To tackle the night of Sunday February 12 to Monday February 13, Robin has planned everything. “We’ll order chicken wings from a fast-food chain, a few beers and let’s go! » It has become a ritual. Every year, this Parisian brings together some of his friends for a long night of festivities. Time difference obliges, it is from midnight to 4 am that with his band, he will be in front of his television to follow the 57th Super Bowl, the final of the American football championship, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Eagles of Philadelphia.
“In reality, we are not really supporters, concedes Robin. What we like is the American show, the concerts during half-time and seeing a great show, as if we were Americans, for an evening. »
A marginal practice
In fact, this sport remains unknown in France. However, like Robin and his friends, there were more than 400,000 spectators to follow the previous edition in 2022, broadcast like this year on the L’Équipe channel. Figures to rival competing channels, especially at such a late hour.
According to figures from the French American Football Federation (FFFA), there are only 10,000 licensees in France, spread over more than 220 clubs, most of them in Île-de-France. Figures which testify to the marginal nature of this discipline in our regions – for comparison, the French Football Federation issued 1.8 million licenses for the 2021-2022 season.
How, then, to explain the television success of the Super Bowl, this great sporting mass among the most watched in the world, after the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup? “This culture of the show, unique in its kind, intrigues”analyzes Richard Tardits, former French professional player in the National Football League (NFL), the American championship.
“French entrepreneurs are not necessarily ready to adopt these codes in their own sporting events, because it requires a lot of money to produce such a spectacle. It is therefore an opportunity for the French public to experience an American-style event, with its excesses. It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to follow a concert by Michael Jackson, Beyoncé or Katy Perry for free! »
If the practice remains marginal, the popularity of American football in France is also growing under the effect of streaming platforms which rely heavily on documentaries devoted to sport. Around the NFL, fans can immerse themselves in this universe via the series Hard Knocks on HBO or All or Nothing on Amazon Prime.
The rare American dream for the French
Like Richard Tardits, Anthony Mahoungou is one of the rare French people to have played in the Canadian Football League (CFL), within the Ottawa Red and Black, and in the NFL, with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 28-year-old athlete, also a consultant for the L’Équipe channel, discovered American football thanks to his older brother. “I grew up in La Courneuve (in Seine-Saint-Denis) where there is one of the best teams in France (The Flashes of La Courneuve). My older brother, who is much more curious than me, was introduced to this sport, especially through manga. He got started, I watched him for a year, before I too succumbed to the temptation. » Very quickly, Anthony Mahoungou found his place there. “In this sport, there was a position that would allow me to show off my athletic qualities: that of” wide receiver ” (the player in charge of receiving the quarterback’s long passes to gain as much ground as possible, often at the center of spectacular actions, editor’s note). »
Frenchman Anthony Mahoungou played with the Philadelphia Eagles, an American team in the Super Bowl final this year, as wide receiver in 2018. Here during training at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia. / Kena Betancur/AFP
An experience in North America will follow, where the young man will send coaches several hundred emails containing videos of his performances in France, with the aim of winning a university scholarship. Until catching the eye of one of them, opening up the pursuit of his American dream.
A niche sport that intrigues
Today, Anthony Mahoungou is well aware of the limits of the interest of the French public. “It’s called a niche sport. A discipline that looks very complex. The spectator sees in it a kind of modified rugby, with helmets and shoulder pads… The show has an air of great chaos, he explains. We can understand that the unknown is scary and that few people try it. When I started to be a consultant, the channel L’Équipe told me “we are talking to people who don’t know anything about it. Your job will be to popularize”. »
“To comment, you have to be aware that the public is not necessarily committed to the cause of this sport and is not a connoisseur, but is thirsty to learn”, abounds Richard Tardits, who was also a commentator on the Super Bowl on the antennas of Canal + and the M6 group, from 2010 to 2017.
Convinced that American football deserves its letters of nobility, Anthony Mahoungou pleads for the French public to take an interest in it beyond the simple Super Bowl and its disproportionate show. “It’s a collective game par excellence! Due to the importance of the positioning of each player, the strategic aspect is worthy of chess. » As for the very violent image from which this sport suffers in France, it must, according to him, be put into perspective. “I don’t know of a non-violent contact sport. It’s spectacular, but the rules have been changed from year to year, each time to reduce the risks. But obviously, zero risk does not exist,” he concedes.
This year again, the Super Bowl should break all records. In the United States, nearly 100 million viewers watch their television every year. Commercials can cost up to $7 million for a thirty second broadcast. To attend the match, the price of a ticket within the State Farm Stadium, in Glendale (Arizona) costs up to 5,000 dollars. This year, the lucky ones in the stands will attend, at half-time, a concert by superstar Rihanna, who has been absent from the stage for more than four years.
As for the French neophytes, Robin has already chosen his side a few hours before the crazy American evening. “I’m hoping for a victory for the Philadelphia Eagles. Why? Because they have the most beautiful jersey! », exclaims, with self-derision, the one who admits not having “Never really touched an American football”.
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Big wins for winners
The Vince-Lombardi trophy is awarded to the winning team. Per the National Football League (NFL) collective bargaining agreement, each player on this year’s winning team will receive €145,000, while players on the losing team will each receive €75,500.
The two teams in the running will try to succeed the Los Angeles Rams, titleholders in 2022. To date, the New England Patriots are the most successful team, with eleven Super Bowl successes.
This year is Super Bowl LVII, or, in French, the 57th Super Bowl. The NFL uses Roman numerals to avoid confusion because the Super Bowl is played one calendar year after the regular season (the Super Bowl played in 2023 ends the 2022 season).