NFL Franchise in London

[SoCalWizFan]

It's obvious that the NFL is planning on moving the Jags to London.

They are looking for a team to join the Bills as teams to be part of the NFL outside of the USA.

Well - if that is the case then most teams can probably travel on the same day & still be in good enough shape to win.

 

[anotheridiot]

I thought the ownership group of the Tampa Bay team were from London and Tampa was the team leaving. If they work it around the bye week for teams and no Thursday night games most teams will probably enjoy a few days in london. If they make it so the NFL team is also travelling back to london it would even the field, but the thought was let the team play two or three games here, then go to london for two or three games.

Bigger problem will be if they make the playoffs and get home field advantage and the bye week.

 

[(Un)]

...

1) The people in Europe wont support a losing team. They want to win right off the bat. They don't want to hear about how you have to build a franchise and lose for a few years.

...

Sounds like Los Angeles.

 

[cdumler7]

Sounds like Los Angeles.

There in lies the problem in the United States. Where else do you put a team? LA has shown they just do not seem to like the NFL. Charlotte North Carolina is probably the next biggest city that doesn't have an NFL team but can you really support 2 Carolina teams? I mean I guess Texas does have a few more cities but again you already have a couple of Texas teams so hard to have more fans support more teams in one State.

The only other option is to expand to other countries. Again people have to remember flights to other cities in Europe is not as long as it used to be. There are Jets nowadays that they are testing out that make it in 2 hours from NY to London. The world truly is getting smaller.

 

[(Un)]

They were rolling tape this morning of Goodell and even Kraft talking about a team in London. It wont work and here are a few reasons why:

1) The people in Europe wont support a losing team. They want to win right off the bat. They don't want to hear about how you have to build a franchise and lose for a few years. The main sport over there is either soccer or invading France, but in either case it's their passion and any sport that's going to try to take root needs to be winning. Over here you can start a franchise and lose for a few years and the fans will still show up. Why? Because football is so huge here. The fans get it.

2) They expect European players. Now, how do I know this? Because I remember that being a big sticking point with NFL Europe. They actually instituted a rule that you had to have at least one international player on the field per game on at least one play. Most coaches made it the upback on a punt. The people of England are going to want to see players from England on the field and anyone they have over there playing the game just wont be good enough to make our roster.

It took almost 6 decades for baseball to be played in Japan before we started seeing Japanese baseball players that were good enough for MLB. I can't see London being any different in that regard.

On that note, baseball exists in Japan because they wanted it. MLB didn't try to push for a franchise there. The fans loved the sport and the game grew. Here we're taking the opposite approach and it's failed once already.

3) Travel time. It's not that bad if the team in London is playing teams on the east coast, but if you're having to fly to San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, etc - that's about a 10 hour flight. You fly 10 hours, go through your regular routine during the week, play the game, then fly another 10 hours or so home. Every week either visiting teams will do it or the team from London will do it.

I get that the NFL sees the size of London and recognizes that it's an untapped market, but I don't think it will work.

As far as travel time goes...

NFL broadcasters regularly display stats of how West coast teams fair when traveling to the East coast and vice versa. A London based team would fly the equivalent of that distance when playing against their closest opponents. Those 10 hour flights you mentioned would be just plain brutal.

It's safe to assume the team would have one of the better home field advantages in the league... and one of the worst road records.

 

[NinerSickness]

Team name: The London Jet Lags.

 

[(Un)]

There in lies the problem in the United States. Where else do you put a team? LA has shown they just do not seem to like the NFL. Charlotte North Carolina is probably the next biggest city that doesn't have an NFL team but can you really support 2 Carolina teams? I mean I guess Texas does have a few more cities but again you already have a couple of Texas teams so hard to have more fans support more teams in one State.

The only other option is to expand to other countries. Again people have to remember flights to other cities in Europe is not as long as it used to be. There are Jets nowadays that they are testing out that make it in 2 hours from NY to London. The world truly is getting smaller.

I say Canada. You may disagree with me. I'm always amazed at how many people are against the concept of putting an NFL team in Canada. But to me, Canada is a whole lot more feasible than Europe.

1. Canada is a lot closer. We share the same time zones.
2. They already have an established fan base interested in the sport.
3. The NHL, NBA and MLB all manage to operate internationally with Canada. MLS as well.

The big obstacle everyone points out to is the CFL. But my understanding has always been that the CFL is an inferior product. The better players go to the NFL because the NFL pays higher salaries.

My guess is that if you place 1 NFL team in Canada, and make that the one team that Canadians can call their own (sell the national pride angle), you'll easily have enough NFL fans to support the team.

 

[cdumler7]

I don't disagree with the Canada thing at all. Like you said other sports have successfully supported a team in Canada and my guess with how popular the NFL already is in Canada that it would get the biggest fan base of any country year one at this point. Not sure why Goodell seems half way set against Canada. You never hear him talk about it.

 

[Hbomb]

Team name: The London Jet Lags.

Well Done.

 

[gowazzu02]

If it happens I bet the league makes Seattle play there every year like we have with Carolina and Chicago. Seattles already travels twice as much as your average NFC east team, might as well really pile on.

 

[Hbomb]

the travel aspect of it is terrible. Not for the American teams, but for the London team. Traveling probably every other week would be awful. American teams probably wouldn't mind it as they would most likely fly out Sunday night or Monday morning and spend all week in London. But for the London team you're going to be on the away from home A LOT.

but in the end this is nothing but a marketing and $$ plan.

And beyond stupid. So naturally it'll come to pass.

 

[broncosmitty]

Canada has their own league. Only option would be for Goodell to try and kill the CFL and take over. Toronto is too close to Buffalo. Montreal and Edmonton would/could be options, but not if the Alouettes and Eskimos still exist.

Why the NFL feels American Football can succeed outside North America is beyond me. Euros aren't playing and they aren't caring. Move JVille to Anaheim and leave it alone.

 

[Jikkle]

If it happens I bet the league makes Seattle play there every year like we have with Carolina and Chicago. Seattles already travels twice as much as your average NFC east team, might as well really pile on.

It's not just a Seattle problem but team's on the west coast problem in general.

The top 5 in mileage last season where all WC teams

1. San Francisco 32,948 miles (London)
2. San Diego 26,932
3. Oakland 26,240
4. Seattle 23,914
5. Arizona 20,620

Top 5 this upcoming season

1. Raiders: 36,106 miles (London)
2. Seahawks: 26,144
3. Cowboys: 24,746 (London)
4. Dolphins: 24,546 (London)
5. Jaguars: 22,230 (London)

6 and 7 were the Chargers and 9ers who probably would've been in the top 5 if 3-5 weren't playing in London.

So Seattle did get hammered in miles this season but most of that is from being on the WC and part of that is having a champions schedule. But if any team has a gripe it's the Raiders who would've logged in some serious mileage even if they weren't playing in London.

 

[Midnightangel]

Can we get a team in LA before we try for a London market grab? Ridiculous.

We've had 3 teams in LA - all failed.

Chargers, Rams and Raiders.

 

[RoboticDreams]

We've had 3 teams in LA - all failed.

Chargers, Rams and Raiders.

Nothing would fail more stupendously than a team in London. To even think of it is ridiculous. They would be better suited to put a team in Canada, eh...

 

[Jikkle]

We've had 3 teams in LA - all failed.

Chargers, Rams and Raiders.

Rams and Raiders didn't fail they just had crazy owners. Both of those teams would probably do and would've done better if they stayed in LA.

The issue now with a team in LA isn't that there isn't a crazy big NFL fanbase it's become a very divided NFL fanbase. You see fans of all sorts of different NFL teams from Raiders, Rams, Steelers, Cowboys, 9ers, Chargers, Giants, and etc.

For an NFL team to become a massive hit in LA it would need to plant it's roots there and patiently wait for a generation or two to get a steady dedicated fanbase.

The LA Angels are a good example in that it took the Angels decades before they really escaped the Dodgers shadow to have a pretty dedicated and core fanbase of it's own.

 

[Midnightangel]

Nothing would fail more stupendously than a team in London. To even think of it is ridiculous. They would be better suited to put a team in Canada, eh...

I'd rather see one in a city that has never had one before.

San Antonio comes to mind.

So does Vegas.

I can see the Bills moving to Canada.

 

[(Un)]

Canada has their own league. Only option would be for Goodell to try and kill the CFL and take over. Toronto is too close to Buffalo. Montreal and Edmonton would/could be options, but not if the Alouettes and Eskimos still exist.

Why the NFL feels American Football can succeed outside North America is beyond me. Euros aren't playing and they aren't caring. Move JVille to Anaheim and leave it alone.

I'd actually like to see the NFL get into contract negotiations to purchase the CFL outright.

Buy it, merge the leagues, then you already have the established infrastructure of stadiums, etc. They'd have to make some significant changes due to the CFL fields being larger and getting the CFL teams on board with NFL rules (if they NFL buys the CFL, they're playing by NFL rules).

The NFL should definitely have the money needed to make a deal like that happen.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I'd actually like to see the NFL get into contract negotiations to purchase the CFL outright.

Buy it, merge the leagues, then you already have the established infrastructure of stadiums, etc. They'd have to make some significant changes due to the CFL fields being larger and getting the CFL teams on board with NFL rules (if they NFL buys the CFL, they're playing by NFL rules).

The NFL should definitely have the money needed to make a deal like that happen.

Interesting idea, one that I never considered.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

The NFL has the perfect number of teams right now. 4 divisions of 4 teams each in two difference conferences. If there is ever going to be a team in LA, Toronto, or London it needs to be a current NFL team relocating. Obviously Jacksonville is the most likely team to move, but the Raiders in LA would make sense considering the stadium issues they're having right now.

A team in London doesn't make any sense at all. Just sounds like another one of Goodell's dumbass "change for the sake of change" ideas. He just wants to leave his own mark on the league, that's the only logical conclusion you can come to when you consider all the idiotic BS he's proposing.