Comments on: Goodell on London franchise: “Maybe”

By: CKL

CKL — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:32:45 +0000

It’s not jingoism for me, it’s COMMON SENSE and practicality both of which are a fail under the Goodell regime on just about everything. I ADORED NFL Europe & though it was a good idea in many ways.

By: oxycode30

oxycode30 — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:46:07 +0000

Some of the jingoists here with their poor grammar and spittle–spraying vitriol make me embarrassed to be an American.
Yes, down the road it’d be great to have a team in London (or Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle…) and it wouldn’t be the end of football as we know it.
To the folks who say they’ll stop watching if the NFL goes international I can’t wait to say “see ya!”

By: loytomaki

loytomaki — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:36:29 +0000

this would not happen until 2021 at least. for the reasons mentioned, they would need to put something in the CBA to ensure players wouldnt refuse. the logistics would suck and might be better in a decade. also, i thought 1/2 the Bucs couldn’t leave the country without informing a judge…

If the NFL wants to go international look at Toronto or Mexico city. the Mexico City game they did set attendance records and wouls be far more doable.

By: scudbot

scudbot — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:33:23 +0000

Five additional teams in a Euro Division would be fine with me and would mostly eliminate the insane travel factor if there were just one. But the NFL isn’t in expansion mode.

By: rwf1984

rwf1984 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:32:22 +0000

Well the players probably won’t like to play for London considering that it is across the pond and wont make it easy for them to stay close to family and friends. Just keep having games there! It is hard to imagine that any player would be willing to sign with them and draft choices would be bummed out because they have to get their passports a lot of new stuff because I would think they wouldn’t want to transport most of their possessions over the pond. The top picks could probably afford it, but what about the low end picks or undrafted FA’s? They might be able to afford it from having money previously from working or family, but lets face it you can really afford it by being a top pick or a highly sawed after FA!

By: Tuomas

Tuomas — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:03:19 +0000

Right now the percentages are:
Yes: 13.82 %
No: 82.09 %

If the 82 % is split by the amount of current teams (32) whose fans are inclined to defend their team, it means that the 13.8 % represent an equivalent of 5 additional teams to be established abroad.

So, there seems to be plenty of support even if the majority of the American fans oppose.

By: jutts

jutts — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:52:16 +0000

What’s in it for Roger?

By: dudeicle

dudeicle — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:41:39 +0000

But seriously, the NFL can’t grow its North American TV revenue much further. And I can’t see overseas companies paying the big bucks for TV rights unless there are local teams that folks will want to watch.

By: dave1961

dave1961 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:39:39 +0000

My fellow Cleveland fans,
We already know our owners has a soccer team there. Could this be a conspiracy of all times. Steal the franchise out of Cleveland Ohio after driving away fans with the forever 5-11 rebuilding teams.

No one thought Art Modell would pick up and take our storied franchise and our super bowl title and hand it over to Baltimore like he did.

Maybe there’s a reason our owner is consistly absent and hiring people to tell the Cleveland fans how much he loves them, yet he continues to field crappy products since he inherited the team.

God knows he refuses to speak to us and thumbs his nose our way yet profits from the fanbase. Beware Dawg fans. Someone might have it out to steal our dawg pound!

By: fmwarner

fmwarner — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:37:56 +0000

This is about as good an idea as a cricket team in New York.

It makes no sense on so many levels. Why would you try to push this game in London when…

1. Your annual games there always struggle to sell out.

2. The sport has no history or culture in London.

3. Travel would put that team and to a lesser extent its division rivals at a severe competitive disadvantage. We already know that west coast teams traveling east for 1 PM games suffer for it…how is this not a lot worse?

4. No one in London is asking for it!

And in the end, what is the benefit? TV ratings and selling gear in a huge world class city? Is that really worth all this? Gee, if only there were a huge world class city without football closer to home. Oh wait…

By: classygentleman7

classygentleman7 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:31:24 +0000

Damn it, football is our thing. It’s America’s, no one elses. What do you think England would say if the American Government said they wanted a Premier League team? They’d tell us, “Hell No”.

By: dudeicle

dudeicle — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:23:04 +0000

maybe they’d play their home games in New Jersey

By: seeswo

seeswo — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:20:06 +0000

Sounds like a logistical nightmare. They would have to abandon the idea of giving a bye after each road game in London to teams because it wouldn’t work in a playoff format. The division with the London team would have a competitive disadvantage against other league teams because they would have to travel to Europe every year.

Further, what happens if that crazy Iceland volcano spits ash again? There is a great deal of uncertainty here such that the upside would have to be pretty substantial to even consider it.

By: heybeerman95

heybeerman95 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:19:24 +0000

Second try on this comment (thanks word press)

Dear Mr. GOD dell,

Your a moron. Bad idea.

Signed.

The Fans of The NFL

By: southyank7

southyank7 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:10:38 +0000

yeah, cause if there EVER was a time to EXPAND its now…
(extreme sarcasim)
there are too many teams n all 4 pro sports. How many franchise are in trouble financially? ALOT just worry about moving the jaguars sense they can’t even sell out home games n there small stadium even with half the upper deck seats covered with tarps GOODELL the SNAKE

By: richm2256

richm2256 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:03:37 +0000

Goodell is hell-bent to give us something we didn’t ask for, all in the name of growing the “brand”.

He risks losing the fan base that made this league what it is today.

Roger, we go to your steakhouse for a juicy ribeye ….. quit trying to serve us liver.

We don’t WANT it.

By: jredshoes

jredshoes — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:40:33 +0000

Why don’t we concentrate on getting a team in another foreign country, like California (LAspecifically)

By: yessams

yessams — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:19:50 +0000

Bangithard

That is a load of crap, never has McCarthy stated anything. Lose to that.

Usually people give a link when they cite a source.

You are irresponsible by not doing so.

By: galluswien

galluswien — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:19:01 +0000

Okay, you’ll not find a more progressive person than me, and I love that the NFL is trying to expand into an international brand….

… but MOVE a team to London? Why do that?? Okay so the people of London would probably be fans of the team, but they would only see them for half of the season. The other half would be spent on the other side of the ocean… who is going to root for the London Sillynannies in Philadelphia or Baltimore? And having a team based out of London that could potential have to face teams on the west coast like San Fran, Oakland, or Seattle would be a logistical nightmare for those players.

A London away game vs San Diego, according to United Airlines, would encompass a 15 hour flight (not to mention all the phasing in and out of timezones that occur). That would be a lousy football team come mid/late season. If you can’t get NFL Europa to work, then just don’t do it. Forcing a London team on the rest of us would only denigrate the quality of the game and force us to watch a team we know NOBODY cares for.

By: CKL

CKL — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:12:10 +0000

So most of us vote “no” which means, as per Goodell’s interpretation of fans’ desires on the 18 game schedule, that he will interpret this as “HECK YES PUT A FRANCHISE OVERSEAS.”
They’re having trouble selling out this CURRENT one off game over there on Sunday from what I heard a British reporter say the other day. Surely giving NFL football fans in England, 99% of whom already have a favorite NFL team, a BRAND NEW team will work out just fine./sarcasm
This is not a knock on fans of Carolina but look at the dynamics there. It’s HUMAN NATURE at work, nothing more. They got a team in 95 and there was excitement etc. but a lot of the locals were already fans of the Redskins, Falcons etc. and their fanbase STILL isn’t strong enough to keep a large cadre of “other team fans” out of their stadium on Sundays. They have some passionate fans, but the fanbase is still young and growing after two decades since the first generation is just now “growing up” as Panthers fans. It will get stronger. Look meanwhile at the Browns. They ALREADY had a strong fanbase so when they lost a team COMPLETELY for 4 years, they dd NOT defect to being Ravens fans. They waited and transferred their loyalty to the new Browns team. HUMAN NATURE as well as stateside examples should tell Goodell and the owners that this will fail. And this is too expensive and uprooting of a decision to do as a “what the heck, let’s try it and see” gamble too IMO.

By: jacunn2000

jacunn2000 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:56:09 +0000

The London Silly-Nannies!! I wonder if Peter Griffin will be on the team??

By: bangyourhead4

bangyourhead4 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:55:01 +0000

It’s American Football not european football.
They have soccer and they can keep it.

By: pallidrone

pallidrone — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:39:49 +0000

I cant believe how sheltered a life some you lead.

I would bet a ton of players would love to play for a UK Franchise. It is a chance for them to see another part of the world on their own teams dime. They would be able to visit France, Germany and other countries out there, be the ONLY team in town and be loved by all the American Football fans there.

Personally I think it is a great idea. Then finally WORLD Champion will actually mean something.

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:38:43 +0000

London Raiders 2013!!!

By: dontouchmyjunk

dontouchmyjunk — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:22:06 +0000

I find it amusing that some of PFT planet thinks that living in Europe for a few years for your job is such a horrible thing. So horrible that they think people would refuse to do it. Maybe shut-ins and the cultural bereft would refuse. Not normal people.

By: ranksarot

ranksarot — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:16:14 +0000

I was in London recently. No American football on TV, no news about American football scores on TV. Get American football on TV over there, and the fans will come. NFL is looking way too far ahead. Unless it’s on TV, it’s little more than a joke over there. As evidenced by them laughing in my face anytime I asked a Brit about American football.

By: warrenmoon

warrenmoon — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:15:33 +0000

Ship Goodell all the way to Timbuktu. I am tired of him ruining the NFL. Fining every hit, fining horse collars and facemasks (penalty flags are enough), fining people for tripping into the legs of players. Soon he will make the superbowl best 4 out of 7 so that it is “fair.” Fine Clay Matthews for wearing yellow shoes, Fine Buffalo Bills for wearing war paint, Fine Troy Polumalu (I hate him but still) for calling his wife to let her know he is ok after his concussion, Make more and more gray area rules. And now you are going to send a team to London?

It’s about time for an American Revolution to get rid of this damn dictator.

By: dangonavyboy

dangonavyboy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:06:47 +0000

dude no one cares in england about american football..they only go because its a once a year type event..thats it..this is a perfect example of people being way to greedy and wanting more money..look if the rest of the world wanted nfl teams they would have come to the nfl and said hey we want american football in our country..has that happened??..i havent heard of it..bottom line they have been talking about this for what like 10 years..and still no team over there..that shows that they dont care..its just a spectacle to them when teams play over there..kind of like wrestlemania..and if they do put a team over there..that team will fold faster than any other nfl franchise and then guess who will look like idiots

By: panthers34

panthers34 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:06:27 +0000

I don’t get why they arent playing a game in Frankfurt. I saw NFL stuff everywhere in germany when I studied there.

By: macker1283

macker1283 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:04:23 +0000

I’m kind of confused as to why possibly merging with the CFL isn’t a better option in terms of expansion if they can’t find any other places in the USA. Especially since those teams already have stadiums, strong fanbases, etc.