Pitch #17 - American Football

Pitch #17 - American Football

With a Texan thread running throughout, we've an extended look at how, and why, the Dallas Cowboys became a global super-brand. Paul Simpson then places the NFL in a broader all-American context through Elvis and Nixon before we follow the money...

Moving House charts why billionaire owners have moved – and continue to move – franchises across state borders. And we take a look at the architecture that has literally supported the league's sustained success with global design firm Populous – creators of the Buffalo Bills' new mega complex. 

At the back, three-time World Sports Photographer of the Year, Kevin Sabitus, contributes his portfolio documenting eight years in the NFL. We've a European's guide to following Gridiron from overseas, and on top of all that a feature on the cyclical nature of the Superbowl, and what it tells us about the game itself.

Elsewhere, we meet the first-time qualifiers – there’s four of them – before taking a broader look at football across the Americas, with postcards from Clube Atlético Mineiro to boot.

That covers the good, we’ve also the ‘bad’ in an extract from No Show: The World Cups that Never Were, and the ‘ugly’ as Paul Simpson writes about five World Cup campaigns that turned sour.

There will be 104 games at the 2026 World Cup. Consider this your invitation to join us for the journey.

About Pitch Magazine: Pitch is a magazine for sports fans. All sports fans. And particularly all-sports fans. If this is you, then you’re already among friends.