Tonight is the first game of the NFL season, and I am forgoing sleep in order to watch the game between Washington and the New York Giants.

This will be the first NFL game I have actually watched, and I am lucky enough to attend two later this season; the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Charges play in London in October and I am flying to the USA in November to watch the St Louis Rams play the Miami Dolphins.

It will be odd, if not a bit ironic, having Les (a Brit) explaining the ins and outs of American football to me (a Yank), and I am sure we will get some dodgy looks. So I am officially gearing up for the games by trying to squeeze in as much NFL as I can, and hopefully remember some of it (I may need to take notes).

So tonight, we are having a little nap, waking up at 11:00, I am steaming some vegetables and grilling some sea bass (neither one of us have had sea bass before) and settling down for the game at midnight. We hope to go back to bed around 3ish, and then back up for work at 6:30.

I am supervising a training session tomorrow at work, I sure hope I can get plenty of coffee down me first.

Have you ever given up something interesting for a sports match?

Maybe one day I will tell you the story of how I sold my wedding rings to pay for my tickets to see Hull City win at Wembley…