So, like why is the Superbowl on TV all over the place?

Late last night as we were getting ready to pack it up for the day and go to bed, our compulsive surfing fingers lead us to the start of the Superbowl. Since the channel we hit on was NASN (North American Sports Network) this wasn't that surprising.

Then I idly wondered if other channels were showing it and clicked around to investigate. It was on:

• ARD in Germany (sort of a BBC-like semi-government network, no. 2 after ZDF)
• ORF1 in Austria (the first network of Austria)
• TV2 in France (the second network of France)
• ITV1 in the UK (the biggest commercial network in the UK)

Yes, Switzerland gives a ton of choices for teevee watching. But that aside...why the Superbowl? As far as I know American football is no where near being a globally popular sport. It ranks far below soccer/football, below basketball, and probably below ice hockey too. It may even rank below baseball which is very popular in countries like Japan and South Korea.

But do we get the MLB World Series on ten thousand channels across Europe? Or the NBA playoffs? Nope.

I can understand the Oscar ceremonies being broadcast to multibillions across the globe, even if it is in the wee hours of the morning in Europe and not-convenient hours elsewhere outside of the Americas, since everyone watches movies (and American movies are dominant, for better or worse). But the Superbowl? I don't get it.

(I fell asleep shortly after Prince. Loved the Aunt Jemima headkerchief.)