The National Football League continues to expand its global reach, crossing into another international city this weekend.
The Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders will play in Madrid on Sunday, marking the first time the league will play a game in Spain.
For Alejandro Villanueva, the game is close to his heart in more ways than one. Not only did he grow up in Spain, but his father resides at the Rota Naval Station, where a flag football event was held on Wednesday. The former NFL offensive lineman, who served in the US Army, will spend time in Spain on behalf of USAA, the official Salute to Service partner of the NFL.
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“The United States military and the country of Spain have been the two entities that I have grown up under. I have always prayed for good relations between Spain and the United States, because if there was a fracture or friction between the two, I would always have to choose or be left in a terrible position. But to see the fact that an American football game is going to take place in Spain is quite surreal,” Villanueva said in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital.
“It’s very interesting to live in the United States and see the evolution of how Spain and the United States get along, how the base has meant so much to the US Navy and how the sport is now starting to interest Spanish fans. All those things; I could never have expected a better evolution when I went to the United States. So the moment of coming full circle of returning to my hometown, being here working with troops, speaking English on an American base now, is pretty impressive.”
“It’s just an incredible experience to be with everyone on base today,” added Theismann, who is in town to watch his former team. “It’s one of the things I love about USAA: it’s honor through action. That’s what USAA is all about, honoring the military through action. I was at the Army-Navy game last year and now I’m here in Spain so I can honor the troops again.”
Theismann discussed the importance of growing the game globally and said that as long as every game is “full,” there is no reason why the NFL should not continue crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
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“The attendance we have at international games shows the insatiable appetite people have for the NFL,” Theismann said. “If people didn’t show up, there wouldn’t be these games. But still, there are full stadiums: everyone has their jerseys, their banners, their faces painted. They’re just as excited in different parts of the world as they are in the United States. So I think it’s just an effort by the NFL and the NFL to continue to grow the brand.”
Villanueva echoed similar sentiments, but took a different path. He called American football a “cultural weapon” that could bridge the gaps between the United States and Spain.
“You can’t hide the fact that players represent stories, and those stories represent values, and those values are the values that represent all of us. I think American football represents hard work and sacrifice, above everything else. It doesn’t matter where you come from, if you work harder and sacrifice more than the person next to you, you deserve to win, you deserve to be in the NFL, you deserve to have good things happen to you. And I think those are the values you have in the United States,” Villanueva. said.
“I think American sports fit into that category of entertainment. You can learn a lot about what we value just by watching American football. I think the rest of the world is much more traditional. America has incredible things to sell through American football. Everybody watches Sunday night, Monday night; whoever’s playing, you’re watching.”
“Everyone can learn and be a great fan of this sport, just as the British managed to spread soccer throughout the world,” Villanueva added. “I hope the NFL continues to expand internationally.”
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