NFL to expand international series

[SonnyCID]

NFL could play in Germany by 2017, China by 2018

 

[Dude]

I love the way NFL has gained international fans, they have built a great brand. But, traveling so far seems difficult for the team - maybe they could schedule games for teams that have a bye week after the overseas games?

 

[night]

Good. I think Europe is starting to like the NFL because of its presence out there and China is a huge market that hasn't been fully tapped.

 

[night]

I love the way NFL has gained international fans, they have built a great brand. But, traveling so far seems difficult for the team - maybe they could schedule games for teams that have a bye week after the overseas games?

The other option is to do it around a long week after a Thursday game.

 

[Dude]

The other option is to do it around a long week after a Thursday game.

That makes sense, because you would automatically have both teams resting, whereas in other proposal it would be more difficult to get the scheduling right.

 

[Davis_Mike]

I am not a fan of having my team play out of country. But it makes total sense for the NFL to this. Can you imagine the amount of money a team could start raking in if they managed to establish a fan base in China?

 

[dkmightyhammer]

I love the way NFL has gained international fans, they have built a great brand. But, traveling so far seems difficult for the team - maybe they could schedule games for teams that have a bye week after the overseas games?

They already do that don't they? I'm pretty sure any team that plays in England has had their bye the following week.

In a "let's make this about the Seahawks" moment, let me say that East coast teams traveling to London is very similar to West Coast teams traveling to the East Coast (it's about 90 minutes difference in flight time). Yet, East coast teams don't like the idea of traveling to Europe for games due to the distance. Uh ya, that's what we've been saying on the West Coast forever. So in that aspect it wouldn't seem necessary to give teams the bye the week after since west coast teams don't automatically get byes the week after playing an east coast game.

 

[Davis_Mike]

The best way to schedule games in China are for them to be on Thursday night either to start the year or after a bye week for both teams.

And this is where adding an extra game to the schedule comes in the future. Every team will end up playing out of the country once each year without having to give up a home game.

 

[Dude]

They already do that don't they? I'm pretty sure any team that plays in England has had their bye the following week.

In a "let's make this about the Seahawks" moment, let me say that East coast teams traveling to London is very similar to West Coast teams traveling to the East Coast (it's about 90 minutes difference in flight time). Yet, East coast teams don't like the idea of traveling to Europe for games due to the distance. Uh ya, that's what we've been saying on the West Coast forever. So in that aspect it wouldn't seem necessary to give teams the bye the week after since west coast teams don't automatically get byes the week after playing an east coast game.

You are probably right, makes sense. Don't know the details. Still, it's not the same to travel overseas as it is coast to coast.

 

[SonnyCID]

I am not a fan of having my team play out of country. But it makes total sense for the NFL to this. Can you imagine the amount of money a team could start raking in if they managed to establish a fan base in China?

I don't mind if my team plays out of the country. I just don't want them playing home games out of the country. But the teams that do are teams that have trouble selling tickets at home so I understand the appeal for them to a. Guarantee a sell out, b. Be nationally televised, and c. Establish a foreign fanbase, like you said.

 

[SonnyCID]

You are probably right, makes sense. Don't know the details. Still, it's not the same to travel overseas as it is coast to coast.

Obviously you're not going through customs flying coast to coast. But length of flight isn't that much different. It's a 5.5-6 hr flight from Seattle to NY, and a 6.5-7 hr flight from NY to London.

 

[ducky]

I don't mind if my team plays out of the country. I just don't want them playing home games out of the country. But the teams that do are teams that have trouble selling tickets at home so I understand the appeal for them to a. Guarantee a sell out, b. Be nationally televised, and c. Establish a foreign fanbase, like you said.

If Japan had any interest in NFL football, I guarantee you that Seattle would be more than willing to give up a home game to go play there.

It would be worth it to certain owners in certain cities to give up home games to go play in the international series.

 

[Dude]

Obviously you're not going through customs flying coast to coast. But length of flight isn't that much different. It's a 5.5-6 hr flight from Seattle to NY, and a 6.5-7 hr flight from NY to London.

That is true, but also coast to coast, you remain in U.S. territory and don't face a bunch of strange customs, food, language in the case of China, etc. I've heard you basically need a personal interpreter in China, few people speak understandable English, but that seems to be the case in England too.

 

[SonnyCID]

If Japan had any interest in NFL football, I guarantee you that Seattle would be more than willing to give up a home game to go play there.

It would be worth it to certain owners in certain cities to give up home games to go play in the international series.

Then why arent there any good teams with great home field advantages and long waiting lists for seats playing home games in London? Not a single one is willing to do it. It would hardly be a guarantee that Seattle would do it if Japan was interested, outside of preseason.

 

[Dude]

Then why arent there any good teams with great home field advantages and long waiting lists for seats playing home games in London? Not a single one is willing to do it. It would hardly be a guarantee that Seattle would do it if Japan was interested, outside of preseason.

Also, it is more difficult for "roadies" to travel overseas to go root for their teams, even if traveling across the country.

 

[Dude]

If Japan had any interest in NFL football, I guarantee you that Seattle would be more than willing to give up a home game to go play there.

It would be worth it to certain owners in certain cities to give up home games to go play in the international series.

Maybe they could get the Vikings to go play in one of Scandinavian countries? Err, scratch that, not enough fans to fill a stadium. There are probably more Swedes, Norwegians and Finnish in America than over there.

 

[ducky]

Then why arent there any good teams with great home field advantages and long waiting lists for seats playing home games in London? Not a single one is willing to do it. It would hardly be a guarantee that Seattle would do it if Japan was interested, outside of preseason.

Because there isn't a team in the US that has the branding possibilities in England that Seattle has in Japan.

It's the same reason the Mariners have had a Japanese baseball player on their roster every year for the last decade (and as a Mariner fan you know with the exception of Ichiro not all of the Japanese players have been worth saving a roster spot for because of their talent). Seattle and San Fran just have the natural name recognition in Japan where it would make sense for them to try and capitalize on a market there (if of course there was a market there....which I don't believe there is).

The Seahawks could try and piggyback as an away team in game in Japan....but I bet they would happily give up one home game too to try and capitalize on that market if it were to become big enough. But again that isn't likely as I doubt Japan becomes a big football country.

 

[ducky]

Maybe they could get the Vikings to go play in one of Scandinavian countries? Err, scratch that, not enough fans to fill a stadium. There are probably more Swedes, Norwegians and Finnish in America than over there.

Yeah if one of those countries went NFL crazy I am sure the Vikes would be beating down the league office's door to be the first to play there....even with a new stadium opening up this year. Just makes sense.

The NFL, whether we as fan's like it or not, is a business. And if our home team thinks they can make a good buck and establish a new market by playing in one of these games, they will happily do that even if it means giving up a home game.

Revenue from home games stopped being the majority revenue source for NFL teams A LONG time ago.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I could not care less if the NFL catches on anywhere else but where it is now.

They make enough $.

Think of the Herb boys trying to get their stuff through customs? Is the team going to hire "disposable mules" to accommodate this?

I remember the kerfuffle when Keith Richards got busted trying to play a Canuckistanian concert date in the 70's in Toronto.

 

[tducey]

I'm all for growing the game but the travel is way to much especially to China. Maybe do it in the summer for pre season but not in the regular season.