OT: Oh No! NFL Commits to Franchise in London by 2022

[chasa]

it's not a big deal.

The hardest thing is going to be figuring out how to compensate the players for playing in a much higher taxed area.

The team that goes over will be one of the crappier teams(jags, bucs, etc) They will be stretches of games,(3 away followed by 3 home) and they would play teams going into, or coming off of their bye weeks at home.

people saying this is a bad idea don't seem to realize that flying from boston/ny to london is almost a shorter flight then flying to the west coast, and 6 years from now their will probably be a new concord plane for even shorter cross ocean flights.

 

[FreeCourtroomBrady]

There is no doubt they would end up in the AFC East. They would probably move the Jags to London and move Miami to the AFC South. It would suck big time. The only silver lining is the London team is gauranteed to be garbage because they will have to pay their players a lot more for them to want to play in that city. A free two wins per year.

Can't wait for the London team to travel to Seattle and Los Angeles in the same season or vice versa, they can call the London team the "Zombies" because they are going to be too tired to play.

 

[PatsDeb]

NFL plans permanent UK-based franchise 'in six years'

Meh. They also committed to expanding the regular season by 2 games a few years ago. That didn't work out so well. Speaking of that, if they wanted to expand the season, they should add a 2nd bye week for each team during the season and that would help some of these guys heal up without adding extra games.

 

[PatsDeb]

Is Trump really going to let the NFL take these jobs out of America?

No, he's going to build a wall, and Europe is going to pay for it!

 

[borg]

For $200 million in salaries to be doled out by the London Monarchs in 2022, I think the players will be eager to adapt and cash those checks.
To NFL fans not living in Jacksonville, how does a London team really affect your life except to fill your Sunday AM void?
Regarding "the worrisome" family separation anxiety so many of you are projecting.....are you freakin kidding me. For many professional athletes, its a transient lifestyle already. Forgive my lack of sympathy for anyone that must sacrifice and live in London to collect their $4 million checks on average...... top 3 greatest cities on Earth, for 8 whole weeks....the torture. And lets be honest, not all families stay with the Professional athlete in season to begin with. I just wonder how any American business could ever take their company global given the employee "sacrifices" that apparently few on this board could ever handle......hence...right to the fetal position. "Toooo Haaaaard"
Then there are potential opportunities available for players in a Global city like London, a city that will essentially be the gateway for NFL business for all of Europe. Being the only show in Europe, with a population of 300 million +, seems more enticing than used car commercials in Jacksonville. And lets not forget the American eyes on the only show Sunday AM. All of a sudden, a team barely on anyone's conscience becomes a mainstay on Sunday programing. If I was the owner willing to make the move to London, I would make sure the NFL did not treat their morning telecasts as strictly regional. (think TBS---Atlanta Braves.....for years....exclusive national exposure).
Though I wasn't alive when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA, I bet the same logistics snarking took place back then....and there will always be short sighted/closed minds whose first instinct is always "no", "can't", "impossible".........and that cracks me up. Good thing the Mayflower passengers weren't sailing from Boston down to Plymouth.......because that journey would have been too haaaard so why botha (use chowder accent for best effect).

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I'll be done as a NYJFL fan by then, unless Brady is still around.

Us 1960 Pats fans may be done with more than that in 2022

 

[thecore762]

I highly doubt this goes through.

If anything just make a new Euro league.

 

[Dagg]

Your friend is among the paltry 4 percent of Londoners who like NFL football. FOUR PERCENT! That means 96 percent doesn't care. That's only 3 percent greater than Paris and Madrid.

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I dont think he actually lives in London but Manchester numbers are similar. However a quick google search on UK NFL viewership produces different numbers. Either way its a bad idea.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Are you trying to create an international incident? Turn an ally into an enemy?

Send the Jets to London Why not do something more subtle, like blowing up Big Ben.

I think that Roethlesberger will be retired before then. No need to blow him up you ISIS fellow traveler!

 

[BradyFTW!]

Assuming Roger is still commissioner by 2022, I'm pretty sure I won't be a fan anymore anyway. The NFL has already alienated me thoroughly enough that I'd be gone if it wasn't for Brady and Belichick.

 

[Wheelman]

Brady and Belichick will probably be retired by then. This is of a little consequence for me. But what a **** move, eh?

 

[unoriginal]

You can go to your local library and read on microfiche much the same reasoning and outrage against the MLB's expansion to the West Coast and Canada 40-60 years ago.

 

[Patstopia]

To just throw a single franchise into a conference without also placing an equal amount of teams in the other conference would unbalance the league.

So assume London gets a team, then Mexico City will also get a team.

With any luck, they will place the new London franchise will go to the NFC East and the new Mexico franchise will go to the AFC South.

I would HATE for either team to be added. But the almighty dollar is greater than the sport itself. Just another nail in an already tightening coffin the NFL is building for itself!

Way to go Rog!!!

 

[danmateus]

I'm not concerened about it and like everything else with the NFL it won't effect their bottom line. As for the players the travel is part of their job. In the Patriots case the flight to London would be around 6 hours...that's around the same time it would take to fly to play the LA Rams. Most teams are just going to have to learn to adjust. And if it is the Jags who go to london I suggest moving the London team to the AFC East,natural rivalry with New England and layup win and move the Dolphins to the AFC South where they naturally belong.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

You can go to your local library and read on microfiche much the same reasoning and outrage against the MLB's expansion to the West Coast and Canada 40-60 years ago.

Maybe, but there are major differences.

1) the distance between the west coast and London is undeniable; travel alone for those games will take a full day unless a reliable new version of the Concord is built (imagine the league expense, the same league that won't pay for Super Bowl I) or a space shuttle transport vehicle is reliably built (add 10x+ to that cost). Road trips always existed in MLB; only effective disadvantage to west coast expansion was the 1st game. In the NFL, teams complain about back-to-back road games; how would you handle London as both the home team and away team?

2) the west coast was still the US and Canada is practically the US to many Americans. London is foreign despite the common heritage. I think the destination will be undesirable for many free agents.

3) MLB games are all locally-centric while NFL games are nationally-focused. NFL nationally-centric works with 4 time zones; when you start adding teams in London you have a 9 time zone spread. All London games will need to be night game local time (1 PM eastern) or, if we have 9am eastern games again, that's 6 am west coast time. No one is waking up that early to watch an NFL game; value of the US TV contract just decreased in that scenario. If they do the night game approach, that's fine but now that team will only have real SNF, TNF or MNF games on the road, and the players will feel like they have a prime time game for each home game. So there are disadvantages there.

 

[Gronk]

No, he's going to build a wall, and Europe is going to pay for it!

And it's going to be EASY folks! So easy!

 

[brdmaverick]

How long before London hosts a Super Bowl?

 

[patfanken]

I don't know what you guys are worrying about. Remember this is the same league that "committed" to a team in LA back in 2000. Face it, by the time there is a team in London, BB and Brady will be gone and the NFL will have long eroded what is left of our interest in the game of football.

Frankly, we won't give a damned.

 

[borg]

If London happens...being a key board commissioner....I would make sure London would be in a division that featured other international cities as well....NYC, Washington ......or some team with the name England in it....or maybe Miami...the Brits love to achieve lobster color on S. Beach. If you are going international, you need international cities clashing. Imagine the cat fight if the league voted Dallas or Philly out of the NFC East.....or Buffalo from the AFC East.
Glamour needs to be created....along with some old fashioned hate. The NFL needs to "big time" the launch and I just don't see the Buffalo's and the Cincinnatti's getting the Brits' loins heated.
If I was in charge and global expansion was the only priority.....The Giants, Patriots, Skins, and London would be my grouping. Of course the NFL has a bigger goal of creating a European division and I doubt they would sacrifice historical rivals given this goal.

 

[Urgent]

Your friend is among the paltry 4 percent of Londoners who like NFL football. FOUR PERCENT! That means 96 percent doesn't care. That's only 3 percent greater than Paris and Madrid.

Yoour silly game, it ees an indahtament ov yoour cult-chure. All zheese smashing about of zee haids. Ahnd to hwat purpose? Ah prayfyur a nahse seep ev wahhn and to watch zee silent clown in zee bahx.