FEB 2 AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD

FEB 2 AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD

Super Bowl 51 is just days away! All across America, supermarkets are stocking the shelves with chicken wings and potato chips. Fans are preparing to gather around their big-screen TVs for the NFL championship game. While there are articles galore about the Super Bowl itself, we here at the DUNER BLOG want to use the occasion to educate our readers about something else: The rising number of American Football Leagues around the world. Here are three of note:

Superliga Nacional de Futebol Americano (Brazil). In the land where soccer is king, American Football is also gaining fans. With twenty teams in two conferences, all of the major cities in Brazil now have clubs. Many are owned by soccer franchises, who use their stadiums for football when the soccer teams are away. For example, Rio de Janiero’s famed Santos Club also owns the Rio Imperadores. Not surprisingly, their rivals are the São Paulo Storm. They have yet to meet in the championship game (The Brazil Bowl), but watch out when they do!

Egyptian Federation of American Football. (Egypt & Jordan). Ten years ago, football-hungry American students at the University of Cairo decided to take their scrimmages to a more formal level. Today, there are six teams spread over two nations. The majority of the players are Arabs, with only a handful of Americans brave enough to play football in the Sahara Desert. Excitiment is growing. Last year, the first Egyptian Bowl was played in Cairo. Last month, the Cairo Hell Hounds defeated the Amman Barracudas 12-10 on a 67-yard touchdown pass to Wide Receiver Seif Swailam to win Egyptian Bowl II.

Japan X League (Japan). Since the island nation took so well to Baseball, it only figures that the nation would also embrace another American pastime: Football! Unlike the Arab league, the vast majority of the players in Japan's league are from the states. Most have NFL or College Division I experience. Last December, the Fujitsu Frontiers defeated the Obic Seagulls to win Japan X Bowl XXX in the famed Tokyo Dome Stadium. Yep, they have been playing football for three decades in Japan. Over 25,000 fans attended. Wow!