Overseas expansion

[Aaron]

During the Saints vs. Chargers game today (in London), the NFL Commish Roger Goodell mentioned that he wouldn't mind seeing a European city, like London, get its own team someday. It's not the first time we've heard this kind of talk. The NBA's David Stern has been mentioning this for years.

Do you guys think this will really happen someday, and do you think it should?

 

[AJ_II]

I don’t think it’s very likely for either the NFL or the NBA. Traveling, especially in the NBA where you play 3-5 games a week, would be a nightmare. However, I’d see it happening in the NBA before I would the NFL. Basketball is already very popular in Europe, so I think the NBA could succeed. Football is also extremely popular overseas, but their version involves a round ball.

 

[Wolf]

I probably wouldn't see a European NFL team anytime soon, they folded the Euro NFL league for some reason. The NFL will probably just play a game or two in Europe every year. If the NFL had to grow bigger Mexico City or some cities in Canada would probably see it first. Didn't the NFL try to buy the CFL?

I know NBA is popular in Mexico City but I don't see any Europeans teams anytime soon.

 

[ctkatz]

i can see an nfl team in germany, but probably no place else.

 

[siriusxm_csrep]

they folded the Euro NFL league for some reason.

Ya, because nobody outside of the cities that were in the league gave a damn.

Don't get me wrong, the WLAF/NFL Europe/NFL Europa concept was a good idea, but the execution of it stunk beyond belief.

Even the WFL of the mid-1970s flirted with the idea of putting teams around the world. There was this thing about financial problems, though...

 

[blyons200]

I don’t think it’s very likely for either the NFL or the NBA. Traveling, especially in the NBA where you play 3-5 games a week, would be a nightmare. However, I’d see it happening in the NBA before I would the NFL. Basketball is already very popular in Europe, so I think the NBA could succeed. Football is also extremely popular overseas, but their version involves a round ball.

I agree, the traveling involved would be a nightmare for any sport really. Hell, travelling from the west coast to the east coast is tough to handle, travelling to Europe would just be out of the question.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I agree, the traveling involved would be a nightmare for any sport really. Hell, travelling from the west coast to the east coast is tough to handle, travelling to Europe would just be out of the question.

West coast teams have 0 wins on the east coast as it is. It would also be a scheduling nightmare. The London team would probably HAVE to have the Sunday @ 1PM playoff position in order for the NA TV rights and GMT to line up.

But they could give them some regular season games. And they could also give them a Superbowl as well. That 2 week prep time would actually be usefull then.

 

[TX WJ]

I think that this is a bad idea.

I can see that they want to get the revenue, if the are going to add a 17th game (in lieu of a preseason game) I think they should go to a 19 week season and eliminate two preseason games and add an 2nd bye week.

After all what they are wanting to do is add more weeks of TV and add revenue.

That 17th game should be a away / away game at a neutral site, every team has one, followed by a bye week.

That would mean 16 of these games sprinkled through the middle of the season. Play 8 overseas and 8 here in North America.

LA, San Antonio, Toronto and Mexico City would be great cities to host a game or two a year.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

LA, San Antonio, Toronto and Mexico City would be great cities to host a game or two a year.

Toronto already gets 1 Bills game each year.