China Syndrome: The Making of a Fan

Don’t begin with rule explanations. Watch a good game with him and then answer his questions. You might even game it by picking a classic game that you know has big hits and fireworks to engage his interest. Then pause the DVR when you want to explain a basic concept. Four downs. 10 yards. Passes. Runs.

Then toss him a football and tackle him into a beanbag.

Monkey Rolls.

Nothing will do it like the spectacle.

The best tool for teaching rules/etc is with your xbox. Playing ncaa 13 with him should do the trick as far as understanding goals of the game.

Barring taking him to an live game, you can take him to either a sports bar or private home where an enthused/engaged group is watchin a game. Enthusiasm in sports is infectious.

My daughter couldn’t care less about “the running boys” until she started to learn to root for something. The game is still semi-incidental for her, but she likes watching because she wants her team (Longhorns, of course) to do well.

Also, rooting against works too. After her first series of encounters with Aggies, the Thanksgiving game was far more interesting to her. (“We have to beat those Aggie traitors” - as anyone from Texas who does not go to UT is automatically a traitor.)

She still gets the rules mixed up (gets very excited for touchbacks - “but it’s in the colored part!?!”), but she has fun. As long as we’re also working on our Longhorn jigsaw puzzle. …and there’s pizza.

Is this Chinese man R’as Al Guhl?

First you get him hooked on football, then college football specifically. In a matter of time, he will begin to follow recruiting.

Nothing could shut down the Chinese Government better than 1 billion people shutting down on a Friday to read the Q&A on Inside Hunan with Deng Xiao Shuttlesworth followed by a run through a few of Scipio Tao’ s posts.

Talk about bringing a nation’s productivity to it’s knees.

Take him to a tailgate. Introduce him to a hot chick who’s really into the game. She should be vocal and at least slightly available.

Make sure he sits by her during the game.

It is not important if she’s into him or not, or even if she’s in on the gag. Five hours after ‘hello,’ he will know that he wants this team to go that way and the other team to be stopped and that he really needs to masturbate soon.

Your contribution will only take a couple of minutes, assuming you don’t have to pay her.

Pinche talking about football while blasting Night Ranger. The Chinese man lighting fireworks in his underwear.

Football is a battle for possession of the ball.
When in possession of the ball, the intention is to move the ball down the field towards the Goal Line. Points are awarded for moving the ball past the Goal Line and into the End Zone. Points are also awarded for kicking the ball through the Goal Posts in the back of the End Zone.

While in possession of the ball, you must continue to make progress toward the Goal Line. Progress is defined as 10 yards gained within 4 attempts, or “downs” (plays). Each time 10 or more yards is gained, the play count is reset to 1, or “first down”.
Failure to progress 10 yards within 4 downs results in possession of the ball being awarded to the opposing team.
Continued forward progress is required to keep possession of the ball, HOWEVER, the opposing team can gain possession of the ball at any time by taking it away from the team possessing it.
This can be accomplished by ripping the ball out of the hands of the possessor, picking up the ball if dropped by the possessor, or intercepting the ball in mid-air when one player attempts to throw it to another.

It was mentioned above the importance of explaining the concept of down and distance.
In my experience, this is FAR AND AWAY the most confusing aspect of the game for those who don’t understand the game. Once that simple concept is explained, they GET IT, and understanding the rest of the game becomes much easier and faster for them to accomplish.

Also mentioned above was the idea of showing them a classic game like the 2005 Rose Bowl.
I agree, but I would suggest also showing them a game such as Appalachian St.‘s upset of Michigan a few years ago.
A David vs. Goliath game like that illustrates that football isn’t just a game of size, power, and brute force. While those things are important, teamwork, belief, and guts are more important in football. The biggest and strongest don’t always win. It doesn’t matter the size of the dog in the fight. What matters is the size of the fight in the dog.
Teamwork is the key to success, and that is no better demonstrated than in football.

Football is war. Two opposing forces fighting it out on the field of battle.
Football is chess. Move and counter-move in search of momentum. Offense and Defense.
Football is life. Success and failure. Hard work pays off. Lazy has consequences. You will get knocked down. Will you get up and try again? The opposition may play dirty or clean, but the game will still be played. There really is no crying in football. Football referees don’t argue or debate with anyone. They blow the whistle and start the next play. If they see it, they call it. If you disagree with their call, or non-call, too bad. You don’t always get justice, sometimes you have to make your own justice. Move on. The next play starts immediately, with or without you.
Football is tough. Football is beautiful. Football is life.

It’s the greatest game in the world

The coach gives directions and everone follow’s. If he’s all about Hong Kong/Democracy, just tell him that they all get directions but they don’t have to always follow them, but yet they still succeed. I can say this after being in Asia after 9 weeks, promise I’m not racist.