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Originally posted by: MemnochtheDevil
You should be very glad that there weren't many commercials, when I was in England 5 years ago watching the Superbowl and NBA finals, almost all the commercials they kept putting on were for phone sex lines, gay porn, or some other crap... Really made me dread any break in the games. They did have Kevin Greene on the Super Bowl halftime show getting very angry at the british commentator. Nothing like mocking a very large man late at night to keep the viewers interested.... :Q

I do miss Strongbow though, that stuff was very easy to drink. I can't wait to go back to England this summer, my sister-in-law's getting married :) Should be a good party!

Memnoch

Your sister-in-law's getting married? Huh?

 

exp

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May 9, 2001
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I didn't search before posting this thread but would love to know how other Americans not living in America did for the Super Bowl.
Back when I was in Greece during the mid-90's we had a pub on the grounds of the American Embassy (right next to the mini-mart) and employees and family members would get together there to catch the Super Bowl on cable (or was it satellite??). Anyway, it was a lot of fun...for a few hours it felt like you were actually in a sports bar back in the States, drinking beer and hanging out with your buddies. :)

But the real reason I remember it so well is that one year a terrorist group actually attacked the Embassy *during* the Super Bowl. The group in question was November 17, a small (10-20 members), now-defunct collection of Greeks whose members resented American support for a previous dictatorship in their country and who had committed at least a dozen political assassinations in the 80's and early 90's. I assume they must have been tipped off by an insider from the Embasssy because they timed their attack perfectly to coincide with the Super Bowl and targeted it at the small, visually unremarkable building containing the pub.

They drove one of those windowless white vans along a back alley that flanked one side of the square Embassy compound, opened the side panel and without stopping the vehicle fired an RPG at the Embassy compound. Luckily they were pretty sh*tty shots and the round clipped the low stone wall surrounding the Embassy, blowing off a chunk of it, damaging some nearby cars in the parking lot, but otherwise doing nothing of consequence. At least nobody was hurt...if they had elevated their weapon a few degrees more it would have cleared the wall and sailed right into the pub, killing upwards of 50 people, including women, children, and political bigwigs like the CIA station chief and defense attache.

It was pretty freaky stuff, but definitely a Super Bowl to remember. ;)
 

bunker

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Apr 23, 2001
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Your sister-in-law's getting married? Huh?
I'm gonna take a stâb at this one. His wife's sister (his sister-in-law) is getting married. I understand your confusion though.
 

Haircut

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Apr 23, 2000
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Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Gov't supported TV???!!
No, the BBC is funded by a licence fee rather than commercials, £112 per year IIRC.
All other channels rely on advertising (or subscription fees in the case of satellite/cable) for their revenue
It is completely independent of the government though.

One reported for the Times was supposed to be taking the BBC to the European court of human rights as the licence fee is required as long as you have a TV whether you watch BBC or not.

 

markjrubin

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Jan 17, 2000
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Originally posted by: Haircut
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Gov't supported TV???!!
No, the BBC is funded by a licence fee rather than commercials, £112 per year IIRC.
All other channels rely on advertising (or subscription fees in the case of satellite/cable) for their revenue
It is completely independent of the government though.

One reported for the Times was supposed to be taking the BBC to the European court of human rights as the licence fee is required as long as you have a TV whether you watch BBC or not.

This is correct, but it's a gov't sponsored tax, so I say it's gov't supported.
 

Murpheeee

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Apr 30, 2000
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Originally posted by: markjrubin
The play caller (not sure who he was, but he was American) was speaking to the British audience who really didn't have a clue about what was going on, so he was explaining most of the obvious rules and penalties.

This is what I find most irritating aboout watching soccer in USA (I am Scottish). American commentators have to analyze and describe every minute detail of what is going on......because they assume most Americans watching don't understand it. Sigh.
 

ThePresence

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Nov 19, 2001
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I've watched the Superbowl in Israel a few times. We had mad, crazy American style superbowl parties. Israelis don't give a sh|t about US Football, so we had to stick to our own.
 

markjrubin

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Originally posted by: ThePresence
I've watched the Superbowl in Israel a few times. We had mad, crazy American style superbowl parties. Israelis don't give a sh|t about US Football, so we had to stick to our own.

Define mad,crazy American style. Falafel party? :)
 

DeafeningSilence

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Jul 2, 2002
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I watched the Super Bowl in Bolivia two years ago. I don't think the commentary was in English. And I'm certain that the commercials weren't. But it was still a good experience.
 

Garet Jax

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Feb 21, 2000
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I know exactly what you mean about John Madden, but from a slightly different experience...

I am a Canadian living in the States and I miss Don Cherry and Ron Maclean for Hockey Night in Canada :(
 

MemnochtheDevil

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Aug 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: bunker
Your sister-in-law's getting married? Huh?
I'm gonna take a stâb at this one. His wife's sister (his sister-in-law) is getting married. I understand your confusion though.

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner. Sorry if my previous post has bad grammar/structure. I met my wife at University that year and we now live here in the USA. Her sister is getting married in July in Stockport so I'll be heading back for a week or so, depends how much vacation I can get...
 

ThePresence

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Nov 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: markjrubin
Originally posted by: ThePresence
I've watched the Superbowl in Israel a few times. We had mad, crazy American style superbowl parties. Israelis don't give a sh|t about US Football, so we had to stick to our own.

Define mad,crazy American style. Falafel party? :)

Falafal party? LOL, I dont think so. More like a beer/shwarma party. :D