Manhattan

It was a weekend in January 2025. By 31 St Manhattan my friend couldn’t wait to tell: it was an NFL (National Football League) match day! He said he had to sit where he was sitting, that he wasn’t going anywhere. I couldn’t make out what had NFL got to do with him. He went on and on telling how exciting important that match was, that it was a big day.

But why must he be sitting by the sidewalk? He said oh of course, the match would soon restart at 6:30 pm and would finish around 9:30 pm so he mustn’t go anywhere. But why must he sit there and not move? He went on and on telling about Eagles and Philadelphia. I still didn’t get it. And then he went on and on telling how many years they had been waiting to win, that it was a moment in history.

In the end, I understood. When I finally got it, my stomach turned upside down. I felt sick. These guys were sitting by the sidewalk following the match by watching the roars spilling out of the sports bar across the street.

An hour later at Penn Station waiting for the train to get home I found two guys bending over an imaginary border trying to follow the match on the screen in a pizza joint. I asked one of them: why don’t you go in, sit down and watch? He said: needs money. I said: I’m paying. He asked: you paying for me? I said: yes!

We got on the line. I asked him which he liked; he pointed to the one he liked. When our turn came, the server refused to serve him. I said: I’m paying. The server said: he only wants money. I flahsed my Apple Watch with Apple Pay. The other server said to his colleague: she’s paying. The server refused still. By then my new friend was already out of the store, signalling me to leave the store.

These guys are Americans. As Americans they get excited about matches, NFL in this case. Soon after ordination Pope Leo XIV showed off his White Sox pride at the Vatican; he is American. Back in Wales I got to know the Welsh people from their football talks. Back in Canada I got to know the Canadians as they talked ice hockey. For the Olympics I signed up for Peacock subscription before Celine Dion sang and I canceled the subcription right after the closing ceremony—just to follow the games. Watching badminton I couldn’t recall feeling more Malaysian.

Campers along the streets need to watch matches no less than those who do not camp. We owe them the dignity.