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除了篮球之外，橄榄球也是风靡全美的运动之一。这项运动由英国传入美国，最初规则规定只许用脚踢，因此称为“football”，也就是足球的意思，沿用至今，现在我们更多地是将其称为American football（美式足球）。
Karen在大洋彼岸也感受到了橄榄球在美国国民中的影响力，下面我们就来看看她是如何看待橄榄球的吧。
When I first heard the name “Super Bowl[超级杯赛]”, I thought it was some kind of huge utensil[器皿]. But I got to America, I realized it’s the championship game of the National Football League[全国橄榄球联盟], also known as the NFL. Like basketball, American football is also a high-level professional sport in the United States. It receives as much, and maybe more, popularity[普及，流行，受欢迎] than the NBA in its homeland.
During my visit to America, I found that not every American is a sports fan—but if he is, he is most likely to be interested in American football. No wonder Americans call football“soccer”, keeping it apart from the real football in their heart—American football.
In my opinion, American football is an extremely rough game. It looks a lot like rugby[橄榄球]. Players can pass, throw and kick the ball. Sadly, I still don’t know how to appreciate a football game. What I saw on TV was like two dozen muscular men chasing one another and piling up to fight for an olive-shaped ball.
But if you have a chance to experience a live game, you’ll find how exciting the sport is. Like the NBA, the NFL also has a regular season[常规赛] and a playoff season[季后赛]. The tickets for either season are not cheap, and they’re especially expensive for the final. That is the Super Bowl. You can easily spend up to one thousand dollars for one ticket.
The Super Bowl usually falls on a Sunday in February. It is the most-watched game in America. People usually get together with friends to watch the game on TV while snacking[吃点心] and drinking beer.
I remembered a year ago, when I was studying in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers[匹兹堡钢人队], a six-time Super Bowl winner, got into the final. Their rival[竞争对手] was the Green Bay Packers[绿湾包装工队], another strong NFL team. Everyone in Pittsburgh was exhilarated[高兴的，振奋的]. I saw signs of “Let’s go, Steelers” and fans in black and gold—the Steelers’ uniform colors. Even foreign students cheered in their own ways. However, the Steelers lost the final in the end.
It is quite an honor for any NFL team to get a Super Bowl title. But for the losers, it is always devastating. That year in Pittsburgh, for the first time, I experienced the ups and downs of the“Super Bowl effect”.