LONDON – His father thinks he’s crazy. As in: Seriously, Matt? Will you be taking the four-hour train journey south from Hessle to London?

Matt understands. His father is a rugby supporter and a proud man who played the sport and thinks that American football is just a stupid offshoot. Matt always thought that too. Why lie about it? Who were these players? Why did so many people in this other country care? He wondered, and then one afternoon he turned on the TV for fun.

The purple and gold team played against the gold and black team. There were a lot of starts and a lot of stops, and for some reason the clock ticked down rather than up. He continued to watch. For what reason? To this day he is still not entirely sure. The game was nearing its end and the purple and gold team was given one last chance. The thrower of the football hurled a pass to the right side of the screen, and the receiver jumped up and not only caught the pass, but also spun.

He sprinted forward. The announcers shouted. He lifted the ball into the air and stretched his arms wide as if bowing. The speakers screamed uncontrollably. The receiver threw away his helmet. The players hugged each other. Music played. The fans were furious. Matt couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. It was as if the joy on the screen had emanated from the television and spread to him too. He liked that. No, he loved that.

“The Minneapolis Miracle,” Matt says, “it got me.”

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He sits at a round wooden table in a modern pub in London and smiles as he reflects on the genesis of his NFL intrigue. Two of his college friends, Josh and Jack, who accompanied him on his four-hour train ride from Hessle, laugh.

If you had explained to them years ago that they would be drinking beer here and waiting for an American football game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they would have thought you had picked them up with an arcade-like crane and dropped them into another dimension.

Now they’re sitting here, wearing Justin Jefferson jerseys, clinking glasses in the corner of this pub and wondering how they got there in the first place.

“It was kind of in the back of my mind a little bit,” Jack says. “I had a little bit of interest in it.”

“And you came to the game two years ago,” Josh tells Jack, “and it kind of got me interested in it.”

“Then we went to the pub to watch the film,” says Matt.

“And there’s a guy I work with who supports the Commanders,” Josh says.

“The commanders,” Matt says, shaking his head.

“Not good,” says Jack.

“But this year…” Josh says.

Sunday visits to local pubs helped them learn the game. Sky Sports’ addition of an NFL-specific channel eased their desire to tune in even more. In the offseason, they watch “Good Morning Football.” During the season, they sip coffee late in the morning to watch primetime games.

You are not alone either. In a cabin just a few steps away sits Ville-Pekka, a young man who flew three hours from Finland. He followed the Minnesota Wild from the NHL. After his friends kept urging him to check out the sport in which people collide on grass instead of ice, he stayed with the Minnesota team. On the other side of the bar is Will Harrison, who watched intently more than a decade ago as the purple and gold team’s old quarterback threw a pass down the field that was ultimately intercepted by the black and gold team.

London, let’s do it! #Skol pic.twitter.com/TxAyYaj5Gj

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 5, 2024

As they all started watching, they had questions. Like for example: Why start the game, kick the ball away and then pause for almost a minute before the game continues? Some of them still have questions today. Like for example: Why are there so many fussy rules? Do the referees have to stop the game so often? What is a holding penalty versus a good block? Why are Thursday night games so hard to watch?

Maybe they just don’t know, they say. If they were in America, maybe they would understand. Or maybe Americans see these things too. Regardless, they put their concerns aside and cheer on their team, which is reasonably 4-0.

Matt believes it has a lot to do with coach Kevin O’Connell and how different he is from former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.

“We even say that about football here,” says Matt, “but that overbearing coaching style just doesn’t work anymore.”

Jack and Josh nod.

“Players need someone to encourage them rather than shout at them,” says Matt.

Ville-Pekka mentions defensive coordinator Brian Flores and describes how he can’t understand Flores’ strategy.

“I just hope no one figures out how to do it,” he says.

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They talk about Jefferson’s magic tricks as a receiver and the unexpected performance of quarterback Sam Darnold. Matt, Jack and Josh pull out their phones to show their group’s text messages that they sent a few weeks ago when Darnold pulled back and shot the ball downfield to Jefferson, who darted down the field and ran into the end zone.

“Very happy with this start,” says Jack.

“It was very good,” Josh adds.

Matt is about to share his thoughts, then he stops and his friends know what’s coming.

“There is still some skepticism,” Matt admits. “When I watch the film for a few years and learn about the past, my expectations slowly become dampened.”

This comment is both affirming and insightful. His clear, wholehearted optimism is as important to a Vikings fan as the knowledge of The Miracle and Brett Favre’s interceptions. It’s also obvious that the beauty of supporting this team goes beyond the coach and players, the highlights and the energy – it’s also about the pursuit.

One day purple and gold will reach the ultimate prize. And by then, Matt might even have his dad cheering.

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(Photo: Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images)