MikeyTrout

I'm sure it has to do with ticket sales. The Patriots have sold out for decades and the NFL makes money on those tickets. The Bucs are probably having some problems considering their record and recent past. So the NFL does not want to lose the revenue from the difference in ticket sales.

Calciumee

But also I know alot of people who support other teams, and if they go will root for the Bucs, just because they hate the Pats.

I get ****** loads of grief for being a Patriots fan.

borg

A pint of Fuller's to anyone who gets a Yankees Suck cheer going in the stadium...think of the double meaning...may start an international incident

olschool

It's mostly about TV. Gillette being the sponsor of the Patriots stadium, and also one of the NFL's biggest advertisers, would much rather have all eight Patriot home games in Gillette Stadium, on regional and national TV, with their company logo displayed a million times during the game.

Tampa Bay, with a smaller market, isn't half as attractive to the TV networks and advertisers.

I doubt if the owners would go along with something as simple as a coin flip, and I don't think it was just a part of the normal schedule, since Robert Kraft stated how happy he was to have not lost a home game. If it had just been part of the regular schedule rotation, he probably would have said something about it.

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jmt57

I'd be very curious to find out how teams, especially the home team, are compensated for playing a game in the UK. Obviously there are ticket sales - which can be rectified by ticket sales at Wembley - but there is also all the lost revenue from the concession stands and parking.

I know the game was only officially announced last December but as I recall both Malcolm Glazer and Bob Kraft had hinted at playing in the UK long before that. Glazer's motivation was his ownership of Manchester United, in an attempt to expand both fan bases. Tampa Bay has not had a blackout since 1997, so I doubt that they agreed to this game a year or two ago with the idea that they would be unable to sellout - especially against the Pats. At the time they agreed to play in the UK they were a playoff contending winning team with a long waiting list for season tickets.

MikeyTrout

A company buys the naming rights in years through a contract. The NFL doesn't get that money. Why would the NFL get involved in a deal between a franchise and the naming rights for a stadium? The NFL does get a huge portion of non-suite ticket sales.

Also, while Gillette is a big name, so is Raymond James.