Chicago Bears London Trip: Should the NFL Go Global?
Published by James Kries on October 20, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
With the Bears flying to London today to get ready for their game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the prospect of even more regular season games played overseas will become a reality in 2012.
In a press release last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that NFL owners agreed to hold games in the United Kingdom through 2016.
In the short term, this might be an issue for players having their weekly routines disrupted. This week, the Bears will lose six hours after arriving in London, and then have to adjust to their new surroundings and their internal clock before preparing for Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Goodell announced that teams can volunteer to go, having one of their home games to be played in London, or other future venues in Europe. While it has been widely reported that sales for the Bears and Buccaneers game has been sluggish, it still should be a healthy crowd at the 86,000 seat-capacity Wembley Stadium, in London, England.
The NFL has somehow determined that the English fanbase for American football has increased 32 percent to 11 million in the last two years. That seems like a healthy number considering the U.K.’s passion for soccer, but it might not be enough to generate a season-ticket holder base at this time. A new overseas franchise may be the goal at some point, and this addition of more annual games seems to be a step in that direction.
Will there ever be a time when an NFL franchise in England can be a sustainable venture? If there is enough support for one or more overseas franchises, is this something that NFL fans in the states would support, or would it lessen the NFL brand?
Across the pond in England, as in the U.S., there are plenty of diversions to compete for paying customers’ attention and money. As for sports, soccer is king in England, as it is in most of the world. In London alone, there are 14 professional soccer teams with five playing in the Premier League. Imagine five NFL teams in Chicago, with each carrying deep traditions and dedicated fans. There wouldn’t be much room for another franchise, let alone another major sport.
I respect the NFL and its owners’ desire to spread their brand awareness into as many households as possible, regardless of borders. I do believe, however, that too much growth and flag-planting of the NFL brand could lessen the impact and importance of the sport to American fans.
Along with American football, I am also a big fan of English football (soccer), mainly the Premier League. I still have quite a bit of discovery ahead of me, in terms of teams’ traditions, rivalries, and past triumphs. Part of the allure of the Premier League to me, and soccer around the world, is the fact that its history and matches don’t take place on American soil, but in a place I’ve never been to.
Watching and following the Premier League can be an interesting snapshot of a foreign culture and community. It also has what makes the NFL so great- fierce competition, great athleticism, and every week brings amazing plays never witnessed before.
The NFL is easily America’s most popular sport, and its owners and players make a mint off of the enormous TV contracts that have been in place for the last couple of decades. If NFL franchises start popping up in London, Mexico City, and Toronto, and they don’t succeed, the league might be spreading itself too thin.
The NHL has suffered constant setbacks in recent years with labor disputes, bankrupt franchises, and seemingly constant relocation of teams. While it’s as popular as it’s ever been in Chicago, the NHL is somewhat of a niche sport in comparison to the other major leagues.
I wish the NFL well in its quest to gain more fans around the globe.
Football teams are popping up at universities around the U.K. at a tremendous rate. Maybe a developmental league or another crack at an NFL Europe will be the result of continued interest overseas. I just don’t think NFL franchises outside of the U.S. would be good for the game.
My point is not meant to be political, but I think the NFL should stay within the U.S. I think fans in England might want it that way, as well. I wouldn’t want to see Manchester United play a league soccer match in Oklahoma City, nor would I want to see the Seahawks take on the London Fog. The NFL is truly an American sport, and should remain as such.
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