The league says it wants to move a team to London. The league presumably knows that, from a competitive standpoint, it will be impossible to ensure that the London team has a fair chance without inviting criticism from the other 31 teams that it has received an unfair edge.

 

The compromise could be expansion of the current slate of games involving different teams from three to as many as eight, giving folks in London the equivalent of a full season of games to watch, in a shrink-wrapped variety pack.

 

A decision made last week points toward the notion of getting more teams to sacrifice home games for the benefit of feeding the increasing English appetite for American football. Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal reports that the owners voted to require any team that hosts a Super Bowl to give up a home game to London at some point over a five-year period.

 

Hosting a Super Bowl will include giving up home game for London | ProFootballTalk

Smart move on the NFL's part, but I dread this eventual (inevitable) London expansion..

Smart move on the NFL's part, but I dread this eventual (inevitable) London expansion..

 

If I was a player, I'd refuse to play in London. It would be a huge disadvantage.

Just never understood this. Why put a team in London? EFL

Couldn't survive so why would they think this would?

I love the idea in the article and also having a team there.

Every move the NFL makes is making it more and more difficult to like the league.

This London idea makes as much sense as having an NHL team in Phoenix.

If I was a player, I'd refuse to play in London. It would be a huge disadvantage.

 

Would you refuse if they drafted you and offered a contract to you? What if you were cut by some other team and they were the only team to want to sign you?

 

If there is a team there players will play, plus endorsement opportunities across most of western and northern Europe.

This London idea makes as much sense as having an NHL team in Phoenix.

 

I agree, Hockey should contract to the Original Six.

I agree, Hockey should contract to the Original Six.

 

I don't know about that, but I do think it's dumb to plant teams in cities where there is zero history of the sport. People in warm weather don't play hockey growing up in the south. There shouldn't be any hockey teams in warm-weather locales. It's impossible to grow interest from an organic level (from the youth leagues on up).

 

Instead, the thinking is "this is a big population market and we've got to tap into it," ignoring the fact that the big population they're gunning for has no real interest in the sport.

 

That same thing applies to London, England, where there is zero real history of football. I hope it fails miserably, and idiots like Goddell are left scratching their heads trying to figure out why they couldn't sell their great product to a population that is single-minded in their interest of soccer.

 

Same reasons why pro sports suffers in the American South — the population just doesn't care about anything else but college football.

Would you refuse if they drafted you and offered a contract to you? What if you were cut by some other team and they were the only team to want to sign you?

 

If there is a team there players will play, plus endorsement opportunities across most of western and northern Europe.

 

Endorsement opportunities? Come on. People in Europe don't know me from Russell Wilson. I'm of the opinion that wouldn't change even if the Seahawks moved to London next year. Don't try to spoon-feed a populace a sport they don't want.

I don't know if suffer Is right. The pro franchises that put out a good product over the years have been successful.

 

Braves, Cowboys, Spurs, Dolphins, Heat, Rockets, Mavs and even the Saints are either currently or have been in the past very successful.

 

Fan support isn't why the Jaguars stink.

 

 

I'd also be curious to see how financially warm weather hockey teams are.

 

Endorsement opportunities? Come on. People in Europe don't know me from Russell Wilson. I'm of the opinion that wouldn't change even if the Seahawks moved to London next year. Don't try to spoon-feed a populace a sport they don't want.

 

True but if there was a team there they would come to know those players. Celeb/Sports endorsements are big $$$$ in Europe.

 

Don't try to spoon-feed a populace a sport they don't want.

30-40 years ago Americans didn't want soccer either...it is now the most participated in youth sport.

They may field a roster but they'll suck. No "good" players will sign as free agents. Not to mention all the jet lag. I can't see how the players union will agree to this expansion.