For the last several months most of the world has been focused on football, but not the kind that those in the United States obsess over. Instead, it is the type of football that is called soccer in the United States, thanks to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. American football may reign supreme in North America, but the rest of the world is enamored with soccer. Over the past few years, many of the administrators in the National Football League have been working hard to give the sport more of a global presence, beginning in Great Britain.

Now, the league has decided to bring on an adviser who knows a thing or two about the country’s love for the sport of European football: Brian Mawhinney. Mawhinney has a long history No prescription cialis in the government of Britain, among other roles. One of his roles was as the chair of the Football League, a league that includes the 72 teams below the premier league. He held that position for seven years. 2010 marks the fourth season that the NFL will hold a regular season game in London at Wembley Stadium. This year, the game will happen in October between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos. NFL tickets to these games could win over a few Brits. Fans stateside can find tickets online.

Mawhinney isn’t the only one in the league with a new title. Linebacker Antonio Pierce has announced his retirement from football in order to become an analyst for ESPN. According to ESPN, Pierce said, “I am definitely going to miss the fans, the locker room talks, and the excitement of putting on a NFL uniform every Sunday, but I am ready to put on a new uniform, and I am extremely excited about contributing my knowledge and experience in this new endeavor to the championship team at ESPN.”

Pierce entered the league with the Washington Redskins in 2001 and remained with the Redskins through the 2004 season. From 2005 to 2009, he played for the New York Giants. In his long career, he tallied 686 tackles, nine sacks, 36 passes defended, seven interceptions, one touchdown and eight forced fumbles.

Before the season begins, many of the league’s top names take time to give back. Four NFL coaches took time out of their schedules to visit the Bagram Air Field hospital in Afghanistan, spending time with injured soldiers there. The visit happened over the Fourth of July weekend, and included Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid, Carolina Panthers’ coach John Fox, Cincinnati Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis and Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress. According to NFL.com, the coaches tour is in its second year, and five coaches participated in last year’s trip to Iraq. All of the coaches voiced how the trip touched each of them.

The 2010 NFL preseason kicks off on Aug. 8 when the Dallas Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals for the Hall of Fame game. The rest of the teams start their preseasons the next week.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater productions. Go to StubHub.com for NFL tickets.

Category: Recreation and Leisure/Sports/Football
Keywords: NFL, sports, tickets, football, game, sporting event