It is no secret that American Football is growing in popularity in the United Kingdom. You only need to glance at the number of tickets that are sold for the NFL events hosted in the UK to see that people on that side of the Atlantic are going absolutely crazy for the game. But what happens after you have seen a match in person or broadcast on TV?
How do you go from being someone who enjoyed watching the game to becoming a proper supporter? The first step is, of course, finding a team that you can get behind.
One of the most famous and prestigious NFL teams in the US is the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, they are one of the most valuable sports teams in the world, being valued at $8 billion in 2022. However, when you are sitting in the UK, there is no escaping the fact that Dallas is a very long way away. You can't exactly head out to a Cowboys game every weekend. You are going to have to get proactive.
Here are a few tips to help you follow the Dallas Cowboys from the UK.
Consider Investing In New Channels
The good news is that there is a lot more American football on British television than there used to be, but considering that there used to be essentially none, this is perhaps damning our broadcasters with faint praise.
It is certainly becoming more popular, and you are more likely to find terrestrial NFL coverage than you would for the NHL, for example. Both ITV and Channel 5 offer NFL broadcasts, but you may find that the selection is fairly limited.
If you want to watch the Cowboys, then you may be better off signing up for Sky Sports NFL Channel, which has live games every Sunday, as well as replays and roundups. NFL+ (formerly NFL Game Pass) is your best bet if you want to make sure that you catch every game and every play that you want to, so this is probably an investment worth making.
Given that everyone is thinking of ways that they can save a little extra cash right now, it makes sense to think about how much time you are going to have to catch up on games before you buy.
Prepare For Some Late Nights Or Early Mornings
No sports fan likes having the result of a big game ruined for them. The bad news is that with the time difference, you have a good chance of waking up to a lot of spoilers on social media if you don't stay up or get up early to watch these games live.
Anyone who has ever stayed up to watch the Super Bowl knows that doing this takes a lot of preparation.
- Make sure that you have plenty of snacks on standby.
- Caffeinating is a good option but try to make sure that you don't peak too early as you may end up passing out. Even though an NFL game is only 60 minutes of actual playing time, the game can take over three hours.
- There are a lot of commercial breaks to consider, so it's worth having some options to keep you awake and pass the time. Go for a walk, listen to a podcast, or play a few online games by finding the best sites at OnlineCasinos.
- You could also consider loading up on classic American meal options if you want to have a truly authentic experience.
Check Out Some Podcasts
If you want to make sure that you are staying up to date with the latest behind-the-scenes moves, trades, injuries, and rumours, then you need to find a Dallas Cowboys podcast.
The good news is that you are not going to be short on options when it comes to podcasts. There is an awful lot to choose from, so the difficult part is going to be finding the one that is right for you. Now, some of these podcasts will be essentially fan podcasts, recapping each game, some more raucously than others. Others will be more history related, looking at specific eras from the franchise's legacy.
If you are just starting out with your Cowboys fandom, the best place to start might be with a podcast run by sports writers and journalists (many of which are included in our free Cowboys news app for Android). These will give you a less biased opinion (for the most part) and a clearer idea of what is going on with the organisation at large and how they are doing in the league as a whole.
You should also consider subscribing to some NFL league podcasts to start to build on your understanding of other teams and what you should be looking out for in the Cowboys' future matchups.
Do Some Reading
If you are thinking about putting your fandom behind the Dallas Cowboys, then you are signing up to follow one of America's most famous and historic teams. That means that you have a lot of legacy to catch up with, and the Cowboys have a more fascinating and storied history than most.
A quick Wikipedia search won't really do them justice, so you should think about checking out some of the books written about the team and the people behind them. When it comes to team personnel, Tom Landry is someone you need to know about as he was the head coach of the team for 29 seasons, 20 of them with consecutive wins, and devised new defence methods.
The Last Cowboy by Mark Ribowsky is a great read for anyone interested in learning about one of the sport's true greats. Peter Golenbock's Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes is a massive oral history of the team up until 1997 and features a lot of honest interviews with the people involved. If you want more shocking honesty, 2008's Boys Will be Boys by Jeff Pearlman is a raucous retelling of some of the rowdiest times in the team's history as well as some of their most successful years. There are so many amazing stories to hear from this football franchise.
