NFL Franchise in London: Great move or jump the shark?

[K.C.]

I guess there's a couple ways to look at it.

It could help make the game more global in appeal, but at the same time, any team in London will be severely handicapped in terms of travel.

Furthermore, you really wouldn't be able to do much more internationally...you could put a franchise in Toronto, maybe Mexico City, and possibly in Ireland.

That's about it. Anywhere on continental Europe and the travel would be too ridiculous.

The only way they'd be able to expand further would be to create a third conference of solely European teams, and partition the conferences (NFC, AFC, EFC) where you don't play inter-conference regular season games.

So I think it would be too difficult to make the NFL a legitimately international game.

That said, is London a potentially better economic market than Jacksonville?...a team like the Jags would be financially better off there.

[A.J.]

The NFL could be cruel and schedule a team to play a game in London and then play a West Coast team the very next week.

[Snoogans]

too much travel. It would be like putting a team in Hawaii

[K.C.]

If they really want to make the game international, they need to restart NFL Europe, but put more money and talent into it.

Get owners who want to spend money on the teams, and put out enough money to have some of the teams be able to sign legit stars.

A guy like Michael Vick, coming off his downfall, would have been a perfect in generating buzz for a NFL Europe team.

And eventually once they start get homegrown European talent for the sport, the game can start to be self-sufficient. Once the talent gap gets smaller, schedule some travel exhibitions between the leagues.

If they REALLY want a global game, that's the only way to do it.


It's the same with baseball. If they really want a global game, have the World Series champs play a Best of Three or something with the NPB champs.

Create a travelling American team of college, minor league, and any legit stars who feel the desire to do it, and schedule international exhibitions instead of shoehorning the World Baseball Classic into the existing MLB schedule.

[TripleSkeet]

Heres a better idea, take the billions of dollars the NFL makes being an American sport every year, and be satisfied. They dont give a fuck about football over there. The people are at that game because its American stars on display. Its more of a circus then a sporting event.

Just accept the fact that they love their soccer and rugby and couldnt care less about having an NFL franchise.

[foodcourtdruide]

I think if you want to have international play you need to have 2 separate leagues that don't play eachother during the regular season for geographical reasons. Can you imagine the travel of Seattle to London?

[K.C.]

Heres a better idea, take the billions of dollars the NFL makes being an American sport every year, and be satisfied. They dont give a fuck about football over there. The people are at that game because its American stars on display. Its more of a circus then a sporting event.

Just accept the fact that they love their soccer and rugby and couldnt care less about having an NFL franchise.

That'll never happen.

Pretty much each sport has maxed out on domestic expansion. You'd be hard pressed to add expansion franchises to any of the big four at this point without diluting the talent so greatly that it's just complete shit (in fact, the NHL and NBA are over-expanded already).

So all the league heads are convinced the only way to continue to grow is globally.

[joethebartender]

The WLAF and NFLE did a lot better in Germany (much more interest... Rhine fire in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt Galaxy, and Berlin).

The WLAF had the London Monarchs Who won a couple of World Bowls with Stan Gelbaugh (who went to the Cardinals, later). There was little interest even with that in England.

[K.C.]

The WLAF and NFLE did a lot better in Germany (much more interest... Rhine fire in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt Galaxy, and Berlin).

The WLAF had the London Monarchs Who won a couple of World Bowls with Stan Gelbaugh (who went to the Cardinals, later). There was little interest even with that in England.

I think most of the interest in England is from expatriates.

I always take a look at the local media in London when they do this each year, and it's pretty much the same each time...a bunch of articles asking why the hell the NFL keeps forcing itself on them, and very little local interest.

You'd really have to have British stars in the sport to capture some local heat.

[Snoogans]

I think most of the interest in England is from expatriates.

I always take a look at the local media in London when they do this each year, and it's pretty much the same each time...a bunch of articles asking why the hell the NFL keeps forcing itself on them, and very little local interest.

You'd really have to have British stars in the sport to capture some local heat.

someone should sign Beckham as a kicker

[Ritalin]

How about getting a team in LA first?

[Don Stugots]

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/original/Fonzie_jumps_the_shark%5B4%5D3.png

[Tenbatsuzen]

The only problem with a london team is that you have to put a team in either the NFC or AFC east, which screws up everything else.

[disneyspy]

The only problem with a london team is that you have to put a team in either the NFC or AFC east, which screws up everything else.

they should relocate the patriots,and drop the 'new' from their name

[cougarjake13]

The NFL could be cruel and schedule a team to play a game in London and then play a West Coast team the very next week.

things like that would have to be carefully scheduled


like if the london team is playing the afc or nfc west that year then they'd have to make it 2 weeks in a row against that division for the away games

[Snoogans]

they should relocate the patriots,and drop the 'new' from their name

thats actually kinda funny. Send them the team named after england and the guys who kicked England out of here

[Meataball23]

I think its a no brainer that London or Berlin would do better than Jacksonville.

The problem you really run into is travel/scheduling and who would own these teams. Would they be paid in euros? Are there weird tax breaks?

[STC-Dub]

Not sure the players would be all that into it ad the travel would be a problem. Also, you can only have so many teams in sport so unless the NFL also add an LA team some city will lose their team. I am not sure if it would be a good move or not, if they can get fans and a competitive team it would be fine.

[PapaBear]

If it worked, the only benefit would be to the NFL. It would mean nothing to me as a fan, other than the chance that it could adversely effect the team I like, when they have to travel.

[sailor]

wait, so now pro athletes can't travel 5-8 hours?

[PapaBear]

wait, so now pro athletes can't travel 5-8 hours?
I don't know how long it takes to get there from the East coast, but flying from the West would have to take a long time.

[sailor]

I don't know how long it takes to get there from the East coast, but flying from the West would have to take a long time.

i meant to say 5-10 (but it's actually like 7-12 from what i can see). didn't teams used to take train/bus trips for much longer?

[PapaBear]

i meant to say 5-10 (but it's actually like 7-12 from what i can see). didn't teams used to take train/bus trips for much longer?
I think they might have still done that in the early era of the league being nationwide. But then again, those players were a totally different creature than today's player.

[TripleSkeet]

That'll never happen.

Pretty much each sport has maxed out on domestic expansion. You'd be hard pressed to add expansion franchises to any of the big four at this point without diluting the talent so greatly that it's just complete shit (in fact, the NHL and NBA are over-expanded already).

So all the league heads are convinced the only way to continue to grow is globally.

Thats my point. And they are making billions. Why keep expanding? Keep the fucking league the way it is. If some teams have financial problems and have to fold, expand in new American cities.

Or make another Europe League. But making athletes travel to Europe to play regular season games 8 weeks a year? How can something so retarded even be considered?

[foodcourtdruide]

wait, so now pro athletes can't travel 5-8 hours?

You're also dealing with a 8-9 hour time difference. Doing that 4-5 times a year could take a toll on anyone. I say create a European league, and don't have interleague play. I think MLB should do the same thing with Japan.

[Ritalin]

Create a new division in Europe with 4 teams: London, Amsterdam (that team was pretty popular with locals), Frankfurt and I don't know, Berlin.

Teams play interdivision twice, that's 6 games. That leaves either 10 or 12 more games to account for, depending on whether or not they expand the schedule 2 games.

For the European teams that 5 home games with teams from the states, and 5 road games in the states.

You'd just have to work out the travel with more Thursday night games and bye weeks. Teams that travel across to play on the other continent stay to play 2 games.

It could be done.

Why couldn't it be done:

Where are you going to find people willing to buy teams in Europe, the kind of people the NFL would want to do business with. It's ok for the NBA to have a Russian Billionaire owner, but the NFL is never going to go for that. Ditto Mark Cuban, who would jump at the chance to own the London Whatevers.

Dilution of talent. There aren't enough NFL level QBs as it is. Cleveland, hello.

Television: how would they fit european games in the TV schedule?

[Enabler]

The idea of having 1 team in the NFL located in a European city is too dumb to even entertain. It wont happen. If the NFL feels like they MUST "expand the brand" then they should sponsor Pop Warner football or provide funding to High Schools in selected European cities so they can offer the kids a chance to play American football. Send coaches, equipment and money to generate interest in the sport and get kids playing it.

[King Hippos Bandaid]

let the Brits have the football that they respect.... I dont want Football in a country where people may come up with a new name for it because they want to marry soccer


we did not have a tea party and a war to give Great Britain a Football franchise