by Arthur Maximilian John and Kasey Golding (KU Leuven)
This blog post was written for the course "Current Issues in Global and EU Affairs", which took place from February 11-May 9, 2019.
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| Build-up to the 2010 NFL International Series Game at Wembley Stadium between the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers Image Credit: Flickr user 'Thomas' via Wikimedia Commons |
From
debates over NATO and defense spending to major international agreements such
as the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Agreement, it is no surprise
that the high political discussions of the transatlantic relationship have been
going through a rough patch. Just a
quick Google News search reveals the current struggles of one of the strongest geopolitical
relationships of the last five decades.
Wherever
we look we seem to find more and more reasons to believe that Europe and the US
are heading down a dangerous path—one in which we might even see the two
venture into the territory of staunch competitors, rather than loyal teammates.
However,
this pessimistic view of high politics is drastically different when we shift
to a topic that impacts the daily life of the average citizen on a much deeper
basis—sports. Whether it is American
football, ‘soccer’, or ice hockey, one’s allegiance to their favorite team can
shape large parts of a person’s individual identity.
Sports
culture has the potential to unite communities across cultural and linguistic
borders. It bolsters transnational camaraderie
and promotes a system of shared values, and the impact that sports culture and
sports markets have on the societal component of transatlantic relations should
not be underestimated.
For
example, since 2007, the National Football League (NFL) has agreed to host a
number of regular season American football games outside the United
States. Although its schedule
currently highlights the city of London as its sole European destination, for
American Football executives, London is not viewed as the NFL’s future—rather it
is simply the testing ground for a wider European market.
While the
organization has only committed to playing in London for the upcoming seasons,
the League’s commissioner has talked about the possibility of expanding into
places like Germany. Ultimately, Europe presents
a unique opportunity for the NFL, particularly with its untapped market and
proven affinity towards sport, and recent efforts to expand the League’s
overseas market have been largely well-received.
The presence
of American football in Europe is not a new phenomenon—in fact, until recently
Europe even had its very own NFL-sponsored league in NFL Europe—but the sudden
market take-off has inspired the American industry to double-down on its
long-term goals of solidifying its stance within the European market.
The
initiative’s support is a refreshing reminder of the strength of cultural
transatlantic relations in times of conflict and disintegration in the
political arenas. The NFL’s ambitions in
Europe show that despite growing political tensions across the pond, culture—and
in particular sports culture—is a strong factor in transatlantic relations.
This
sentiment is echoed by the expansion of European football clubs into the US
market. With an ever-growing interest in
‘soccer’ since the FIFA World Cup was hosted by the US in 1994, more and more
elite European football teams have tested the waters in what has the potential
to become a massive market for talent and revenue. With more than 50 percent of Americans havingat least a basic interest in football, there is good reason to be optimistic
that teams from Europe’s top football leagues can be successful in an American
market.
In fact,
this branching out has already commenced as clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester
City, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Bayern Munich regularly compete insold-out international competitions such as the International Champions
Cup. This ability of European elite
football to radiate across the Atlantic makes it clear that the American market
not only has economic potential, but also that it is compatible with European
culture.
Furthermore,
the transatlantic market is not limited to the arena of American football or
European football associations. In the
United States, the NFL and their outward reach has become an envy of the sports
world. The National Hockey League (NHL)—an
established forum for US-Canada-Europe relations—is following the NFL’s lead
and charging ahead to expand the game and develop new markets in Europe with
the announcement of the 2019-20 Global Series.
While the league already sees approximately 25% of its top players comingfrom Russia and Europe, the NHL is hoping to further these ties by having teams
from the US and Canada play local organizations in Switzerland, Germany, the Czech
Republic and Sweden.
All in
all, transatlantic relations at the political level may be at an all-time low,
but the soft power and diplomatic potential of friendly competition and
regional camaraderie is something that cannot be ignored. Sports offer a language that transcends
high-politics, and sports culture is an example of an arena that still has the
potential to facilitate a stronger American-European relationship.
The cultural
exports of both sides of the Atlantic are proving stronger than anyone
initially thought. League executives are
searching for new ways to expand the impact of converging sports markets and
promote continued interaction. Through
the pooling of talent, revenue, and cultural exchange, the transatlantic
partners have an opportunity to strengthen and integrate their relationship on
both an economic and societal level.
Even in a
time of cooling political relations, the value of market potential and cultural
ties cannot—and should not—be understated.
Sports might not be the key to solving the world’s most pressing issues,
but they may be a step in the right direction towards thawing the tensions between
the US and Europe.
Who knows,
maybe one day we’ll even witness a transatlantic Super Bowl matchup in Europe.
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