How to (re) bring American football to life in France?

• The Super Bowl is played overnight from Sunday to Monday between the Cincinnatti Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.

• In France, the Federation intends to capitalize on this match to attract people to American football.

• 20 Minutes

  has several other ideas for this sport to take a step forward in France.

Ring, ring, ring!

It's time !

Put on your best NFLix costume and, like every year at the same time, pretend to be a connoisseur of American football before the Super Bowl (no, we still don't say Super Bowl final) between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, in the night from Sunday to Monday, for us poor French people.

70,000 people expected at SoFi Stadium in LA, around 100 million viewers in the United States.

The party is going to be crazy.

Much more than on this side of the Atlantic, where American football is still struggling to find a place.

So, as we are nice, at

, we give

 to bring this sport to life in France.

> Have a Super Bowl made in France

We didn't think we could do better than Marvel, with the reunion of the Avengers.

Well, yes, the NFL did.

On Sunday, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blidge will take to the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the traditional Super Bowl halftime show.

And we can dream, in France, of seeing Diam's, Youssoupha, Rohff and Jul gathered at the Stade de France for such an event.

Because, for the final of the championship of France, it is necessary to be satisfied with the Stadium of Villeneuve d'Ascq, after having passed by Mont-de-Marsan or Fos-sur-Mer, lately.

“Recentralizing the final in Lille is not really the best place, regrets Bruno Lacam-Caron, general manager of the Flash de la Courneuve.

However, there really is something to be done.

“The championship final is really an event that counts for us, assures Pierre Trochet, development director of the FFFA.

In terms of funding, stadium, the budget is much larger in Paris than in Lille.

In the 2015 final, played at the Charléty stadium, we lost €180,000.

In Lille, which is easily accessible, the balance is positive.

»

To promote its end-of-season meeting, the location of which has not yet been chosen, the French Federation is counting on the… Super Bowl.

“It's a big media window for us and we have to use the wave of the NFL to promote our championship”, continues Pierre Trochet.

The FFAA therefore saw things in a big way with the broadcast of the final between the Rams and the Bengals at the Grand Rex, in Paris, with the presence of artists and actors of American football in France, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the morning.

Small problem, the price: 56 € the place.

> Have a French team that wins titles

Remove the Barjots, the Heavyweights, the Experts or any other pompous nickname and handball would have remained this sport played only in schoolyards.

Medals, titles with the national team, and it's a whole discipline that switches to another dimension: new licensees, the media who are interested in you and the Champs-Elysées privatized in the event of a title.

“Through the selection results, people need to know that American football exists in France, recognizes Jean-Philippe Dinglor, the coach of the Blues.

If people see that there is a French team performing, that can make them want to come.

»

Well, for the moment, the France team remains fairly anonymous.

His last feat of arms, a fourth place, after being deprived of the final because of cases of Covid-19 in the team, in the League of Nations (nothing to do with the fake competition in football), after losing against Finland.

“We are at the start of a new program, launches Dinglor.

The objective is to stay in the three best European nations and then tickle the big nations.

“Dream bigger.

> Have a French whistleblower in the NFL

There was indeed Tariq Abdul-Wahad in 1997, but the one who really gave French basketball a boost, thanks to his presence in the NBA, was Tony Parker.

And American football is still looking for its prophet.

"It's clear that this is missing, a French player who breaks through, who has a story that we can tell, like TP", confirms Benoît Sirouet, president of the Black Panthers of Thonon.

Since Richard Tardits, in 1992, no French player has been able to sneak into the NFL.

Lately, the two Anthonys, Dablé and Mahoungou, have been very close to joining the American league.

Close, only.

I will never give up.

I'm different, couples goofy's tried their hardest to make me think other wise and politic. But I stayed confident because God Plan is God plan🤲🏾 don't hate on the next man just do your thing.

270 lbs and 4.53 laser‼️ big boys definitely can move too.

pic.twitter.com/SuVCP9dvKC

— junior aho (@AhoJunior) January 15, 2022

"Our TP to us will soon arrive, it's getting closer and closer, don't despair Pierre Trochet.

Today, there are more access channels, with the NCAA, the Canadian League (a bit the antechamber of the NFL) and the international program of the NFL.

“At the university, three French evolve in College football of division 1, of which Junior Aho (SMU, in Dallas), “our biggest prospect to reach NFL”, according to Trochet.

Souleymane Karamoko has joined the international program.

He will train for a month in the United States before showing himself to the NFL franchises in March, for, why not, to win a contract.

Come on, we believe it, 2022 will be the good year.

> Have a series like

Last Chance U

 on Salto

In 2016, with

, Netflix revealed the daily life of the East Mississippi Community College team, its very (too) big-mouthed coach Buddy Stephens and his students, entangled in academic or behavioral problems. , who agree to come to a lost corner of 900 souls to relaunch their careers.

This series has allowed a lot of people to take an interest, directly or indirectly, in American football.

So why not in France?

“We have insides on the French teams, on the Sport channel in France [which also broadcasts French championship matches], with a focus on certain profiles, explains Pierre Trochet.

But the production costs, it is not the FFAA which can finance them.

As a result, we do self-production on web formats.

»

So, some clubs are doing it on their side to transmit the passion for US Football.

“There are things that are happening, warns Bruno Lacam-Caron.

We already have internal documentaries, but we left to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club.

Major channels are interested in these documentaries.

And we have Frank Nataf [director of the documentary on Anelka, on Netflix], a former Flash player, who liaises with the big broadcasters.

We are therefore waiting for the blockbuster.

Movie theater

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Sport

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• Los Angeles

• French team

• Sport

• United States

• nfl

• super-bowl

• Football

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