The Santiago Bernabéu hosted its first NFL game this weekend, with more than 78,000 fans ready to watch the confrontation between the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders. But beyond the sporting spectacle, the event was also a stage in which a quite prominent cultural clash could be seen, especially if we look at some of the reactions of American users who attended the game.
And European and American stadiums respond to completely different philosophies about what the experience of the fan who goes to the games should be, and this event has demonstrated it.
What has happened. The meeting left comments and opinions of all kinds about how the NFL experience has been translated in Spain, more specifically at the Santiago Bernabéu. In this sense, thousands of American fans who traveled to Madrid found a reality very different from that of their stadiums.
The words by Jack Settleman, founder of Snapback Sports, went quite viral this weekend on X. “International stadiums never seem prepared for the amount that Americans consume,” he noted. According to affirmsthe drink taps were quickly sold out, as was the food, and he believes that the infrastructure was not designed for easy access to food stalls or for fluid mobility between the stands.
Contrast between experiences. Of course there are differences. American stadiums are designed as comprehensive entertainment centers where fans can spend more than three and a half hours enjoying not only the game, but everything around it. In Europe, stadiums are usually conceived as spaces to watch whatever sport is playing for the duration of the match, without much more frills.
“The European sports experience is very different from the American one,” commented Settleman. Even seemingly insignificant details like the lack of cupholders in the seats surprised some fans, including Settleman himself.
Numbers. Despite the logistical differences, the impact of the event was notable. More than 40,000 people They went to a Dolphins fan zone between Thursday and Saturday, while the NFL temporary store at the Bernabéu received between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors in the days before the game. Initial ticket sales registered 700,000 different devices trying to buy tickets for a capacity of just over 78,000 spectators.
According to the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the party has generated more than 70 million euros in economic income for the Spanish capital, including ticket sales, tourism and other economic aspects of the event.
The food. If something generated real controversy, it was the gastronomic offer. In X there was a publication which attracted a lot of attention, and in which an Iberian ham sandwich with little chicha was seen and, according to the user, sold for 10 euros. The comments from several Spanish users were immediate, calling the management “shameful.” For many American fans, accustomed to a wide variety of options and fast service during matches, they encountered an uncomfortable reality at the Bernabéu.
However, not everything was bad. And other visitors very positive aspects highlighted of Madrid, such as the gastronomy outside the stadium, the hospitality of its inhabitants or the attractiveness of the city as a tourist destination.
What’s behind. The Bernabéu match is part of the strategy of international expansion of the NFLwhich has already held meetings in London, Mexico, Munich, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Berlin and Dublin. For the American league, these events represent generational work. NFL executive Jon Barker declared to the Washington Post that the organization has no idea what American soccer will look like on a global scale in 100 years, but that every international match is a step in that direction.
The NFL invested 2.32 million dollars in temporarily adapting the Bernabéu: they expanded changing rooms, removed rows of seats to extend the field from 105 to 109 meters, created new entrances and eliminated all visual presence of Real Madrid during the event.
Two models, two audiences. A day after the game, Settleman qualified his initial words in a long message: “I was making a lot of observations, I understand that the internet can confuse it with opinions. The European experience of not focusing on concessions seems good to me, it is simply different from the US.”
He acknowledged that the Bernabéu is among the five best stadiums he has visited, although without anything extraordinary in terms of experience during the game. He also admitted that the energy around international NFL games is “a must-do experience,” with a fresh and positive vibe.
If we stick to the numbers, the league generates about 23,000 million dollars annually compared to the 45,100 million that our football moves in Europe alone, according to Deloitte. Both sports are now exploring other regions, with European soccer heavily investing in the United States, while the NFL is also exploring other horizons. It remains to be seen how this North American sport faces cultural differences in other corners and whether or not its international expansion will encounter many bumps.
Cover image | Jack Settleman
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