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February 4, 2012

Pork rinds for Canada

Enid News & Eagle

ENID — You won’t find it officially designated on any calendars, but today may be the biggest “unofficial” holiday in America. It’s Super Bowl Sunday and households, taverns and just about any other place with a television will be tuned in to today’s Super Bowl XLVI matchup between the Patriots and Giants in Indianapolis.

Last year, according to Nielsen ratings, an estimated 111 million people watched the Packers defeat the Steelers 31-25 at Jerry’s World, outside of Dallas. That topped the previous year’s record of an estimated 105 million viewers that tuned in to see the Saints down the Colts 31-17 in Miami. In other words, it’s kind of a big deal.

  Now, admittedly, some folks tune in just to see the commercials as ad agencies engage in their own brand of cut-throat competition to have the best 30- or 60-second spot with nearly as much ink being dedicated to dissecting the best ads as there is Monday morning game analysis.

Football and capitalism. Can there be a more American combination? But before you begin feeling too patriotic or doing a chest bump in imitation of your favorite NFL star, some recent developments in Austin, Texas, could be a sign American football is being played better elsewhere.

Where is that next great NFL star coming from? Texas?  Oklahoma?  Ohio? How about Manitoba or Ontario (pssst … that’s in Canada)? Yep, it appears the increasing popularity of the NFL worldwide has inspired athletes from other nations.

This past Wednesday, ironically on National Signing Day when high school athletes across the United States signed National Letters of Intent, the third annual International Bowl was being played in Austin, Texas, featuring a team of All-Star high schoolers, including some five- and four-start recruits, from the United States against an international team, comprised mostly of Canadian prep and first-year college players. The international team stunned the Americans, 35-29 as the U.S. suffered its first-ever defeat in international football competition.

The Americans trailed by as much 35-16 in a game that was dominated by our friends to the north. The game MVP was quarterback Anthony Combs of the University of Manitoba and one of the top performers was wide receiver Daryl Waud of the University of Western Ontario. It certainly was a wake-up call.

“You can’t just show up (and win) because you have a lot of talent, “ U.S. head coach Steve Specht was quoted as saying by Yahoo! Sports’ Rivals High. “(International players) are getting better. It comes to a point where we have to realize they are getting better year after year. They are studying the game.”

It really should be a compliment. And the influx of players from outside the U.S. has only enhanced the quality of play we see in professional basketball and baseball, but there is something a bit disconcerting about seeing American kids getting schooled by Canadians at our own game. I guess we know now how our friends to the north have felt when the Americans, on those rare occasions, have topped Canada in their national sport of hockey.

So, while kicking back today during the Super Bowl, you may want to grab a Labatt’s Blue to wash down some cheese curds and embrace our football future. But, be forewarned Canada, keep it up and we’re lacing up the skates and bringing some pork rinds and Pabst.



Ruthenberg is sports editor at the News & Eagle. Contact him at daver@enidnews.com.

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