Super Bowl XLVIII prediction…

 Denver 27-20 Seattle

 

Come on Broncos!!!

New England Patriots 16-26 Denver Broncos

Just over a year after the gutting defeat to the Baltimore Ravens at Mile High, Denver have made it to the Super Bowl.

Denver put in a pretty complete peformance over the Patriots to qualify for the season finale for the first time since 1999.

It was all the more sweet for the Peyton Manning-led Broncos because it was over New England, a team which is something of a nemesis for Denver.

Peyton himself has had his glittering career rivalled by Tom Brady, while Bill Belichick is the one coach who has – more often than not in Manning’s 15-year career – got the better of the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback.

AFC Champs. pic.twitter.com/ZNyxGiouuE

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 19, 2014

I started watching the NFL and supporting the Broncos after I almost literally ran into the squad at Denver International Airport in December 2005. Since then, we’ve had years of Tim Tebow, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and even one game where Chris Simms started under centre.

Congratulations Denver Broncos, 2013 AFC CHAMPIONS!! pic.twitter.com/W5ZT8HFTla

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 19, 2014

Now (after last year’s debacle) the Broncos are back in the biggest show in sport, where they will face Seattle or San Francisco on February 2 in New Jersey, and Manning has the chance to cap his career with a second Super Bowl ring.

BRONCOS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL! Peyton Manning passes for 400 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int to lead Denver to 26-16 win over New England.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 19, 2014

My highlights of 2013

Judging by my 2013 ticket collection (below), I possibly wasted a bit too much time watching sport this year. Anyway, I thought I might as well pick out a couple of highlights and try to relive the glory… In chronological order:

January 20: Leicester 9-5 Toulouse, Heineken Cup

Because who doesn’t love watching sport in the snow?

Tigers officials clear snow from the Welford Road pitch

February 9: France 6-16 Wales, Six Nations

A terrible game, but it got Wales’s victorious Six Nations campaign off and running.

France 6-16 Wales, Stade de France

March 16: Wales 30-3 England, Six Nations

Goes without saying. What a performance!

Wales lift the Six Nations trophy after successfully defending their title

June 22: Royal Ascot

My first time at the races, and all three of us who went finished up. Nice.

Royal Ascot 2013

August 16: Mo Farah wins the 5,000m, World Athletics Championships, Moscow

A stunning “double double” for Mo. Made all the sweeter by the disappointment of a Frenchman sitting behind us who had spent the whole race telling us how badly Farah had misjudged the race.

Mo Farah wins his second gold of the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow

September 29: Pittsburgh Steelers 27-34 Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Wembley

One of the best NFL International Series matches there’s been.

Wembley for Steelers @ Vikings

October 5: Cardiff City 1-2 Newcastle United, Premier League

Exciting game – my first football match for ages – and great seats. Thanks Chris!

Newcastle win at Cardiff City Stadium

December 28: Ebbw Vale 45-0 RGC 1404, Championship

Sport-wise, where it all started for me. Good to finish the year watching the Steelmen dominate yet again.

Ebbw Vale v RGC 1404

——————————————————————–

Some others:

London Welsh v Sale

Harlequins v Munster

Euroleague basketball, O2 Arena

Leicester Tigers v Harlequins

Northampton v Leicester

Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh

Northampton v Ospreys

 

…and here are those tickets. I love sport.

My collection of tickets from 2013 sports events

One weekend, three incredible matches

What an amazing weekend of sport:

Rugby League World Cup semi-final: England 18-20 New Zealand

Pic of the day: Shaun Johnson produces a piece of magic with 30 seconds remaining to put the Kiwis into the final. pic.twitter.com/sGORyFvKyQ

— nzherald Sport (@nzheraldsport) November 23, 2013

Autumn International: Ireland 22-24 New Zealand

New Zealand Herald front page, Monday November 25th… Oh how different it could (should) have been #rugby #IreNZ pic.twitter.com/ytA5cwuJvV — Chris Harrison (@chrisjharrison) November 25, 2013

Great looking p1 today’s @IrishTimes via simple clean but really strong pic by @Inphojames pic.twitter.com/3xADrqn73d — Bryan O’Brien (@BryanJOBrien) November 25, 2013

NFL: New England Patriots 34-31 Denver Broncos

COLLAPSE. #Patriots rally past 24-point #Broncos lead: http://t.co/K61tPiuIXM pic.twitter.com/piQ8FPEFaU

— The Denver Post (@denverpost) November 25, 2013

They’re all why sport’s so great.

The ideal sporting weekend

I thought it would be a shame if the weekend went unrecorded here.

First, it was to Cardiff City Stadium to watch Newcastle’s 2-1 win over the Bluebirds:

Before kick off of Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Cardiff City

 

Then, the Cardiff Half Marathon:

Colin Jackson and me

 

Great weekend. Plenty of sport, third @cardiffhalf completed and a curry to top it off. @huwsilk @Peter_M_Gray pic.twitter.com/58hoQ9A5tK

— Alex Bywater (@_AlexBywater) October 6, 2013

Followed by cut-price entry to the Blues’ 29-12 Pro 12 win over Edinburgh:

Cardiff Blues 29-12 Edinburgh

 

Wrapped up by watching a thrilling, epic win for my Denver Broncos in the NFL:

 

5-0. pic.twitter.com/zJ8q4Au2vG

— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) October 6, 2013

Why a London NFL franchise wouldn’t work

Last week, for the first time since I saw my Broncos lose to the 49ers in October 2010, I went to the NFL’s International Series match at Wembley Stadium.

Both the atmosphere and the on-field action at Wembley were electric

 

Typically – and Gene Simmons’ singing aside – it was a fantastic occasion, this time matched by the action on the pitch. Inspired by 2012 MVP Adrian Peterson, the Vikings emerged victorious, condemning the Steelers to their fourth consecutive loss, the first time they’ve suffered that fate at the start of a season.

But despite the fact 83,000 fans packed into Wembley, the seventh successive season they have done so, I was convinced once and for all that a British-based NFL franchise would be a mistake.

It’s probably just about feasible, either for someone like the Jacksonville Jaguars – visitors to London at the end of October – or the St Louis Rams, who have home games in Blighty in the next three seasons, to relocate. There could also be another reorganisation of the NFL’s divisions.

But travelling would be tough for west-coast teams, even if the UK team could spend a few weeks being a road franchise rather than making a transatlantic flight once a fortnight.

For me, the main problem with the idea would be the fanbase – or lack of it. Not because there aren’t enough NFL fans in the UK – there are – but because those NFL supporters already have their own teams.

Personally, I’d continue to support Denver.* I’m sure the vast majority of fans at Wembley, most of whom wore jerseys of the other 31 clubs, would be similarly unwilling to transfer their allegiance. The Wembley game is currently so popular because it is an annual one-off. If there were at least eight games a year there, I’m certain tickets would be tough to shift. And what would we have then, a TV blackout? Could that be applied to Sky Sports? Such are the problems with the concept of an overseas franchise.

Still, long live the International Series and its brash pomp bringing an annual slice of Americana to north London.

One thing though: LET’S NEVER HAVE ANOTHER MEXICAN WAVE AT WEMBLEY AGAIN.

 

*Wembley was great, but in terms of sporting action, the highlight of my Sunday was checking, via an app, score updates from Denver’s Peyton Manning-inspired 52-20 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles at Mile High.