The king of American sports is back.
The NFL season is kicking off Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. with a game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
"Football is a $9 billion business and we're just talking about the NFL, it fuels the economy," said Omar Kelly, who covers the Miami Dolphins for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
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The NFL is also an economic catalyst for sports bars like The Quarterdeck in Davie. The bar is expected to be filled with football fans on Wednesday and on other game days.
"It brings in a lot of business on a Sunday afternoon that we might not otherwise have," said bar manager Jason Horton.
He told NBC 6 South Florida he is looking forward to the game and the business it will bring.
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"Love it, first game is always a great game,” Horton said. “Two good teams, should be an entertaining game."
The NFL is an incredibly popular sport. Last year, nine of the top 10 highest rated TV programs were NFL games. Fans Russell Block and Mike Martin have been waiting for football season since the Super Bowl.
"It's very exciting, can't wait," Block said. “Been waiting since February for a real football game, it’s going to be good.”
He added that he’s choosing to watch football from home Wednesday rather than attending a baseball game.
“We were talking about that, going to the Marlins game tonight or staying in and watching football, and we're going to choose football," Block said.
To some fans, the Miami Marlins are just a diversion until football season begins.
"People follow these teams throughout the entire season and they live and die with every victory," Kelly said.
Even the bartender at The Quarterdeck is a football fanatic. She passes up good tips to watch the Dolphins.
"I don't work NFL games because I like to watch the game and not the crowd watching the game," said Jennifer Dunn.
