When NBC won the rights to broadcast the Premier League starting in 2013, it seemed like just another TV contract for a professional sports entity with a new broadcast partner. But there were unique attributes of that deal and the the way NBC approached the partnership gave Americans a better platform on which they could invest in and become attached teams in the Premier League. By earning exclusive rights to show all 380 games, it became possible for fans in the US to spend enough time with each team truly understand the nuances of their cultures and histories and find ways to identify with teams authentically.
Brett Bebber has spent his professional life studying various elements of historical British culture. As an American that grew up playing soccer, he was always fascinated by the Premier League, but fell in love with it differently like so many when NBC's coverage began. He has a unique understanding of why based on his academic research. Bebber joined Founding Fubtol to talk about how the culture of leisure and the intersection of British and American histories truly accelerated with when the partnership between NBC and the PL began.
Visit our website for more information: â FoundingFutbol.com. Email us at kent@foundingfutbol.com
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Host: Kent Malmros
Guest: Brett Bebber (Associate Professor of History, Old Dominion University)
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