Sunday offers perfect schedule for NFL fans in Europe
Published: January 3, 2013
American sports fans in Europe are constantly thwarted by the clock. For most events, fans have two unpleasant options: schedule sleep around a 2 a.m. start time and deal with the personal and professional repercussions, or target the tape-delayed broadcast the next day and somehow dodge the many outlets seeking to sabotage the effort.
Long-suffering American sports fans in Europe are due a reward. And Jan. 6 offers just that. Here's the plan for a well-deserved day of football nirvana:
- Enjoy your Saturday. Hang out with friends and family, maybe spend some time outside.
- Stock up on food and drinks Saturday evening. Turn off the TV and go to bed around 11 p.m. CET Saturday.
- Wake up Sunday morning and avoid the radio, TV and Internet. Read the print edition of Stars and Stripes, for example.
- At 9 a.m., flip on AFN-Sports and settle in for consecutive tape-delayed broadcasts of Cincinnati-Houston and Minnesota-Green Bay. Stay away from your phone and computer and watch the games spoiler-free.
- Early Sunday evening offers a couple of free hours. You can re-engage with your computer and other devices, as the danger of spoilers has passed.
- Return to AFN-Sports at 7 p.m. for a live doubleheader of the other two wild-card games, Indianapolis-Baltimore and Seattle-Washington. The latter should wrap up by 2 a.m.
Follow this plan, and you'll have an NFL wild-card viewing experience that is not only workable, but in fact superior to that of your stateside peers. They'll devote the entirety of their weekend to the endeavor - you get a wide-open Saturday and a Sunday lifted directly from your wildest sports fantasies. Enjoy!
Follow @broomestripes on Twitter for my wild-card picks.
