London to host an NFL game? Not a bad move by the NFL, IMO. I hope it works out.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
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NFL in London
- Thread starter grapes911
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Honestly that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can deal with American football, and occasionally enjoy watching a game, but they shouldn't push their luck in the home of real football, never mind Rugby...a million times more intense than NFL football.
When good European football clubs come to the US for a couple of expedition games, the soccer fans over here eat it up. Games are sold out instantly. I'm sure there are enough NFL fans in England, many who have never had the opportunity to see a live NFL game, to fill one stadium. Obviously the target audience is not you.
I would think so too. I believe they had over 100,000 people at the game in Mexico, where I know soccer is a lot more popular than American football. I think it should go over pretty well.grapes911 said:
And that was for two terrible teams. Think of how many people would want tickets if two average or better teams played.
OutThere said:
How is this pushing their luck any more than NFL Europe which has been going on a number of years now? Or preseason games that have happened overseas in years past?
Lethal
I think there's probably enough interest in the UK to make it a success. To be honest, I think it would be really cool if they did this a little more often...maybe with 3 or 4 games a year.
LethalWolfe said:
NFL Europe is a developmental league. Let's be honest, who (including American's) would have any interest in this?
And preseason games are preseason games. This will be a regular season game. That alone is a big difference. And by the way, I heard the game in Japan this year was a sellout.
From a league development perspective, I like it. But otherwise I don't. I just don't like the idea of teams traveling and playing regular season games so far out of the local time zones, unless they volunteer to do so. Although I guess this is no different than a short week, the flight and time differences do bother me. Makes prep and later games more difficult. Although if the Giants, Skins or Cowboys want to go over there and play, I will be more than happy to send them. Just leave the Eagles at home. 
nbs2 said:From a league development perspective, I like it. But otherwise I don't. I just don't like the idea of teams traveling and playing regular season games so far out of the local time zones, unless they volunteer to do so. Although I guess this is no different than a short week, the flight and time differences do bother me. Makes prep and later games more difficult. Although if the Giants, Skins or Cowboys want to go over there and play, I will be more than happy to send them. Just leave the Eagles at home.
Well, the niners and cards basically have (from what I understand) a major part of their audience hailing from mexico. Find some teams that have viewers out there and you've got a good show.
Ben
It might not pack the stadium to the rafters but I think there would be sufficient interest to get a decent crowd along there are plenty of ex-pat Americans and British NFL fans who'd buy a ticket, along with those who'd go along out of simple curiosity, especially if it were a couple of the more famous teams that came over.
I don't see any problem with it, just as long as you don't go ruining our lovely new pitch...
I don't see any problem with it, just as long as you don't go ruining our lovely new pitch...
grapes911 said:
Agreed. I was just pointing out that the NFL spreading American Football overseas and/or playing "in the home of real[i/] football" is nothing remotely new. Having a regular season game across the pond is just another step, in a long line of steps, of getting more exposure of the sport outside of the US.
Lethal
I wrote back to Florio on this one
The guy who was saying this on the UK broadcast is a guy called Alistair Kirkwood is the UK's NFL development manager. I used to know him when I was into NFL Europe - incidentally, the development part of that for the fans wasn't as important as the fact that we had a team. I've given up since they canned the Claymores; and even the developmental side was fun since we got to watch out for 'our guys' in the NFL. I've never understood why they didn't bring back preseason games while NFL Europe was running since the European fans actually knew and liked the 3rd stringers since they'd been over here for the most part!
Anyhow... Alistair has been talking about this for years; he started with the Bears were playing in Champaign that it was a possibility and he's been mentioning it ever since. This year, he's got the UK broadcast team on board so now they mention it every week - and they ask all their 'guest' US presenters what they think. I'm not sure if they're hoping it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Potential problems - whichever teams come over will need to spend a lot of time 'promoting' - this means that there's less preparation time and which teams will give up a home game in order to disadvantage themselves. The only East Coast team that doesn't regularly sell out is the Jags and I can't see them filling a stadium over here where many fans support 'old-school' teams. Or New Orleans if the SuperDome isn't back in action in time but since that's looking likely now, I can't see that happening either.
Lastly, the UK press aren't interested. Sure, they'll go along and enjoy the freebies and the cheerleaders but it won't boost the profile of the game here in the long-term. The UK is soccer-daft; very little else gets a look in.
And why give it to London; where their NFL Europe team got canned 6 years ago because they only got 2,000 to a game? At least Scotland was getting 10,000 2 years ago or Germany where they get 50,000 to them.
They'd be cheaper (and get more press attention) by hiring 10 747s and flying over 1000 football fans to a big game in the US.
Incidentally, the game in Japan for the past two years (they didn't do it in 2005)wasn't a sell out really. Local companies bought the tickets but the seats were disturbingly empty.
The guy who was saying this on the UK broadcast is a guy called Alistair Kirkwood is the UK's NFL development manager. I used to know him when I was into NFL Europe - incidentally, the development part of that for the fans wasn't as important as the fact that we had a team. I've given up since they canned the Claymores; and even the developmental side was fun since we got to watch out for 'our guys' in the NFL. I've never understood why they didn't bring back preseason games while NFL Europe was running since the European fans actually knew and liked the 3rd stringers since they'd been over here for the most part!
Anyhow... Alistair has been talking about this for years; he started with the Bears were playing in Champaign that it was a possibility and he's been mentioning it ever since. This year, he's got the UK broadcast team on board so now they mention it every week - and they ask all their 'guest' US presenters what they think. I'm not sure if they're hoping it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Potential problems - whichever teams come over will need to spend a lot of time 'promoting' - this means that there's less preparation time and which teams will give up a home game in order to disadvantage themselves. The only East Coast team that doesn't regularly sell out is the Jags and I can't see them filling a stadium over here where many fans support 'old-school' teams. Or New Orleans if the SuperDome isn't back in action in time but since that's looking likely now, I can't see that happening either.
Lastly, the UK press aren't interested. Sure, they'll go along and enjoy the freebies and the cheerleaders but it won't boost the profile of the game here in the long-term. The UK is soccer-daft; very little else gets a look in.
And why give it to London; where their NFL Europe team got canned 6 years ago because they only got 2,000 to a game? At least Scotland was getting 10,000 2 years ago or Germany where they get 50,000 to them.
They'd be cheaper (and get more press attention) by hiring 10 747s and flying over 1000 football fans to a big game in the US.
Incidentally, the game in Japan for the past two years (they didn't do it in 2005)wasn't a sell out really. Local companies bought the tickets but the seats were disturbingly empty.
I might go. If the tickets are priced correctly (i.e. not massively expensive like sports events in the UK normally are).
Tickets for an event at the new Wembley that aren't overpriced? I wouldn't go holding your breath...robbieduncan said:
It appears the game has been put off for now. No London game in 2006.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
Chuckle... I'm not surprised. It won't happen until they can get an owner over a barrel enough to give up a home game - or a stadium beign rebuilt and delayed long enough that it's an option.
If it's extra cash, they're after then get the NFL Network into other markets where people, unlike in the US, are starved of NFL news and would pay to have it.
Or encourage SKY to show Direct TV style options of games so that people can support 'their' team rather than watching the 'game of the week'
If it's extra cash, they're after then get the NFL Network into other markets where people, unlike in the US, are starved of NFL news and would pay to have it.
Or encourage SKY to show Direct TV style options of games so that people can support 'their' team rather than watching the 'game of the week'
Jaffa Cake said:It might not pack the stadium to the rafters but I think there would be sufficient interest to get a decent crowd along there are plenty of ex-pat Americans and British NFL fans who'd buy a ticket, along with those who'd go along out of simple curiosity, especially if it were a couple of the more famous teams that came over.
I don't see any problem with it, just as long as you don't go ruining our lovely new pitch...
I've always wondered, why the enthusiasm in Britain in American football? If any American sport were to catch on over there, I'd have bet on baseball.
My guess is that basketball is by far the American sport most played in Europe. But football (specifically the Super Bowl) is more of an extravaganza, than a game. It's hard not to get wrapped up in it.IJ Reilly said:
grapes911 said:
The Superbowl? I never miss it. I never see it, and I never miss it.
I know basketball is played in Europe, but in Britain?
Somebody, I think it was a Briton, said something like, "American football isn't a sport so much as a caricature of a sport."
That's the way I think of football. Why the British think it's interesting, this is the question.
IJ Reilly said:
I wouldn't call it enthusiasm; it's a fairly limited group who watch regularly.
Football is more exciting to watch on TV - and with a limited number of games to keep track of, it's easier to keep up to date with. And it was brought over to the UK in the 80s at a time when soccer was dull. The majority of games have at least one amazing spiral and catch and while it's hard to see the subtleties of line play, good/bad plays are immediately obvious. It's on on a Sunday evening here - from 6pm-midnight - not exactly hot viewing times for other stuff.
Baseball is more fun to watch at a ballpark but less fun on TV. Besides, if we want to watch people trying to hit a ball with a piece of wood, there's always cricket. Baseball takes more appreciation - it's harder to see a curve ball, fast ball without understanding tactics etc. Most games though are on after midnight here - so it doesn't have the same ease of viewing.
MLB.tv is changing that though - I'd love to see the NFL embracing technology for its overseas viewers.
Applespider said:
I was living over there for a short time about 15 years ago when I walked by a park and first saw a group of Britons suited up in American football uniforms (okay, I really think of them as costumes). I was shocked right down to my shoes by the incongruity of it all, and since by the persistence of the game's popularity in the UK.
Baseball does indeed take more time to understand and appreciate. I think it actually requires watching the game both on TV and in person to fully understand it. Much of what you are likely to see on TV you are likely to miss in the ballpark, and vice versa. The (distant) relationship of the game to cricket would give baseball a leg up over football in Britain, I would have thought, as well as the fact that it's a far more subtle and complicated game. Not to mention, baseball lacks football's militaristic overtones.
IJ Reilly said:
The other leg-up would be that there are probably more kids in the UK who have had a game of rounders (kinda like softball) than played cricket. But for some reason, the game just doesn't translate. It also gets the mickey taken out of it for having a World Series. I do suspect that one major reason is the sheer number of games and the timing of the games when Europe is asleep.
I'm guessing from your responses that you prefer baseball to football. I love the strategic aspects of football whereas I get bored watching baseball since the subtleties go over my head.
Applespider said:
How did you guess?
I find football to be tremendously boring, and many of the people who play it, to be freaks of nature. As a non-athlete myself, I suppose I find it somehow comforting that most baseball players look like regular human beings.
It certainly helps to be brought up with baseball. Truly understanding the game (its rules, strategy and history) is a lifetime commitment, though I know from first-hand experience that people can develop an appreciation for the game without it.
Applespider said:
Therein lies the problem in worldwide sports. It's the small little nuances that make it hard for the games to translate from country to country or even from one sports preference to another.
When I see a soccer game, all I see are people running up and down the field kicking a ball. When I watch baseball, all I see are Steriod pumped freaks swinging a bat at a ball. But when I watch football, I can see the strategy unfolding. I can see the chess match between the two teams. This comes from playing and coaching it. But the guy next to me, all he sees is 22 men running into each other play after play.
And until we can find out a way to solve this problem, sports won't translate well from country to country.