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AMERICAN FOOTBALL FANS have been pouring in to Dublin today ahead of a National Football League (NFL) game in Croke Park on Sunday, but not everyone is excited by their arrival.
The city has been mystified and bemused by the large scale promo for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers game.
Over 70,000 people are expected to descend on Croke Park for the game on Sunday.
While some may be critical of the NFL’s arrival, Steelers and Vikings fans are already wandering round the city, excited to be in Dublin.
The Journal spoke to some fans who have travelled from the US for the game. One Steelers fan said she sees this as “a prime opportunity for [her] to be to be a tourist and get a little football in”.
Overall, fans are not put off by Dublin prices. One fan who travelled to Ireland from Orlando said prices “seem about average”.
“I haven’t had any problem with any of the prices I’ve seen.”
Another said they found Dublin to be “no more expensive than any other big city”.
One woman who travelled from Alabama for the game did say travelling here “was more expensive than average because of the game”.
“The prices have increased anytime the NFL goes anywhere.”
Most of the supporters are born into supporting a team. One Steelers fan said he was born in Pittsburgh, and although he didn’t grow up there, “you can leave the city, but the city can’t leave you”.
A Vikings fan told The Journal that her family have been season ticket holders since 1961 when the team was formed: “I feel like it’s good family tradition.” Though this is their first time travelling abroad for a game, they do travel for at least one or two games per season within the US.
Both sets of fans also emphasised the community they have in their teams. One fan from Ohio said “it may be similar to soccer, it brings camaraderie, brings fans together.” Another group from North Carolina said “when you go to a game, there’s nothing else like it anywhere”.
Many of the tourists have planned to stay in Ireland for a few days after the game. Popular activities for them include the Guinness Storehouse and several also said they plan to travel to the west coast after the game.
While the fans are excited to be in Dublin, some politicians have expressed frustration at the level of promotion surrounding the game and the inconveniences it has created in the city centre.
Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty said that although there is an economic benefit for Dublin, the country should “think about the political and cultural cost of tying ourselves in with the NFL”.
Moriarty took issue with “what the NFL has come to represent in terms of its politicisation by the Trump administration in particular”.
“You can’t, unfortunately, disentangle the NFL from Trump’s America at the moment, and ultimately, when we’re venerating and celebrating and welcoming that into our into our national stadium in Croke Park, it is a worry.”
Speaking to The Journal, a Green Party Councillor Janet Horner said she finds the whole thing “a little it undignified” and called the promotion for the event “ridiculous”.
She said that it’s “frustrating” seeing the city turned into a “playground for tourists” given that “the number of people from Ireland actually interested in attending the game is minimal”.
Horner acknowledged the “strong economic argument” for holding the event but said she is “disappointed that the city can’t rally like this for our own events”.
“It’s not serving the interests of the people of the city, it’s serving the interests of the American dollar.”
Fellow Green Party councillor Michael Pidgeon took a different view, telling The Journal that the temporary art and installations are the kind of things that “keeps city life interesting”.
“I’m in the city centre at the moment, and you can see that there is visible bit of buzz about it,” he said. “There’s a lot more people in Ireland who are really keen on it than I suspect many people would think.”
On whether this is too much of a focus on a US cultural event for an Irish city, Pidgeon said: “I think Dublin has been better for the past few decades because it’s been an international city. If people think something is too US focused, that’s fair enough, but let’s do other international stuff too while also celebrating Ireland.”
He said there can sometimes be a “sneering” attitude towards Americans, adding that there are valid objections to the “the direction of US politics” but that “on an individual level, people are welcome”.
In the Dáil today, People Before Profit – Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger heavily criticised the government’s decision to host the NFL in a question to finance minister Paschal Donohoe, calling it a “sport steeped in militarism racism and ‘macho culture’”.
Donohoe defended Dublin’s hosting of the game, citing the economic benefits and the opportunity to “bring people together”.
“We will see our country, and our city in particular, full of American people that are coming to Ireland for the opportunity to see a game happen, I think that is a good thing.”
Dublin Castle is hosting a three-day NFL ‘experience’ featuring signage and a small pitch set up for the event, while around the city, several buildings and pubs have hung large banners.
Both the Steelers’ and the Vikings’ sides have taken up residence in a particular pub, with the Pittsburgh natives based in Fitzsimons Temple Bar and the Minnesota crew in JR Mahons.
Additional reporting by Jane Moore
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