Media Monday: Samoan on the Gridiron
March 1st, 2010 | Published in Media Monday
American Samoa is 6,000 miles away and has a population of about 63,000. It’s about twenty six square miles and has as its main industries a tuna cannery, public workers and small private businesses. They now, however, may have one more.
Creating NFL football players.
Football was introduced to American Samoa three decades ago and, as of now, more than twenty Samoans play in the NFL and six were born in America Samoa. And that is something no other city in America can boast. Among NFL applicants, a Samoan is forty times more likely to earn a spot in the NFL than any other group in the United States. For many of them, it’s a way to escape the poverty that is rampant on the island where students who play use equipment that would be illegal in American schools.
The most visible Samoan player in the NFL is Troy Polamalu, born in 1981 in California to Samoan parents. The Pittsburgh Steelers all-pro safety started his football career as a hybrid player and became the first All-American safety for the University of Southern California since 1989. While still at college, he also earned All-American honors from groups such as ESPN and The Sporting News.
In 2003 he was drafted by the Steelers, who had made an aggressive bid for him citing their belief that he would significantly improve their defensive line. He’s played for the team ever since. His contract was extended until 2011 and he’s now the highest payed defensive player in the team’s history.
While he has lived in the United States his entire life, Paloamalu still lives by the values that permeate through Samoan culture. He is known as a man who lives a humble lifestyle, preferring to spend time with his family rather than hanging out with teammates. He also keeps his hair long, which is customary among men in Samoan culture.
Palomalu has become something of a spokesman for the growing number of Samoans in the NFL, a growing number of determined young men who bring their traditions and determination to a game they’ve adopted as their own.
American Samoa: Football Island at CBS news
Talented players from tiny American Samoa are changing the face of football
Steelers trade for higher first-round pick, select Southern California defensive back
