Storytelling
Whilst writing my last post about the NFL and NBA it got me thinking about the image of these sports and how their respective governing bodies are building perceptions overseas. The regular NFL games at Wembley and NBA Europe Live series are doing a fantastic job for raising awareness and eeking out more commercial opportunities in new territories.
But how have these sports managed to get under the skin of European and Asian audiences over the last thirty years without game presence, and consequently, how has football and rugby failed to capture the hearts of Americans?
The answer: Hollywood.
In Europe the entertainment industry has transformed how we consume sports, but not necessarily how we think and feel about those sports. No one has done more for the perception of American sports than the movie business.
Remember the Titans, White Men Can’t Jump, Any Given Sunday, Coach Carter, The Waterboy, He Got Game, Friday Night Lights, Teenwolf (great basketball scenes) – all have that intense Hollywood styling: dramatic music, a race against the clock, a twist of fate that will see the team fail, a moment of individual skill or choreographed move and then the underdogs comeg good.
What do we get? Bend it Like Beckham, Up ‘n’ Under, When Saturday Comes, Mean Machine and the dreadful Goal trilogy.
There are however two shining lights, Invinctus and Escape to Victory. If anyone has seen any other decent football/rugby films, please let me know.
Finally, and just for good measure a few clips:
