The NFL arrives at the Plaza de la Trinidad

The crunch of the bones of Mikel Merino and Erik Jaka can be heard almost kilometers away. It is what it has to be tackled by an NFL star, Cameron Jordan, a Defensive End, of the United States professional football league. This little angel, 1.93 tall and weighing 135 kilos, has visited us with the intention of expanding the NFL beyond the country of stars and stripes. There is no doubt that the NBA is the best known on this side of the pond and sports organizations in the United States want and yearn to have more and more followers, as they say, “around the world.”

Jordan has been in the Basque Country these days and this Monday he had to visit Donostia. Merino and Jaka, connoisseurs and followers of both the professional basketball and American football leagues, acted as mentors for this player born in Arizona, who went through the University of California, was chosen in the first round of the draft by the New Orleans Saints, with whom he will complete his fourteenth consecutive season.

It has been a few days where Cameron Jordan has been imbued and has known what the herri kirolak is. He has cut logs like an aizkolari, he has lifted stones like a harrijasotzaile and this Monday he tested the ball by hand. He draws attention to the agility and speed with which he moves such a mass, accustomed to trying to tackle and go for the rival quarterback, getting away from rivals his size or more. He rallied with Jaka on the Trinidad square pediment, tried to make shots imitating Mikel Merino on the Reale Arena grass and both tried to throw the oval ball as if they were the retired Tom Brady.

In September

The excuse for Jordan’s visit to Donostia, as part of his role as NFL ambassador, is that a program called ‘Game recognize game’ is being recorded with him (something like the game recognizes the game), where players American football play other sports. A double way of expanding the NFL because they attract fans on the one hand and, on the other, they try to delve into the most popular customs and sports of the areas visited. The entourage of cameras, producers, audio technicians that he leads, indicates that behind Jordan, Merino and Jaka is one of the largest sports organizations in the world. The documentary that is being recorded will be released next September. The NFL is very jealous of showing its contents so we will have to wait until after the summer to see if Jordan can be a central guarantee for Imanol or he can make Altuna III sweat in the happy pictures.