American Football Making Foray Into India

 　　American-style football is seeking an entry into India. But it is unclear whether a country that has a single-minded obsession¹ with cricket will take to this all-American sport.

　　That's because although American-style football ranks among the top favorites in the United States, it has virtually no following in India.

　　That fact has not deterred² a group of foreign investors³ from launching the Elite⁴ Football League of India, or EFLI.

　　Eight teams representing India’s largest cities will kick off the EFLI’s inaugural⁵ season next November in the western city of Pune. The organizers say there is huge potential in a country of 1.2 billion people.

　　Sports analysts⁶ in India are not so sure.

　　Football commentator⁷ Novy Kapadia in New Delhi sees the launch of American-style football in India as an attempt at globalizing the sport. But he says it remains⁸ to be seen whether the rough and tumble sport will excite Indians, for whom it is “an area of darkness.”

　　“This is really a surprise, a bolt from the blue," Kapadia says. "There has never been attraction towards American football, neither is American football watched a lot on television. Also, genetically⁹ and physically¹⁰ it is a game for much stronger people and does not really suit the Indian physique.”

　　The EFLI will have to begin from scratch, training both players and coaches. But it has big plans. It will add new teams in each season for 10 years, or until it has 52 teams representing all Indian cities with a population of over one million.

　　The organizers say they are confident of finding a niche¹¹ population that will be interested in a sport that is part of the American way of life.

　　Sports commentator Kapadia says American-style football is entering India at a time when other sports enterprises, such as Formula One auto¹² racing¹³, are also eyeing the country’s huge middle class.

　　“The world is seeing India as a market, and I think the sporting world has caught on a bit late," he says. "But they’ve seen that even a 200 million middle class is larger than most countries in Europe. This consumer middle class, which is increasingly getting globalized, exposed to satellite television, English speaking, who like to be associated with global brands, just the same reason Formula One is coming into India, is probably the reason why American football is coming.”

　　American Football will have to compete with cricket, the sport that has a nationwide following. Cricket’s Indian Premier¹⁴ League, which launched in 2008, has been a spectacular success and has turned into a multi-million dollar business.

　　Investors in EFLI include the former coach of the Chicago Bears, Mike Ditka, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and former Green Bay Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar.

1 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

2 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

10 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

11 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

12 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

13 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

14 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。