Kiwis tune in for NFL as Brady boosts Bucs
They might live on the other side of the world, but New Zealanders will be tucking into hotdogs, chicken wings, and sliders and watching tomorrow’s Super Bowl, writes Brendon Egan.
TAMPA Bay Buccaneers tragic James Lissaman didn’t have to wait long to see his team in their first Super Bowl.
It’s been an 18-year wait to see them get there again though.
Christchurch-based Lissaman will be cheering on his beloved Bucs tomorrow when they take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, on the biggest day in American sport.
NBA nut Lissaman, who works as Canterbury Basketball’s community basketball manager, developed a passion for American football in 1998.
Needing to choose a side he adopted the Buccaneers and has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions over the last 23 years.
‘‘The pirate ship in the stadium, the somewhat similar to Canterbury colours, and the cool pirate flag [logo] — that’s what drew them to me,’’ Lissaman said.
‘‘And not being this team to beat like the [Dallas] Cowboys or someone who everyone goes for – the slight underdog, but still with some talent.’’
Five years after becoming a Bucs fan, the team won their first Super Bowl in 2003, beating the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in a game where Tampa Bay’s defence dominated. It’s been lean days since then for Lissaman, who watches the team religiously every Monday on NFL Game Pass, saving up his lieu hours from working during the winter months. Tampa Bay hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007 until that barren run ended this year.
The Buccaneers’ off-season acquisition of decorated quarterback Tom Brady has been integral to their change of fortunes.
Brady, 43, joined Tampa Bay after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowls, playing in nine.
Tomorrow’s showdown pits the greatest quarterback of all time against Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, viewed by many as currently the best player in the NFL.
The Bucs are the first team to play in a Super Bowl hosted at their home stadium in Tampa, Florida. The NFL decides the host venue several years in advance. Unlike some Bucs’ supporters, who hopped aboard the bandwagon when Brady joined the side, Lissaman is loyal.
‘‘I’ve had more bad days than good since that [Super Bowl] win in [2003], but that’s more than some franchises have had.’’
Lissaman knows a couple of other Buccaneers’ diehards in New Zealand, but admits they’re a rarity.
All Blacks star Beauden Barrett and former team-mate Israel Dagg are New Zealand’s best known
Kansas City fans, attending last year’s Super Bowl win in Miami.
Lissaman will watch the Super Bowl from his Christchurch home, proudly wearing the No 51 jersey of retired Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud. Sons Eli, 10, Esten, eight, who like dad follow the team, will also tune in with friends, while enjoying American snacks, including hotdogs and corn chips.
Super Bowl viewership in New Zealand is on the rise.
Last year, Sky had 70,554 viewers at its peak for the live event across satellite, SkyGo, and Sky Sport Now (the standalone streaming service). An additional 7192 viewers opted for the
replay later that night.
It was a sharp climb from 2019 when Super Bowl satellite numbers were 25,581. In 2017, the last time the game was played on Waitangi Day, 52,000 tuned in, up from 23,000 the year before.
Sky expects tomorrow’s showpiece to surpass last year’s numbers with the game falling on a public holiday, combined with Brady’s presence and the always popular halftime show, which will be headlined by Canadian singer the Weeknd.
Interest in American football is increasing in New Zealand.
There are 770 registered players nationally here across the full contact and flag football formats.
Flag football has been around since 2016, featuring smaller playing numbers with five
players on both the offence and defence.
Players don’t wear helmets or require expensive equipment. It was an ideal way to develop American football hopefuls and improve their catching and passing before contemplating a move to contact.
New Zealand Mako flag football national coach Shiraz Soysa said there was no question NFL was growing in popularity here.
‘‘Seven, eight years ago, you’d have to call up places to see if they had [the Super Bowl] on so you could bring people over.
‘‘Now everywhere has it going . . .’’
Soysa, who is also American Football Auckland’s chair, said the age of interested players was getting younger. The Madden video game series had been a key factor, as well as NFL games being readily available on ESPN and online.
‘‘We’re seeing a lot of interest
in players under the age of 14. Basically parents are contacting clubs saying ‘Look my kid just keeps on going on about American football, how do we get into it, how do we get playing?’.
‘‘A lot of the kids now turn up and actually know the basics and in some cases they’re trying to teach some of the coaches.’’
Former Ma¯ ori All Black and Bay of Plenty and Counties Manukau hooker Joe Royal is the latest American football convert, linking up with Soysa’s Tamaki Lightning club.
As for the big game, Lissaman is quietly confident about the Buccaneers ending their Super Bowl drought, but knows the Chiefs are deserved favourites.
‘‘If the Bucs win it’s going to be because their defensive line was just too much for the Chiefs offence. If the Chiefs win it’s because their dudes are so fast
[at wide receiver] and they scheme them open and they get away.’’