TAYLOR SWIFT kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after an AFC Championship NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. The Kansas City Chiefs won 17-10. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez).

The greatest football contest ever may not involve muscle pulls, concussions or cheerleaders in marginally scandalous costumes.

It’s the coming struggle for which variety of football will be The Next Big Thing worldwide.

First, let’s get some terms straight. There’s the “football” that is played primarily with feet, which I will refer to as “world football.”

And there’s the kind that’s only incidentally played with the foot, which I will refer to as “American football.” or, when no one is listening, “real football.”

Just as world football is making big inroads into the previously indifferent American market and having considering success (thank you, “Ted Lasso”), American football is making a big splash overseas, primarily in Europe.

The two NFL franchises making the biggest efforts and with the highest profiles are our own Los Angeles Rams and those guys from Missouri, the confusingly-named Kansas City Chiefs.

(Actually, there are two Kansas Cities; the big one on the Missouri side and the little one on the Kansas side).

The Rams, representing the land of Hollywood and Disneyland, have a popular brand in Great Britain and other parts of western Europe, but coming on strong are the Chiefs, who not only have been regular Super Bowl participants but who also have Travis Kelce, who has Taylor Swift, who has about 46 billion fans worldwide.

The NFL’s international series of games in Europe have been generally well-attended, even if many of the fans (and some of the local journalistas) have been a little confused about exactly what’s happening on the field.

Interest in American football is especially booming in Germany, which makes sense. Think of it: football is basically a game in which one team (“army”) marches into a neighboring area to conquer its capital (end zone), and the Germans have plenty of experience with that.

(Side note: The German government announced this week that it was going to make a big investment in defense spending with the goal of having the biggest, most powerful military in Europe. Look out, France!).

We can expect to see some cross-fertilization between the two versions of football via mascots, uniforms and more.
And someday the gamblers may need to figure the Super Bowl odds between the Madrid Matadors and the Dusseldorf Dragons.