NFL And Vikings Invade Our Shores To Engage And Entertain
This past Thursday night, The Grand Hall at Wembley Stadium played host to the last of a whirlwind tour of the UK and Dublin by the NFL. This was a road show of Fan Events held in Dublin, Manchester, and Leeds before coming to the stadium that will play home to the Minnesota Vikings when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 29th later this year. The Vikes were represented by three of their top players on this quick stop journey to help boost their fan base, as well as general NFL fandom, before they play here in a few months time.
John Sullivan the six year Center was the more vocal during the Q and A sessions, hosted by Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds. Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph was the gentle giant of the three and you can see why the Tight End is going to be a top talent for many years to come. The last of the trio was outstanding Safety, Harrison Smith. The hard hitter held his own despite being the relative newcomer to the scene.
The two hour event was once again a slick and well organised occasion, but then we expect nothing less of the NFL when they come to town. Neil Reynolds always holds things together well and when he introduced the evergreen and ever popular Jeff Reinebold to the audience, you just knew that you were going to be educated as well as entertained. The pair conversed about how the game here has grown so much since the days of the London Monarchs to what we have now, two regular season games in one season. A lot of what Reinebold says makes sense, being involved within the sport for 30 years, it’s hard not to be captivated when he took hold of a few sheepish audience members to participate in walk-through drills of read option plays. A lot of this is common knowledge but with his extra insight and spin on things it brings it to life.
The Vikings were then bought out onto the stage and were well received by those in attendance. Yes, there were a fair few fans dressed in Purple, but even those that weren’t just appreciated being in the presence of these players. They fielded a host of questions ranging from the new rule changes (runners leading with the crown of their helmet(, player safety, their heroes growing up and whether or not Adrian Peterson likes orange peanuts (if you haven’t seen it check out NFL Bad lip reading on YouTube). Sullivan didn’t hold back when responding to questions regarding player safety, especially as he was very outspoken during the time of BountyGate and the hits on his then quarterback Brett Favre. Rudolph and Smith got some ‘playing’ time as they walked through some drills with fans and Reinebold, showing us there completely different skill sets.
All in all this was another hugely successful week in promoting the NFL brand and the Vikings organisation. More events like these have been promised so if you’re a fan of all things football and a chance to be in the same room as some legends (do i include Reynolds inn that?), then keep your eyes open and sign up quickly when they are announced.
