Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars in Berlin (09-11-2025)

Clicca qui per la versione italiana 

The day of my fourth live NFL game has arrived, curiously two in New York and two in Berlin. It all started in August 1994 (it was a pre-season game) here in Berlin: it was also my first holiday paid for with my own money. It's chilling to think that more time has passed since then than from my birth to then. It is also my fourth sporting event in Berlin: after the 1994 game, I also attended the 2009 World Athletics Championships and the 2018 European Championships.

In the morning I take a stroll in the city centre: already around 12:30 I notice the metro heading to the stadium is packed (kick-off is at 15:30). At the Brandenburg Gate there are lots of fans, gathered around the NFL logo and flags (while, on the other hand, there's nothing to remind us that today is the anniversary of the fall of the Wall). The most represented teams are Indianapolis and New England, then Tampa Bay, Seattle and Green Bay (I even spot someone with a cheese-shaped hat). Only as I head towards the stadium do I encounter Atlanta fans and those from my beloved San Francisco. The Atlanta supporters seem mostly to come really from there, whereas the Indianapolis fans are mainly German. I catch the S-Bahn to the stadium at around 13:30: it's absolutely crammed, just like rush hour in Rome. I arrive at a place I don't recognise and it takes me a moment to spot the stadium. I follow the crowd and find myself at the first entrance: I recognise the games' area from the 2009 World Championships.

There's a first gate where they check bags, which are only allowed if they're small and transparent: luckily I had read about that and didn't bring my rucksack (though I probably wouldn't have anyway). Then there's a second gate with security checks (a sign warns that the search may involve a pat-down). I go through the metal detector and it beeps, so I'm asked to empty my pockets and go through again, but it still beeps. At this point, they let me through without further checks (probably because of my ankle brace). The third gate has turnstiles for tickets: I struggle a bit to get through, having to try 5-6 times.

Once inside, my first thought is to get something to eat, but all the kiosks have huge queues. I join one, but seeing it's not moving, I decide to give up and try further ahead, near my entrance, to see if there's anything with a shorter queue. On the way, I spot giant helmets for every team, organised by division, and get a photo with the 49ers one. I reach my entrance, which is the area with the most kiosks, and again the queues are long everywhere: it's crowded all over, not just by the kiosks, and it's tough to get through with people queuing and moving in every direction. I see there's a kiosk on the second tier, right in front of my section, and decide to go there: I figure there'll be fewer people since only those in the second tier will be there. Before going in, I pass by the Maifeld and see it's mostly demolished.

I go in: no one checks if I have the right ticket, the check will be upstairs at the entrance to the block. The queue at the kiosk isn't very long, but it's not moving, so I start to worry I won't make it in time for the start of the game (since I'd also need to queue for the toilet) and decide to give up: I head to my seat and no longer feel hungry. It feels like entering an indoor arena: with the football field and NFL symbols, the stadium is unrecognisable, and only by looking at the open part (which is behind me) can one tell it's the Olympiastadion.

I arrive as the teams are finishing their warm-up. At my seat I find a red flag and a sign explaining it's for a choreography. I'm close to the end zone that will be the Colts' in the first quarter: I'll be able to see the action up to about the 40 yard line on my side without binoculars. At 15:10 the ceremony begins, with the presentation of the Colts' defence (and only theirs). Immediately afterwards, the announcer recalls the first American football game played in Berlin, in August 1990 (of course, it was pre-season, as championship games played abroad were a long way off), which I knew nothing about. "Winds of Change" is played and the choreography starts: on one side the colours of the American flag, in the bend the NFL logo, on my side the German flag. The national anthems follow: first the American one, which gets some boos, then the German anthem, sung a cappella by a trio wearing Colts shirts (the home team).

The coin toss for the field is done by ice skater Katharina Witt, who receives a lot of applause, and then the game begins. In less than ten minutes, five drives are played: first the Colts, who reach the 30 but miss a 4th-and-2, then the Falcons lose the ball with a fumble during a sack, then a Colts' TD (with missed PAT), a Falcons' TD and another Colts' TD. On the sixth drive there's the first punt and for a while not much happens, until the Colts have to punt almost from their own end zone, so the Falcons get the ball in good field position and score: they lead 14-13. In the next drive, it reaches the final two minutes and, oddly, the Colts never call timeouts; there's no info on how many they have, but it doesn't seem they've used any. With less than 30 seconds to go, they lose the ball to an intercept and I start heading out to get something to eat during the break.

s

This time, I manage to eat, even if it means missing the half-time show: the queue moves quickly. While I'm in the queue for the toilet I realise everything's quiet, so they're about to restart: I decide to wait until the end of the third quarter. I get back in as play resumes, about 30 seconds in, and there's an injury. The Falcons soon extend their lead with a field goal, the Colts rely heavily on Taylor but fail a 4th-and-1, and only in the fourth quarter do they also score a field goal: 17-16. On the next possession, the play of the match (on my side): an 83-yard run by Taylor for a TD, they go for a two-point conversion and fail: 22-17. On the next drive, the Falcons also score a TD, but their two-point conversion succeeds: it's 25-22 and I start fearing overtime, as the cold is felt. In the last drive, the Colts still don't call timeouts when I'd expect it: with about 30 seconds left, they reach the Falcons' 27 and score a field goal: overtime. So far I've been cheering for the Colts, but now I just want it to finish soon, given the cold and that I have dinner plans.

It resumes fairly quickly. I discover that OT is 10 minutes and not 15 as I thought. It'll finish sooner anyway. The Falcons have the first drive and punt, then in their drive the Colts reach the 30 in a couple of plays, so barring disaster, they did it. They keep going with runs up the middle by Taylor, and it was clear it would be like that until either a TD or 4th down: it's a TD. The Colts win 31-25 and celebrate with the whole team in the end zone.

I watch the celebrations for a moment and then head for the exit: I'm one of the first out, but there's still a crowd outside. At the gate I can't really get my bearings: it would make sense to take the underground, but I'm worried I won't find it, so I take the S-Bahn. I'm already thinking about next year: if the venues are the same as this year, I'd love to go to Dublin, but it also depends on where I can get tickets.