The NFL behemoth has descended on Dublin. Why?

The NFL dominates at home the United States. Now they are pushing the frontier abroad. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Hot sauce. BBQ sauce. 350 rolls of the finest American-style toilet paper. Two semi-trucks of supplies shipped three months in advance. Bisquick, to make biscuits just the way they like them.

When the NFL goes abroad, it brings the whole parish with it. Every European trip produces a comic list of essentials and everything else. Back in 1983, the richest sports league in the world had to bring their own goalposts for the first exhibition game in the UK. The Minnesota Vikings, who are back in town this week, were charged with bringing the first-down chains. These days, the cargo is more sophisticated and the logistics more elaborate.