English Weather

[EPLNFL]

A comment was made in the main blog recently about how English football seems to get better when the days turn short and the weather turns rainy. Well while taking in the Chelsea v. Blackburn game on November 9 it was noted several times that the match may have to be stopped due to the amount of rain and the effect on the field of play and the ball movement. The blogger noted that American sports( and maybe fans) just wouldn't be able to perform in those conditions. I responded how many American sports are played in weather that an English fan would not be caught outside in! Green Bay or Chicago in December is likely to have rain, snow, sleet, and a wind chill that will cause harm to uncovered flesh at game time. On New Years Day Chicago will play host to a NHL game outside, we in Chicago hope it will be cold and snowing. The MLS playoffs going on this week in cold weather locations could very well face snow. Someone may correct me on this but has a MLS game been called off due to snow, I believe the answer is no.

The point of the above ramblings is that the winter weather in England does add something to the EPL, no doubt about it. I love seeing the yellow ball for one and the dark sky and rain is something special. However, while the English footballer and fans may have to face conditions that you won't see in Spain or Italy, those conditions are nothing like what a NFL fan will endure in an open air stadium in the US in December in most of the country or a outdoor game on the ice in Chicago on New Years Day. Playing in London in December is no picnic and adds a special quality but lets not get carried away with it's allure as being a unique quality!

[AtlantaPompey]

Night games are better. The cold weather levels the playing field, but only a little. Yes, NFL fans torture themselves in the cold weather cities. Why do you think the SuperBowl is always in either a warm-weather city (Tampa) or a dome? This is why MLS plays the calendar they do. Chicago, Boston, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Toronto: None of those cities could host an outdoor MLS game and expect a crowd to show up.