Croke Park cauldron: we want that feeling, any given Sunday

They all came in search of something fleeting, something that stirs the heart and lives long in the memory. It’s not unique to sport. It’s simply something sport allows us to feel.

STEEL CITY: Pittsburgh Steelers fans take over Hil 16 for Sunday's NFL regular season tie with the Minnesota Vikinks. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho

At its heart, American football is about three things: Numbers, angles and players. Billions of dollars are spent on the promotion of this league - and this week’s transportation to Dublin - but between the white lines, those are the only commodities that matter.

A team seeks to create an overload in one quadrant of the field; failing that, they look for a favourable edge, a crease they can exploit to gain territory. They do it with the intricate geometry of plays, the Xs and Os. When those are in short supply, they fall back on the oldest resource of all: individual match-winners. The Jimmies and the Joes. Invasion sports of all kinds follow the same creed.