There’s no question about it. American football is the national sport of the US, with millions of fans throughout its 50 states.
But, like many sports particularly tied to one country, it needs to continue expanding its fanbase if it’s to thrive.
Within the US, it’s doing this by trying to attract a younger generation of followers through community engagement as well as launching a real push on social media.
The NFL has also set its sights on a more global stage for the sport and has been actively pursuing this aim for a couple of decades now. This has taken a number of forms, including staging matches abroad as well as setting up training and development camps designed to attract and develop potential future NFL players.
For example, the first ever NFL game was staged in Mexico in 2005 and since 2007, there have also been games played annually in the UK. Other countries where games have been staged have included Brazil and Germany and in 2026, there are a total of seven overseas games scheduled to take place.
To spot and nurture the talent of the future, there is also the NFL Academy, which currently operates in the UK and Australia, along with the International Player Pathway Program, which has recruited hopefuls found in Canada, France, Germany and England.
In this quest to bring the game to the world, and the world to the game, the NFL may also soon be setting its sights a little nearer to home with a focus on Central America.
The El Salvador Connection
El Salvador, many agree, would be an ideal candidate for the NFL to explore.
In fact, there’s already a precedent set by an El Salvadoran player making to the very highest level in the game. Jose Cortez’s career as a kicker lasted from 1999 to 2005. During this time, he made appearances for some of the hottest-backed teams on betting sites like DraftKings including the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
It also seems like the conditions are nearly perfect to develop the sport in a country where currently, the most popular form of football is undoubtedly soccer.
The ability to watch American football is having a major effect in introducing it to a whole new audience. This is thanks to the rapidly expanding number of channels that show it online, whether through streaming or via social media.
There is also the annual February spectacle of the Super Bowl with El Salvadoreans among the millions of people worldwide who tune in to see which team can claim the sport’s ultimate prize.
Following on from the mantra that “if you see it, you can be it” a growing number of sports enthusiasts are also starting to try out the game for themselves.
While there have been American football teams formed by enthusiasts in the early 2000s it’s only now that clubs are becoming more established and better organised. Teams including the Santa Tecla Jaguares and the San Salvador Bulldogs have thriving memberships and have started to institute formal coaching programs that focus on teaching the basics of the game, including tackling, passing and game play strategy.
It also seems that there’s no shortage of talent and the country has a good record in producing sportspeople in soccer, athletics and martial arts – all of which require many of the same kinds of skills as American football does.
Some hurdles to overcome
While the rewards for any player who makes it to the highest levels of the game can be huge, it’s undoubtedly an expensive activity to take part in.
There’s a need for a large amount of high-quality equipment, including helmets, padding and body protection. It also needs to have dedicated playing fields with the yard markings permanently in place.
Then there’s the requirement to have experienced and specialist coaches able to pass on their knowledge and expertise.
In a relatively poor country, there may not be the resources readily available to make these things possible. This risks putting off many potential players of the game who might see soccer as a cheaper and more convenient way to get their sporting satisfaction.
How the NFL could help
Stepping in at the grassroots of the game, the NFL could easily start to provide supplies of basic equipment for distribution among clubs, as well as offering support for coaches.
It would also be worth producing some content directly focused on El Salvador as part of their Por la Cultura initiative that is aimed at promoting the sport in Latin America.
They could even include an exhibition game or two to be played in San Salvador’s Estadio Cuscatlán to show up to 54,000 would-be fans or players what the game’s all about.
While there are no official plans yet, many are hoping that at least a couple of these initiatives will be adopted. Then El Salvador could well be on the way to producing not just the next Jose Cortez but even the next Tom Brady.