TRUTH & RUMORS: Regular season games outside the United States

[broadwayjoe]

A proposal the league plans to present to NFL owners in October calls for two regular-season games to be played outside the United States every season. If approved, the plan could go into effect next season. England, Mexico, Germany and Canada have been targeted as possible locations.
-- Arizona Republic

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/09/28/truth.rumors.nfl/index.html

I think preseason games are Ok I don't care for regular season games being played outside the U.S. I believe its to much on the teams just my opinion.

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

Alot depends on where. Buffalo playing a home game in Toronto for instance, or Seattle playing in Vancouver is a very minor change.

 

[mgcolby]

I would assume that they would play that game the week before the bye week or bring back the two bye week system.

 

[oldskool138]

I'm against regular season games outside the country. Home field advantage is a big part of the game, just ask the Seahawks and Chiefs. When the Pats and 'Hawks play in Red China next year, who will the fans be cheering for? Will they know when to cheer?

I don't know. I understand that American Football isn't popular around the world like basketball and baseball but there's got to be a rudimentary interest factor. Eastern Europe loves basketball, Japan and Latin America loves baseball but only because the people have a basic interest in it.

The NFL and NFL Europe have been around for a while now and there hasn't been a huge grass roots movement overseas for the sport. I don't see how a game in China (or anywhere else) is going to broaden the fan base of football. Heck, it seems like the only other country interested is Canada.

Let them have their football and let me keep mine.

 

[desi-patsfan]

i agree with oldskool. Keep the games in the US.

 

[Murphys95]

We've talked about this before - the league is watering itself down by doing this. It can't even sell out stadiums in Miami and Los Angeles (when there was a team there). Its loyal core of fans doesn't need gimmicks, fancy stadiums, or games in London - it's the product that matters most and that's where the league needs to expend its energy and capital. Invest the money into goal line cameras and other in game technology.

I view this kinda like Monday Night Football. If ESPN would only wake up and realize that the fans don't give two sh*ts about booth interviews with celebrities and close ups of sideline reporters - fans want to see the stinking game without the sideshow, without the distraction.

 

[oldskool138]

Invest the money into goal line cameras and other in game technology.

I view this kinda like Monday Night Football. If ESPN would only wake up and realize that the fans don't give two sh*ts about booth interviews with celebrities and close ups of sideline reporters - fans want to see the stinking game without the sideshow, without the distraction.

Absolutely! Football would be just as popular without all the "spectacle" stuff. I mean, look at having Pink do the opening song to the Sunday Night game last week...or those creepy Chinese things at half-time. Horrible!

The NFL prides itself on being on the cutting edge of sports with instant replay and all that. They should focus on how they can make their game better. Get Hollywood out of the NFL!

 

[mgcolby]

Absolutely! Football would be just as popular without all the "spectacle" stuff. I mean, look at having Pink do the opening song to the Sunday Night game last week...or those creepy Chinese things at half-time. Horrible!

The NFL prides itself on being on the cutting edge of sports with instant replay and all that. They should focus on how they can make their game better. Get Hollywood out of the NFL!

Come on they did change the zebra's uniforms. That had to cost some money.

The pink thing doesn't bother me, kind of a tacky spin off of Hank but overall I could care less. But those chinese things were definitly strange. I do think the celebrity interviews on ESPN are annoying as hell, but then again ESPN kept Theismann around so I don't think there is much hope of ESPN listening now.

 

[QuiGon]

A proposal the league plans to present to NFL owners in October calls for two regular-season games to be played outside the United States every season. If approved, the plan could go into effect next season. England, Mexico, Germany and Canada have been targeted as possible locations.
-- Arizona Republic

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/09/28/truth.rumors.nfl/index.html

I think preseason games are Ok I don't care for regular season games being played outside the U.S. I believe its to much on the teams just my opinion.

I would be pretty pissed if I were the season ticket holder of a team that played a game outside the U.S. They force me to buy 2 preseason tickets for 8 home games and then they want to take away one of the home games..!?? Gimme a break.

 

[gomezcat]

I'm against regular season games outside the country. Home field advantage is a big part of the game, just ask the Seahawks and Chiefs. When the Pats and 'Hawks play in Red China next year, who will the fans be cheering for? Will they know when to cheer?

I don't know. I understand that American Football isn't popular around the world like basketball and baseball but there's got to be a rudimentary interest factor. Eastern Europe loves basketball, Japan and Latin America loves baseball but only because the people have a basic interest in it.

The NFL and NFL Europe have been around for a while now and there hasn't been a huge grass roots movement overseas for the sport. I don't see how a game in China (or anywhere else) is going to broaden the fan base of football. Heck, it seems like the only other country interested is Canada.

Let them have their football and let me keep mine.

When we last had the debate, most of us agreed that "American" Football won't really grow more than it has done in the UK. Most of my compatriots don't, and don't want to, understand the sport-it's their loss. The most similar sport to it, Rugby, is less popular than most foreigners might imagine and is a minority sport. Football has a razzamatazz, stop-start, fat people in pads, image and it is difficult to shake that off, sadly.

 

[italian pat patriot]

we have touched this matter several times before but still i'm excited if 1 or 2 regular season games per year will be playied in Europe (UK or DE it does not matter)

i will go there whatever game will be playied (if NE will be one of them...MUCH MUCH MORE BETTER - i hope it will be a 'road' game of course)

 

[Keegs]

Alot depends on where. Buffalo playing a home game in Toronto for instance, or Seattle playing in Vancouver is a very minor change.

yes, just like the redskins playing in egypt or the Carolina Panthers playing in Greenland.

I'm right there with ya buddy.
:agree:

 

[Mike the Brit]

Yes, keep the games in the U.S.

You want to promote the games abroad? Well, make the TV available in palatable form to more people at times that they can actually watch them. I wonder how many people are signing up for internet access at $250 a throw. Unbelievable pricing! Once you've built up the fan base, taking teams abroad in the pre-season (or even in the off-season) is smart. But don't undermine the product with your home market just for a one-off with no solid developmental potential.

 

[Tunescribe]

There are too few home games as it is with only eight. I'd hate to have it decreased to seven on behalf of foreign "fans" who couldn't give a rat's ass who wins or who loses. Preseason games are one thing, but taking regular-season games out of the country is a kick in the teeth to season ticket holders.

 

[DarrylS]

That sucks, why don't they beef up NFL Europe and give this league some credibility then have them play around the world. It would change the game as we know it, imagine the time differential.

 

[broadwayjoe]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2606336

Just wanted to add a little more information I found on this subject and I agree with the coaches.

 

[ironwasp]

Yes, keep the games in the U.S.

You want to promote the games abroad? Well, make the TV available in palatable form to more people at times that they can actually watch them. I wonder how many people are signing up for internet access at $250 a throw. Unbelievable pricing! Once you've built up the fan base, taking teams abroad in the pre-season (or even in the off-season) is smart. But don't undermine the product with your home market just for a one-off with no solid developmental potential.

I would happily shell out the $250 if I knew that that guaranteed me the opportunity to watch each Pats game here in England, but the deal with SKy the UK broadcaster of NFL) means they cannot show games on the net that are live on Sky, so that might take out 5/6 games in regular season. (Particularly now they have struck a choose-from-two-games deal). But still I'll happily pay the $24.95 they are asking for each weekend when I can see the Pats. That to me is good value, given I pay $35 to watch live rugby and might pay $100 for a soccer match.

I would also not be in favour of the NFL playing regular season games here in London even thgouh it means I have to travel to Boston to watch the Pats. BUt for me going to Foxborough and mixing with fans etc is part of the attraction of the game. I don't want to sit at Wembley next to some guy who last watched football when the Fridge was around.

By all means bring an exhibition game here, but not regular season.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I would happily shell out the $250 if I knew that that guaranteed me the opportunity to watch each Pats game here in England, but the deal with SKy the UK broadcaster of NFL) means they cannot show games on the net that are live on Sky, so that might take out 5/6 games in regular season. (Particularly now they have struck a choose-from-two-games deal). But still I'll happily pay the $24.95 they are asking for each weekend when I can see the Pats. That to me is good value, given I pay $35 to watch live rugby and might pay $100 for a soccer match.

I would also not be in favour of the NFL playing regular season games here in London even thgouh it means I have to travel to Boston to watch the Pats. BUt for me going to Foxborough and mixing with fans etc is part of the attraction of the game. I don't want to sit at Wembley next to some guy who last watched football when the Fridge was around.

By all means bring an exhibition game here, but not regular season.

Interesting post.

Are they selling the games as one-shot deals?

Even so, I'd have some reservations. First, if I'm paying that for a game, I'd want to be sure about the quality over an average broadband connection. Football is complicated enough and I don't want to have to peer at a fuzzy image in an 8 inch window. (Last Sunday, I couldn't even sustain the Patsfans.com chatroom. I'd be pretty annoyed if the connection dropped when someone was going for it on 4th and 1.) Second, I'd want to have a way of recording the game, both because the time difference can make it awkward to watch and because, as a devoted fan, I'd like to be able to watch it again in slo-mo or whatever when I like.

But you and I would pay that price because we're diehards (well, maybe you, anyway ). Your reference to the guy who last watched football when the Fridge was playing says it all: that was when the audience for football was built up in the UK, by excellent free-to-air broadcasting. Since then, it's been shrinking as those of us who got enthused at that time get older.

There are now a ton of channels in most U.K. homes thanks to Freeview and many of them are desperate for content (ever watched More4?). The NFL should do a deal with one of them to show its content, well promoted in a prominent time slot with advertising by its U.S. sponsors with international reach (that, after all, is why they are keen to expand internationally, isn't it?). The extra kudos it would get from those sponsors would more than compensate for the little money it gets from Sky. At the same time, it should beef up NFL Europe and get it shown in a prime slot every Sunday (a double-header, say, starting at 2 pm on Sundays) -- broadcast with a time delay to the U.S. as well.

Ach, but why bother? As I said in the thread when we were discussing how well the NFL has got itself organized in the U.S., it's amazing that they can be so smart there and have their heads so far up their *sses when it comes to promoting the game outside the U.S.

 

[ironwasp]

Interesting post.

Are they selling the games as one-shot deals?

Even so, I'd have some reservations. First, if I'm paying that for a game, I'd want to be sure about the quality over an average broadband connection. Football is complicated enough and I don't want to have to peer at a fuzzy image in an 8 inch window. (Last Sunday, I couldn't even sustain the Patsfans.com chatroom. I'd be pretty annoyed if the connection dropped when someone was going for it on 4th and 1.) Second, I'd want to have a way of recording the game, both because the time difference can make it awkward to watch and because, as a devoted fan, I'd like to be able to watch it again in slo-mo or whatever when I like.

They aren't selling the games as one-shot deals, but instead you can buy live access to all games any given week for $25. I watched the Bills game over a 1mb connection and the quality was pretty good - not great but good enough. It was in a relatively small window but it wasn't fuzzy and you could see perfectly clearly what was going on. As for slo-om etc and recording a game, I have no idea. I didn't try. I do know that you can have access to all games for a further 24 hours.

For me this is a major, major leap forward. Access to just about all Pats regular season games is what I've been waiting to for years. And this is pretty early days for live streaming, so I expect all these things to improve dramatically.

 

[taltos]

One point that several posters have mentioned is the loss of a home game by exporting a regular season game. To my way of thinking, the only way this would work is for the game to be a non conference game played the week before the bye and to be scheduled as an away game for each team. I do think that the league and owners could be trying to get too much out of the goose that laid the golden egg and could end up choking their own chickens instead if the market ever starts to retract. One can only hope that they come to their senses.