Football in London? Good/bad?

[frankiesfly]

When I first heard that football was going to be played in London my first immeadiate thought was, "this is a bad idea". Then I heard one day there might be a superbowl played there, and I thought, " they must be crazy." After watching CNN just now, I feel that I'm right. CNN just had news reporters walking around the streets of London with a NFL football. What if I told you that not one person they asked knew what it was. Most people they asked thought it was a rugby ball. Football has become Americas game, and feel all Americans should have a fair opportunty to go to games, and especially the Superbowl. I think this is a dumb idea. Keep football in Americas around people who know and love the game. Is the NFL that desperate that they have to try and get more fans. The fact is us Ameicans love football. Other countries love soccer, and rugby.

 

[workhorse]

I agree. At least with a game in Canada they know what American football is and in Mexico many are Cowboy fans. That said, they NFL really needs to reward those loyal to the game already. Moving the Super Bowl would be a bad, bad idea. It's hard enough for fans of the teams to go with the current costs and all the corporste seats. Move it over seas and you eliminate that chance nearly all together. Not that Dolphin fan mind this season, but to have a home game not at home is a joke. How POed would you guys be if you lost one of your home games to London?

 

[DCSkinsFan]

No NO NO....


This is simply a test. The SB will never be played overseas.. EvAr!


The economic issues are too great. American companies will not stand for it. Hosting cities will not stand for it. The revenue is too great. The SB is already broadcast all over the world. The market is already penetrated.

If the NFL gets smart, it will open up P2P access all over the world for live feeds and charge advertisers accordingly. They need to change their business model. Moving the SB to a foreign country is not "globalizing" your business. It is stupid.

Problem = too many old guys that do not understand technology and are slow to react in this digital age. I'll bet half of them dont even use email.

The SB is already global. These ideas are not revolutionary they are a reversion back to 1960.

It will not happen I promise. Even if it takes an act of Congress (on economic grounds), the SB will never, ever ever ever ever ever be held on foreign soil.

The economic benefit to our country is too great.

 

[CTPatsFan]

I agree. At least with a game in Canada they know what American football is and in Mexico many are Cowboy fans. That said, they NFL really needs to reward those loyal to the game already. Moving the Super Bowl would be a bad, bad idea. It's hard enough for fans of the teams to go with the current costs and all the corporste seats. Move it over seas and you eliminate that chance nearly all together. Not that Dolphin fan mind this season, but to have a home game not at home is a joke. How POed would you guys be if you lost one of your home games to London?

Very PO'd! Plus that's one more day I'd have to spend with my kids

I'm hoping they experiment one more time with Dallas just to piss off Jerry Jones, though.

 

[DCSkinsFan]

Whats next ?

Americas Past-time Baseball?

How would ya like your Sox playing WS BB in effing Berlin?

Makes me sick to think about it.

 

[nukin]

I think that the NFL should stay in the USA... and perhaps create a world wide division as well.

"United States Patriots" vs "German Blitzkreig"

 

[upstater1]

I wrote a response to Silver's article about the game in England:

I agree that it's not the NFL's job to prop up American cities with Super Bowls. I hope they express this idea to the American public pretty soon, and as soon as they do, I expect them to return all the funds given to them when the American public propped up their taxpayer funded new stadiums.

As for hearing Joe Strummer in the background, what song was playing? Was it "I'm so boooooooooorrrrred with the NFL, but what can I do?"

 

[PatsDeb]

I think it stinks. Leave the games here. You already have plenty of $$ NFL owners.

 

[IndyKen]

I just can't see it- it's our game, leave it here.

 

[BradyManny]

I said it in another thread and I'll say it again here. Folks in Europe do not care about American football at all. They like [soccer] football. Good for them, I think that sport sucks, and they very well may think the same about football, who knows.

Basketball, baseball, hockey, these sports are played all over the globe and are watched all over - expansion for those sports makes some sense. Soccer rules in Europe, and the NFL is barking up the wrong tree trying to sell their product in that part of the globe.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Theres more to England than just London, 90% of people need to pull their heads out of their arses down there anyways. People are travelling from all over the U.K. to see this game. From all parts of England to Ireland, Scotland and Wales and dont let a couple of average joes walking round London make you think the rest of the country and the other countries in the U.K. haven't got a clue about American Football.

I said in another thread the game over here has a tidy following and NFL fans will be in that stadium, alot of them. I'm not going to sit here and promise you the same atmosphere, the roars for the defence and various other things because fans from every team will be there. But what I can say is the game will be appreciated and watched by fans of the game, probrably the same people who go into work looking like zombies monday or tuesday mornings because they've been up all night watching football.

The fans over here are delighted this games taking place and we also appreciate how demanding it will be on the teams physically and mentaly coming over here, and we also appreciate how the fans of the Giants and Miami will feel back in the states. It'll be interesting to see what it will be like, but I'll say again, dont think it wont be appreciated.

 

[borg]

Money over fans is never good. The commercial timeouts during every changeover is unbearable...and another example of the NFL squeezing every dollar out of the game. $40 dollar parking, $8 beers, $5 hotdogs, $5 water. Now one less home game so your team can play over seas at crazy times in front of lethargic corporate shanks.

 

[BradyManny]

Money over fans is never good. The commercial timeouts during every changeover is unbearable...

It drives me insane when they cut to commercial after a kickoff. They go from a TD/field goal to commercial to kickoff to commercial.

That's one 10 second plan in the middle of 6 minutes of ads.

 

[Nordy]

It really irks me that Kraft is one of the people pushing for this international stuff.

 

[BritPat]

I said it in another thread and I'll say it again here. Folks in Europe do not care about American football at all. They like [soccer] football. Good for them, I think that sport sucks, and they very well may think the same about football, who knows.

Basketball, baseball, hockey, these sports are played all over the globe and are watched all over - expansion for those sports makes some sense. Soccer rules in Europe, and the NFL is barking up the wrong tree trying to sell their product in that part of the globe.

I think you'd be surprised at how big the game over here and on the continent is. There's a huge following for the NFL in the UK, thanks to Sky TV we have 10 hours of football on a Sunday - yes, TEN! We get one of the early games (Hou @ Ten last week), one of the late afternoon games (missed it as I was out), and then the SNF game. Plus, for the early and late afternoon games, we also get a game on the interactive options. Which was the Pats @ Miami :rocker:

NFL Europe has introduced the game to many millions of fans, especially in Germany where it's very big business. Of course soccer rules over here, and indeed throughout the world, it's easy to pick up and play, but the NFL is gaining momentum.

Theres more to England than just London, 90% of people need to pull their heads out of their arses down there anyways. People are travelling from all over the U.K. to see this game. From all parts of England to Ireland, Scotland and Wales and dont let a couple of average joes walking round London make you think the rest of the country and the other countries in the U.K. haven't got a clue about American Football.

I said in another thread the game over here has a tidy following and NFL fans will be in that stadium, alot of them. I'm not going to sit here and promise you the same atmosphere, the roars for the defence and various other things because fans from every team will be there. But what I can say is the game will be appreciated and watched by fans of the game, probrably the same people who go into work looking like zombies monday or tuesday mornings because they've been up all night watching football.

The fans over here are delighted this games taking place and we also appreciate how demanding it will be on the teams physically and mentaly coming over here, and we also appreciate how the fans of the Giants and Miami will feel back in the states. It'll be interesting to see what it will be like, but I'll say again, dont think it wont be appreciated.

Well said fella, nice banner in the sig as well

 

[djmika760]

Most underestimate the NFL's following in other countrys. The game has been sold out for a less than stellar matchup. I agree that a SB should NEVER be played outside the US but why not one regular-season game? If I was a season ticket holder and my home game was to be played over there then I would be pissed. Other than that...whats the big deal?

 

[BritPat]

Most underestimate the NFL's following in other countrys. The game has been sold out for a less than stellar matchup. I agree that a SB should NEVER be played outside the US but why not one regular-season game? If I was a season ticket holder and my home game was to be played over there then I would be pissed. Other than that...whats the big deal?

They received over 750,000 applications. Might have even been over 1,000,000. The stadium holds about 90,000.

 

[Hoodie]

I'm all for it as London is one of my favorite cities but I am glad my team is not involved in this game.

 

[italian pat patriot]

tomorrow morning i will fly to London and i will see the game on sunday

 

[gomezcat]

I'm very much against the future expansion of the NFL. All Brits hate the game of Football as shown by the incredibly poor ticket sales for Wembley. That said, unlike 99% of people on this board, I know nothing about the UK, so I will bow to your superior judgements on this matter. After all, all of you have travelled widely in the UK and have seen more than a small section of one city.

The one or two tickets that they have managed to sell have only come because of Americans. I know of NO BRITS WHATSOEVER who like Football or who would attend every home game of a franchise- NONE.

This game will be no good as it denies the sell out crowd that there would have been for this game in Miami (like the sell out crowd there was last week for the Pats game. It was brilliant, the way all those Dolphins fans came dressed in orange, to make themselves look like empty seats). Foreign franchises would be bad because of the travelling distances involved. Here are some things to consider:

1) There is NO CHANCE whatsoever that flight across the Atlantic will get faster, easier and cheaper. Airplanes are currently travelling at the speed of light and therefore it will ALWAYS take as long as it currently does to fly to Europe (which I believe is near Iran or somewhere).
2) NO ONE outside of the US likes Football.
3) NO ONE outside the US speaks English.
4) The Superbowl has at least a 100% chance of being played outside the US. It absolutely would not be political and economic suicide for the NFL to do this.
5) No team in the NFL ever has to travel a couple of thousand miles for a game. EVER. For example, the Pats NEVER have to go to Seattle, San Diego or Oakland.
6) Foreigners hate freedom, love terrorists, speak funny and are foreign.