NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - The Offseason

[flash9286]

OTOH, the Raptors rank 9th in attendance in the NBA and the Blue jays are around average. Best option, don't try to expand and leave things as is

[Ming]

One of the problems with Canada in the past was the exchange rate... That's really not a problem any more

[Zopperoni]

Yep... NFL Europe was a disaster, but they just keep wanting to get a foothold there.

NFLE failed because it was a league filled w/ wannabes. Only the occasional superstar would rise from the league (e.g. Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme), but the rest was only a slight notch above amateur level.
The NFL nailed it now w/ actual games w/ actual talent. MOBIUS and I were at the New Orleans v San Diego game last year and it was awesome. This kind of thing actually has traction. When I was standing in line to pick up my tix, I was standing in front of a couple of guys from Israel and I also saw some Germans, so this works for the league and its attempts in growing popularity as well as for the fans.
I have tix for this year's game between the Pats and the Bucs as well!!!

Canada has it's own league... but Mexico might be a good place to try.

Careful now, the pigskin might get infected...

[-Jrabbit]

It's one thing to have the occasional game over there. It's quite another to be talking Super Bowl. I'm assuming this is a trial balloon being floated. And that it will not fly.

[Note to self: don't lick football.]

[ColdWizard]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4130864

LONDON -- London has launched an audacious bid to stage the Super Bowl within the next eight years, a move that would see the United States' biggest sporting event played overseas for the first time, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.

According to the newspaper, representatives from the Mayor of London's office and Visit London, the city's official visitor organization, have received assurances from the National Football League of a commitment to hold the event in London.

The NFL has already staged two sellout regular-season games at Wembley Stadium, with a third scheduled for this October.

"We are looking at 2014, 2015 or 2017," David Hornby, the commercial director for Visit London, was quoted as saying.

Talks have been ongoing with the NFL, which has identified London as the outstanding candidate city to host the event outside of the United States, according to the report.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the league is not considering playing its championship game in London. He shot down a BBC Sport report that "'substantive talks" were under way between the NFL and London officials.

"We have never looked at London or Mexico City as a site," he said.

The NFL again issued a denial Sunday that a Super Bowl outside the United States was being considered, this time via Twitter.

Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of corporate communications, tweeted: "Re: story from UK. We are not pursuing idea of putting a Super Bowl in London or anywhere outside US. Reports last week/today inaccurate."

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the Super Bowl could be worth $521.1 million to the London economy, although the newspaper also quotes an unnamed NFL spokesman as saying: "The suggestions about London are only theoretical. There is no bid document."

However, Wembley Stadium commercial director Jonathan Gregory said, "We will do everything we can to work with the NFL and help bring this amazing event to London."

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[-Jrabbit]

I remain amazed, that with all media centered there and no team located there, the NFL has not just settled on Los Angeles as the permanent home of the Super Bowl. I've been saying this for years...

I understand it's a great carrot to hold out to the host cities, but it's inherently unfair to cold-weather cities. Holding the event outside the U.S. is beneath discussion. (or, at least, it should be.)

[SlowwHand]

Why not spread around the money that the Super Bowl brings? I disagree with you on this one.

[SlowwHand]

dp.


Ownership hasn't changed this feature yet.

[-Jrabbit]

No chance of a hometown advantage either. There's lots to recommend it.

I understand that it's important to provide that boost to local economies, but realistically only about 5 cities are regular beneficiaries. How is that fair?

[SlowwHand]

Dallas is hosting it next year. Almost anyone could, as long as it's indoors.

[-Jrabbit]

"Could" yeah, but that's not how it works. Look at the reality. It's basically Miami, New Orleans, and the most recently built stadium in the South.

Super Bowls = 43
Host Cities
9 - Miami
9 - New Orleans
7 - Los Angeles (none since '93)
4 - Tampa
3 - San Diego

That 32 of them, roughly 75%.

2 each: Phoenix, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta
1 time: MNPLS, SF, JAX

BTW, next year is Miami. Dallas is hosting in 2011, followed by Indy in '12.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Yeah, we really need a Superbowl in GB, Buffalo, Chicago, or Foxborough...

Southern wimps

[rah]

The first time I heard London, I started thinking, Hmmm if they want the game to start at the normal time in the US, they would have to start it after midnight in London. That just makes so much sense.
I doubt the networks would want a noon start in the US>

[SlowwHand]

Yeah, we really need a Superbowl in GB, Buffalo, Chicago, or Foxborough...

Southern wimps

I don't understand this.


And you're correct, Jrabbit. I moved up Dallas hosting a year.

[Zopperoni]

The first time I heard London, I started thinking, Hmmm if they want the game to start at the normal time in the US, they would have to start it after midnight in London. That just makes so much sense.
I doubt the networks would want a noon start in the US>

It's actually 11:30pm GMT but yea, it's totally not feasible to have a 6:30pm EST kickoff.

The game in London during the season works well because of the US coming out of DST later than Europe. 1pm EST kickoff is at 5pm BST, which is really perfect.

The only way it could work is a 1pm EST kickoff on the Super Bowl, but with all the pre-show bullsh*t, it's not going to fly. Plus, the current evening kickoff works moderately well for Asian viewers.