Football in Belgium (Europe) is soccer. To talk about the sport that involves tackling, passing, kick-offs and a brown pointy ball, it is best to specify American Football.
That's not to say no one here knows anything about American Football. Last month, the two Belgian boys that live next door were playing football in the backyard, and they were using their bike helmets as protective gear. Imagine their sheer delight when John went out to our garage and came back with the boys' purple Vikings helmets. It almost made it worth the extra baggage fee he had to pay last fall when he brought them home, worth it.
Luke and Avery went out to help teach them the rules, and soon they were running plays, but eventually they were all more interested in the tackling part.
This year, is the first year we have an ESPN channel on our local cable package. Over the years, John has been watching NFL games via the internet and the NFL season pass. It has always been "Sunday Night Football" at our house, because with the time difference, the first Sunday afternoon game starts at 7pm. Last night, he had the NFL pass on the computer (Vikings game) and a different game on ESPN. His chair was in the middle of the room so he could watch either. But mostly, he was focused on Facebook. At one point he commented "I'm not even really watching, it's just nice to have it on in the background." And that's true. On the NFL pass, we even get some of the American commercials. This time of year, as we go into Thanksgiving week, I am thankful for those subtle, American customs that sneak their way into our life here.
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