Kraft stumping for London team (say it ain't so, Bob)

[SB39]

I agree that OAK and BUFF are near financial peril because of their stadiums. The situation will be solved one way or the other. LA and Toronto are the obvious alternatives.

None of these teams are in financial peril. Hell, I don't even buy that they are losing money. It's all just a lot of creative bookkeeping designed to fleece taxpayers as much as possible.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

The minute the NFL gets a team in London is when I will no longer follow football. The NBA in toronto and Vancouver was/is a disaster and the blue jays too. It's an american sport - keep it that way.

 

[Joker]

It's not the NFL a lot of us grew up on.It's more entertainment now than sport, more American Idol than 60 Minutes.

This epitomizes what I consider the real NFL...

Today we get to pay 100 times the money to watch the Kelly Clarkson of the NFL pout, *****, whine, moan and cry...

Seattle exposed the tissue paper nature of today's legislated "game". One good shot in the mouth and the Bronocs folded like Michael Spinks...

 

[Jackson 2]

The minute the NFL gets a team in London is when I will no longer follow football. The NBA in toronto and Vancouver was/is a disaster and the blue jays too. It's an american sport - keep it that way.

You wouldn't believe how many older Canadians feel the same way about US NHL franchises.

 

[Deus Irae]

You wouldn't believe how many older Canadians feel the same way about US NHL franchises.

Of the "original 6" NHL teams, only 2 were in Canada.

Boston
Chicago
Detroit
NYR
Montreal
Toronto

Going even further back, there were other U.S. teams in Pittsburgh and N.Y. It was an international league, essentially, from the beginning.

 

[Jackson 2]

Of the "original 6" NHL teams, only 2 were in Canada.

Boston
Chicago
Detroit
NYR
Montreal
Toronto

Going even further back, there were other U.S. teams in Pittsburgh and N.Y. It was an international league, essentially, from the beginning.

Origin: Windsor, Nova Scotia, despite what creationists claim.

 

[Jackson 2]

Of the "original 6" NHL teams, only 2 were in Canada.

Boston
Chicago
Detroit
NYR
Montreal
Toronto

Going even further back, there were other U.S. teams in Pittsburgh and N.Y. It was an international league, essentially, from the beginning.

It was not international from the beginning. There were 4 "original" NHL teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs. The league premiered with those teams in 1917 and it wasn't until 1924 that the first US team, the Boston's Bruins, was added.

 

[mgteich]

It was not international from the beginning. There were 4 "original" NHL teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs. The league premiered with those teams in 1917 and it wasn't until 1924 that the first US team, the Boston's Bruins, was added.

So you have been talking to old times who lood back to the good old days when they were 20 and watched the 4 team league in 1924. Such a person would be 110 years old.

So, for the past 90 years, the NHL (notice the name "national") has been international.

 

[moosekill]

It was not international from the beginning. There were 4 "original" NHL teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs. The league premiered with those teams in 1917 and it wasn't until 1924 that the first US team, the Boston's Bruins, was added.

Not really sure how many 90 year old Canadians there are that remember the NHL pre Bruins, but I am guessing it isn't too many, and you may be exagerating a bit.

Lol, just beat me to it.

 

[moosekill]

The minute the NFL gets a team in London is when I will no longer follow football. The NBA in toronto and Vancouver was/is a disaster and the blue jays too. It's an american sport - keep it that way.

I always love these quotes. So if in 2016 they move Jacksonville to London, you won't watch the Patriots ever again. Lol

 

[mgteich]

I don't know whether this is really a record distance. However, I agree that fans in the city of SF are closer to Oakland and have better access to Oakland games. That will likely be true even when the proposed BART station is built. I would note that there likely be special game trains using AMTRAK to the light rail system.

Of course, many (likely most) SF fans live closer to the new stadium in Santa Clara than they did to Candlestick. After all, San Jose is a larger city than San Francisco, and there are lots and lots of people closer to San Jose than to San Francisco.
======

BTW, do you have a problem with the stadiums for two teams representing NY being in New Jersey.

How about the team resenting Hartford and Boston being in Foxboro?

They actually kind of already have. I think they will break the record as far as distance teams play from the city they represent. If you're in San Francisco, you are literally closer to Oakland Raiders home games than upcoming San Francisco 49ers home games. Not to mention it is 100 times more easily accessible since you can just hop on BART and get to O.co Coliseum.

They're now the San Jose 49ers in all but name.

 

[unoriginal]

You wouldn't believe how many older Canadians feel the same way about US NHL franchises.

So you have been talking to old times who lood back to the good old days when they were 20 and watched the 4 team league in 1924. Such a person would be 110 years old.

So, for the past 90 years, the NHL (notice the name "national") has been international.

Well, the spirit of the post is that ice hockey is not an American sport, and Canada lost a few franchises and famous icons to warm-weather US cities, where hockey "doesn't belong."

Just a counter to TommyBrady, pointing out a misplaced "club membership" feeling. "I refuse to allow limeys in our american football club!"

 

[mgteich]

I always love these quotes. So if in 2016 they move Jacksonville to London, you won't watch the Patriots ever again. Lol

I'm sure folks have said this many, many times before. Many probably said it when Milloy was cut. Certainly, most of the team was very pis$$ed and was vocal about it. That all last for one whole game. This happens every time the league expands or changes the playoff structure.

The patriots are the #2 most valuable and most profitable team in the NFL, and one the best managed in all of sports. The patriots also have been the most successful of any team since Kraft arrived, and since Belichick and Brady arrived.

IMHO, having to play one of the two additional regular season games in London won't lose the patriots more fans than it gains them.

 

[SB39]

I don't know whether this is really a record distance.

Well if you have an example of a team that plays a greater distance away from the city it represents, I sure would be interested to hear it. (I am obviously talking about a permanent situation, not temporary ones like the Saints playing in San Antonio one year).

BTW, do you have a problem with the stadiums for two teams representing NY being in New Jersey.

First of all, I don't have a "problem" with any of these things, I am just making observations and pointing out facts. I don't care in the slightest where the 49ers play their home games or what they call themselves. I am just accurately pointing out how far away from San Francisco they are actually located now and they are significantly closer to San Jose than San Francisco and San Francisco is significantly closer to Oakland than the 49ers stadium.

Second of all, despite the fact that you have to cross state lines, East Rutherford, New Jersey, is within spittin' distance of New York City. People like you think it is a different state so it must be far away, but you can practically walk there. Those 2 teams, like roughly 1/3 the league, do not play within the limits of the city they represent, but they certainly play in that city's metropolitan area. The Redskins don't play in DC, the Cowboys don't play in Dallas, the Bills don't play in Buffalo, but they're all a helluva lot closer to those respective cities than Santa Clara is to San Francisco.

If you're in Dallas, you sure as heck aren't closer to some other team than the Cowboys. The same is no longer true for residents of San Francisco.

How about the team resenting Hartford and Boston being in Foxboro?

Hartford may be in New England but it is certainly not the metropolitan area with which the Patriots are most commonly associated. If anyone had to pick one specific city that goes with the Patriots, they would pick Boston, not Hartford and not Providence. Yes Hartford is in New England but using that logic you could say the Golden State Warriors represent Los Angeles and the Florida Panthers represent Tampa Bay. Bridgeport and Trumbull, CT, may be in New England but I would hardly consider it Patriots country down there.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I really try to show respect to the elderly, so i am going to just leave this discussion alone. Sports are too noisy for you so don't go.

I notice you didn't answer his question. Have you ever been to an actual game?

If you have you would have noticed that from the moment the ball is blown dead until the moment of the following snap, they play earsplittingly loud (crap) music over the loudspeakers for the entire game. They've mostly destroyed being able to actually talk to seatmates about the game.

I have no problems with fan-generated noise (and in fact wish it were louder), but the whole artificial "game presentation" crap really sucks.

 

[Deus Irae]

It was not international from the beginning. There were 4 "original" NHL teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs. The league premiered with those teams in 1917 and it wasn't until 1924 that the first US team, the Boston's Bruins, was added.

Yes, "essentially, from the beginning". As I said. Do the math.

Anyone complaining about the "good old days" before there was a U.S. team would have to be 90+ years old, and that's if they were intellectually capable of grasping such things at birth. Given even, say, 5 years to really grasp it, and we're talking about 95+ year old Canadians.

Given the data here (admittedly a couple of years off, so the numbers will have varied by a relative handful),

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/0...-has-more-than-5825-people-aged-100-or-older/

I think it's safe to say that the number of "older Canadians" in this exercise is extremely small.

 

[supafly]

Seattle exposed the tissue paper nature of today's legislated "game". One good shot in the mouth and the Bronocs folded like Michael Spinks...

That's one hell of an uppercut. What a shame that this kind of rare talent quickly faded.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Not if you follow the EPL. English soccer players are by and large, average and unimaginative. It's the reason why they import good players.

not sure what your point is; that's a common practice. many of the US team's players are dual nationals. my point was that, while soccer will never overtake american football in popularity (or even get real close), soccer has dramatically changed its profile in the US both with fans and globally.

 

[UK_Pat37]

Poor analogy.

There are plenty of reasons to think that if the NFL expands to London, not only will it be a disaster but it would be a failure from a competitive standpoint. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

Why? The NFL is growing massively in popularity in the UK.

Just last April four former NFL players, including Byron Chamberlain (a 2x Super Bowl Champion and 1 x Pro Bowl TE), flew to the UK and hosted two camps. One was a youth camp filled with kids who'd never tossed a pigskin in their lives.

This included children from a local youth charity. Those kids cannot stop talking about the game now and are constantly asking when we are doing it again.

The NFL will fail if they don't target the right people...if they target these guys, then the potential is unreal.

I don't think some of you realise how global this sport already is...there are thousands of teams across the globe playing the sport from as far East as China all the way to the UK and Europe.

In the UK alone there are 76 University teams, 54 adult national league teams, 36 U-19 junior teams, 33 U-17 youth teams and numerous flag teams that compete in tournaments all year round. There is now a Women's program and numerous women teams are sprouting up across the country. I have helped coach one of them.

The NFL won't have to fill Wembley every week because the likelihood is it won't even be at WWembley. The NFL have been in talks with both West Ham United and Tottenham about sharing. Tottenham have plans for a state-of the art-65k stadium whilst West Ham are moving in to the Olympic Stadium which will seat 54K.

American's need to stop thinking of Football as their sport. The first porigins of the game weren't even played in America. It is a global sport that is growing at an unprecedented rate and this is only a matter of time.

Yes it could fail....if the right approach isn't taken. But I firmly believe with the will power of the NFL community here in the UK and the right approach from the NFL, this idea will prosper to the point I could see teams playing in places such as Germany.

 

[ausbacker]

not sure what your point is; that's a common practice. many of the US team's players are dual nationals. my point was that, while soccer will never overtake american football in popularity (or even get real close), soccer has dramatically changed its profile in the US both with fans and globally.

My point is despite soccer fans claiming it will challenge and overtake our national sports, I have seen nothing to suggest that this will be the case.

Profile counts for little when discussing the top level. It ebbs and flows with time.