A Different Kind of Football in Mexico

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, October 2, 2005. This monstrous arena is packed to the rafters with 103,467 hysterical fans waving the Mexico flag in various sizes and shouting, "Ole!" in unison. They are eagerly anticipating the inevitable clash between two bitter rivals that are hoping to put on a good show and, at the same time, emerge as the winner in this frenzied spectacle. As the players come storming in, the cheers grow to a fever pitch. Everybody stands to sing the national anthem while the great Mexico flag is raised. The coin toss follows in order to determine which team will kick off. The stage is set for the mayhem to begin as usual here in Mexico, except this time, instead of a regular association football game, it's another kind of football-American football, that is. In fact, the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League are playing a regular season game much to the ardor of the Mexican audience. Well, isn't it a bit strange, don't you think?

On one hand, it is kind of strange, since Mexico is a predominantly football, or in this case, soccer country. And as a matter of fact, Estadio Azteca, or Azteca Stadium, has been the principal venue for some of the most exhilarating and memorable matches in the history of soccer like the 1970 classic "Game of the Century," where Italy defeated Germany, 4-3, in extra time, and the 1986 quarterfinal between Argentina and England, where Diego Maradona majestically executed the "Hand of God goal" and the "Goal of the Century." On the other hand, it is not strange at all because American football has been around in Mexico since the early 1920s and has been a fledging minority sport played mostly in the colleges and universities. And this has resulted in various leagues that have been faithfully organized through the years. The National Student Organization of American Football, or ONEFA (Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano), for one, is a Mexican college league that has been thriving since 1978. Meanwhile, the Organizacion Mexicana de Football Americano, or OMFA, is a league made up of 10 teams from all over Mexico, which annually compete for the league championship and occasionally compete against semi-pro football teams from the U.S. There is also the Mexico national American football team, which competed in the American Football World Cup, held every four years since 1999. Mexico has finished second in the two editions it participated in, in 1999 and 2003.

But although American football has already taken root and has fruitfully flourished in Mexico, don't expect it to surpass or even match soccer's firm grip in the country. It will always be thought of as an engaging alternative pastime whose popularity has its own moments, like on that particular day in 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals eviscerated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-14, and thousands of people went totally loco watching it.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Mexican Flag and cheap Mexican Flag.