Goodell says the NFL is considering London Super Bowl

[QuiGon]

I live in the United States, where the Canadian dollar has gained over 40 percent on the US dollar in five years, the Euro has gained 25 percent over the last two years, the Peso is trading at an all time high, and the dollar is at an all-time low against the Pound.

You tell me? This is gangbusters.

Sure, numbers can be worked to make the economy look good on paper, but it's not real. Bottom line -- The dollar isn't worth sh!t, and no matter what politicians tell you, the economy isn't good in that situation, except in the smallest of micro-levels.

A weak dollar isn't indicative of "the worst economic slump ever" (direct quote, your words)... I mean, learn your history man...

 

[BradyManny]

We have several fans from the UK who post here regularly and add value to the forum.

Yeah, but several UK fans does not even come close to justifying playing a Super Bowl in the UK. Do you think a championship for a European soccer league would ever get played in NYC? Hell, no. Neither us nor them would stand for it, and from my experience, it seems that European soccer is immensely more popular in America than American football is in the UK or Europe.

I stand by everything I said: The UK doesn't give a crap about American football and America doesn't care about watching their sports played in the UK. It doesn't reflect poorly on either society, we like what sports we like and for Goodell to try and hit up a market that just doesn't exist is silly.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

So let me get this straight...the US is in it's worst economic slump ever,

Say what?

Fortunately you seem to know substantially more about football than economics.

 

[RayClay]

seriously i hope too that the Super Bowl will be always playied in US: it is The American Sport and it deserve to be playied in US

RayClay idea is good for me too: let's play the Pro Bowl in another Continent

having said that i think the London Game has been and will be a success
sold out more or less immediately

and i think there will be many many NFL european fans coming from all over

When we play in Italy, can we use the Colosseum?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I think a London SB is not a bad idea if you have to have something outside the US.
How many Patsfans folks here actually make the SB?
A flight to London is not that much more expensive than a domestic flight for the few that DO go to the SB.
Me, I'd MUCH rather see the Pats play the SB in neutral London than possibly have the Pats LOSE a friggin' home game to an overseas venue as had been previously considered by the NFL.

 

[mgteich]

What planet do you live on? The US is in its worst economic slump ever?

So let me get this straight...the US is in it's worst economic slump ever, and we're going to take the one-day event which is probably the largest single economic boost of the year, and re-locate it so a foreign country can reap the benefits.

So who wins? The NFL, the owners, possibly the TV networks. Who loses? The fans and an entire region's worth of hoteliers, restauranteurs, rental car companies, taxi drivers, waitresses, bartenders, souveneir shops, etc.

Are we sure the White House isn't involved in this decision?

Congress needs to play their usual "pull this sh!t and we'll pull your anti-trust exemption" card.

 

[mgteich]

If you are not a yahoo with regard to economics, then why do you argue like one?

Learn not to insult people, and maybe someone will be willing to talk with you.

I know basic economics and then some. I'm also employed by the US Government in international trade, so I'm not some yahoo who dabbles in econ as a hobby.

The value of the dollar makes a huge difference unless the US goes isolationist, to claim otherwise is extremely short-sighted. But this isn't the place to discuss that.

Now, this is a separate issue than economic injury caused by moving the Super Bowl out of country. No argument here. But there is no way you can tell me the US economy is in good shape in relation to the rest of the developed world, or to what it was six years ago.

 

[mgteich]

I think the time difference is the major issue. The cost difference won't make much difference to those who attend. There will be enough willing to pay plenty. It is is the cost difference on the TV and cable ads that will keep the game in US time zones.

Obviously, the place to start, as has been pointed out, is with the ProBowl. The very worst is a regular season game, given the jet lag issue.

Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Toronto or Montreal all make more sense than London. However, it seems much better to develop the interest in American football, before having the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP out of the US. I don't think that we would consider having the World Series there for the same reason.

I think a London SB is not a bad idea if you have to have something outside the US.
How many Patsfans folks here actually make the SB?
A flight to London is not that much more expensive than a domestic flight for the few that DO go to the SB.
Me, I'd MUCH rather see the Pats play the SB in neutral London than possibly have the Pats LOSE a friggin' home game to an overseas venue as had been previously considered by the NFL.

 

[FrontSeven]

Stupid, stupid, and arrogant.

They are stiffing the fans, as usual. They stiff the players and fans with TV time outs, they stiff the players with extra-long half-times at the SB, and they stiff everybody with cheesey pre-season games.

Then they stiff us with forty commercials per game. Are these games sprinkled with commercials or commercials sprinkled with game?

They are stiffing the fans by requiring them to travel to England. Somebody should revolt. I already revolted and refuse to pay $35 to *park* at Gillette. It is piggish to charge that kind of money. Too bad they can't spend a few weeks poor like the rest of us.

Up theirs. I have my limits, and one of them is getting stiffed for parking by billionaires.

Oh, I know, I know, the Krafts are great owners, sure, sure. You don't think I get that great part? They're also willing to turn the league on its head to make more money. They would force regular fans to travel to a foreign country for the biggest game of the year? Oh, it's a big party to the Krafts. They just hop in their jet and fly and think nothing of it. Well, normal people don't fly around the world to watch a game.

This, after they STIFFED the fans by selling overpriced tickets to the SB to fat asses from Hollywood and Madison Avenue instead of selling them to the season ticket holders? Everything is geared toward corporate. Everything they do is to take advantage of the season ticket holders, and stiff them when it comes time to make the extra buck.

UP THEIR ENGLAND. Up their $35 parking fees.

They'll screw it up. Watch. They'll milk it and milk it thinking that the milk supply never runs out. Eventually only rich men will be able to attend the games, and when the stock market crashes guess what happens to the rich men?

Then who buys the thousand dollar per game tickets? Who flies to China for game one and Mexico for game two?

They'll screw it up by running the players ragged with jet lag.

They'll screw it up by morphing it from a peoples' sport into a rich man's sport, some big show for the chic and the famous. Good, invite The Donald to come down on the field again before a playoff game. Who the hell is he? Has he supported this team for 30 years? No, he showed up, that's all. He showed up to be chic and meet Tommy Boy. And everybody fell all over the guy because he's loaded with green. That's the NFL: Nothing but winners allowed. You think they let normal fans go on the field to meet Tom?

Bitter? Damn right. When they start talking England, I'm goddam bitter. Even talking about this makes me want to throw a brick through the tube and spend my time doing something useful.

They couldn't care less what I think either. It's marketing. They've got the young ones right by the short hairs and they couldn't care less about the guys who supported them for thirty years. All they care about is selling alchohol, Levitra, and cars to the stupid asses between 25-35 who believe that marketing crap.

Good for them. Choke on England for all I care. I hope you poor slobs with season tickets are ready to get a stiff arm called "Just like you have to buy the pre-season tickets, now you have to buy the ones for England and Yugloslavia.

UP YUGO.

 

[italian pat patriot]

When we play in Italy, can we use the Colosseum?

i prefere they will play in Milan stadium; much more near...

 

[Pats726]

I think this whole thing may blow up pretty quick...in about 10 days, there will be the London game of the Giants and Fins...see what happens after that..how the players react..how the reception is there...about issues of jet lag and fatigue..THEY are the guinea pigs for this..and IF the results are not all that good on many levels...it could be a dead issue.
I remember the Yankees who played in Japan one year and how it literally took many weeks to get back on schedule..Europe may NOT be a s bad, but I would wait and see...it could be Goodell's idea is DOA very soon. He may push it more and more, but it may NOT be workable. Besides the that, economically if it's not really worth it to push the product...football..it will not happen.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I think this whole thing may blow up pretty quick...in about 10 days, there will be the London game of the Giants and Fins...see what happens after that..how the players react..how the reception is there...about issues of jet lag and fatigue..THEY are the guinea pigs for this..and IF the results are not all that good on many levels...it could be a dead issue.
I remember the Yankees who played in Japan one year and how it literally took many weeks to get back on schedule..Europe may NOT be a s bad, but I would wait and see...it could be Goodell's idea is DOA very soon. He may push it more and more, but it may NOT be workable. Besides the that, economically if it's not really worth it to push the product...football..it will not happen.

Please, we have fans from Italy reading this.

I don't just blame Goodell here. Wasn't Kraft big on the Pats flying to Chiner for a pre-season game? Talk about jet lag.

The NFL is a billionaire's league. The consequence for pure football fans is not good as the owners being businessmen will do anything possible to grow the market and revenues. That means expansion outside of the US. It is sadly from my parochial fanboy view, inevitable. These days of constant commercials and interruption for TV promos are the glory days.

 

[Pats726]

Please, we have fans from Italy reading this.

I don't just blame Goodell here. Wasn't Kraft big on the Pats flying to Chiner for a pre-season game? Talk about jet lag.

The NFL is a billionaire's league. The consequence for pure football fans is not good as the owners being businessmen will do anything possible to grow the market and revenues. That means expansion outside of the US. It is sadly from my parochial fanboy view, inevitable. These days of constant commercials and interruption for TV promos are the glory days.

I understand there are fans world wide...but having some fans is great..but trying to expand that needs to take time...I think it's a lot better to take time to nurture fan growth instead of taking the championship game an dmoving it there to generate interest. Start small...THAT is more the way to do that. China makes sense AS a preseason game....there are many things Goodell is overlooking...the whole jet lag fatigue issue is a real one..and has to be addresssed..

 

[Scouse Patriot]

I stand by everything I said: The UK doesn't give a crap about American football.

It might surprise you just how many do. Theres a good following over here, we even play it and I have a local team by where I live playing in an organised division, and thats not the only division in the country either. It's not a gigantic fan base by any means but theres a tidy following. Wembey stadium is a beast of an arena and apparantly it could have sold out twice over. Whether thats because it's a novelty or not remains to be seen but there are alot of people who care about the sport in the U.K.

Regarding the SB over here I think it's a massive kick in the teeth to the American people if it was to go ahead, alot of British fans would recognise that too. As has been said already, fans of "soccer" over here would be up in arms if our major domestic finals where to be played in foriegn lands. Fans of the major teams over here are used to travelling as our major teams play in a different country almost every week in the continental competitions but you still want your trophies and major events in your country.

The NFL need to think about their own people on this one rather than others.