American football tries to take hold in Russia

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Huffing and puffing, half a dozen heavyset men in scratched helmets and battered protective gear sprint around, shouting buzzwords in heavily accented English. A thin, cleancut man in his early 20s stands out from the crowd. With an arm gesture, he stops play, takes hold of one of the biggest men, and begins to head-butt his chest. "Set!" he shouts — this causes the rest of the men to crouch down — "Now grab your opponent, smash him with your mask … and HIT!"

The men bulldoze into each other. Some of them bounce off each other, some fall down. The coach is pleased, nods his head, and the game continues.

Keary Iarussi, 23, is assistant coach of the "Moscow Spartans," one of five American football teams based in Moscow. A former U.S. high school football player, Keary is the only American coach working full-time in the Russian game.

"It's wrong to compare the two countries' games," says Keary when we talk once the training session is over. "Football in the United States is 100 percent professional. Here it is 100 percent amateur."

It doesn't take an expert to notice the differences: the speed of play, tactical simplicity and the physical fitness of players. Keary enjoys sharing his football knowledge. "The stocky guys are o-linemen, and you have to be heavy for that — I was fat myself when I was playing," he says.

The biggest difference between football in the United States and Russia is the game speed, he says. In Russia it's much slower due to a lack of strategic and tactical skills. "All this has nothing to do with players' attitude — they're very professional and enthusiastic" Keary adds.

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"Things have changed dramatically, he says: "Now, when a bureaucrat hears the word "American," for example, he is automatically inclined to say 'nyet.' And we see it on other levels too. Even ordinary Russians — they see us training and shout that we should be playing something more patriotic."

But for Rogov, the nationality of his favorite sport is clear — it's Russian. "Americans invented the game, but football is all about the spirit of the collective, a Russian concept, he says. "We sacrifice a lot to the game too, and what could be more Russian than sacrifice?"

"It's absurd to tie us to the United States and to politics just because of the word 'American,'" he continues. "I say 'f*ck politics, let's play football.'"

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