Brand J

Again, you’re kidding yourself if you think the NFL’s globalization effort isn’t meant to grow the sport on a much larger scale. Goodell and all 32 owners would tell you they’d LOVE to bring in the numbers the top 5 sports produce. They’d love to challenge for the #1 overall spot, even if it’s a fallacy and will never happen. There’s already plenty of money in the NFL, but the money that sort of viewership would bring is akin to comparing Terry Pegula’s pockets to Elon Musk’s. Who wouldn’t want that? That’s their goal, even if they’re likely to never achieve it. All 32 owners would tell you they want many more Super Bowl viewers than the 20M they currently pull outside of North America.

Actually I’m not sure what your argument is, seeing as how you’re now putting words in my mouth, making points I’ve never made. You’ve lost the plot. I said the NFL wants to globalize the game; their mission isn’t simply to add a few million viewers here or there, it’s to compete with the highest rated sporting events in the world. Their actions are telling you that’s what they want as they send teams literally worldwide. The fat cats wish to be exponentially fatter. Duh. These international games are pocket change in terms of what the NFL pulls in domestically, but I didn’t say added money isn’t good money. Of course it is. I merely told you, countless times, that to grow the sport to a level that would enable the league to compete with those higher rated sports, there needs to be a shift in how those audiences support the game. That’s the plot. I suggested global participation, making the game more accessible for their youths, but that’s only one possibility. As much as I’d like the NFL to play all their games on American soil, they shouldn’t stop sending teams internationally if doing so makes them more money, even if that’s $1 in net profits. No one in this entire thread suggested what you wrote at any point in time.

Yeah, I didn’t mean to discredit the fans in a way that would suggest they’re not knowledgeable about what they’re watching, or that they’re just there because it’s something to do. My main point was that to have a truly passionate fanbase watching the sport, the jerseys would have to start dwindling down from 32 teams to 2 and given all the various factors at play - including money - that’s not likely. Thats what I meant by categorizing the event and their fans as a novelty one, not a rabid matchup.

I’m sorry, did I ever argue the NFL hasn’t grown in the UK after 20 years of sending teams over there? Of course it has! Thats true for all these countries, even if the numbers are paltry relative to the international sports watching public, sorry if that hurts your feelings. The stands are filled with novelty fans rather than passionate ones. All those team jerseys you see watching the Jags and the Texans kickoff at 9:30 EST will miss a portion of “their” games by the time they get out of that stadium and back home, or to the pub. And they probably don’t care. Did you see the numbers I referenced earlier? The Super Bowl was the 6th most watched sporting event in the world, trailing the 5th place Women’s World Cup by over 60 million. 60 million. 60,000,000 more people watched the Women’s World Cup globally than they did the Super Bowl and you’re talking about 3 million viewers in the UK 😂 Having an international fanbase that competes with the most watched sporting events in the world isn’t the NFL’s “cherry on the top,” it’s their mission. It’s why we’re sending teams to so many countries. They want passionate fans that will follow and support an NFL team. You know, like they do futbol and like we do here in the US. Until something shifts - globally - that enables the game to grow on that scale, it’s simply a little added pocket change. Don’t know why that’s so difficult for you to grasp.

Yeah, I don’t disagree about squeezing money out wherever possible. There’s MUCH more in international support, not domestic. This was published last year: Imagine if the NFL could convert enough fans to overtake even Women’s soccer! We know it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. Maybe more flag football leagues with American rules is the way to go, but as I and Billshredder said above, futbol and basketball will always have a global advantage because they’re much easier to access. I can’t see the NFL becoming a true global sport no matter how many teams we put in the UK, Germany, Brazil, Australia, etc. But they’ll squeeze whatever money out of those markets they can, even if stateside folks don’t like it.

Yeah, I’m not discounting the NFL’s effort to popularize the game abroad (and specifically the UK). There certainly is more interest today versus what it was before the games started. What I’m saying is that it can’t be a global sport like the others because it’s not relatable to their youth in the same way it is ours. The NFL would love nothing more than rabid international fans, that’s why they keep sending teams abroad, but there’s a ceiling to the popularity unless something changes that turns it from a novelty to a passion. EDIT: and now that I’m looking at it again, maybe that’s where WEO was getting tripped up. The game has grown on a small scale, yes, but is absolutely nothing like futbol, basketball, or any other global sport and won’t ever be until we reach their younger generation in a comparable way.

This may surprise you: there was a point in time the NFL wasn’t popular. College marching bands would play the halftime show. What changed? Massive support for the sport? Where/when did that begin? Hint: it wasn’t because millions of Americans decided to pick up a remote and turn on a game “just because.” It started with the atmosphere that is varsity football (homecoming, pep rally’s, rivalries, boosters, cheerleaders, etc) and it carried over into college. That’s where the growth began. That’s what we have that these countries abroad do not. That’s why the game has reached gladiator arena status. Did you read the original article that was referenced stating the NFL has been struggling to gain a foothold abroad despite sending teams every year? You have fans in those crowds wearing 32 different jerseys. We’re talking about growing the game to the point where fans show up with one of the two team jerseys. You know, like their futbol teams. Not 32. These games are a novelty for them and the Super Bowl numbers you referenced were comically paltry. Should have kept that information to yourself. Obviously if we could transport millions of Americans abroad, the game would grow on rooting influence alone. Those who previously had little to no interest would likely follow their American friend’s team. My argument wasn’t necessarily to “grow youth football” abroad, although that would be the easiest way to grow the interest. I’m saying the NFL has to reach the younger generation and make the game relatable for them somehow/someway. Like basketball, which has comfortably reached global status. If the youth are playing rugby in their high schools, rather than American football, which sport do you think they’ll continue to support en masse? Which sport do you think they’ll continue to support as adults? This isn’t rocket science. Somehow you’d disagree with these two as well.

Simplistic view. What you’re discounting is friends and family of those who do play tuning in to watch. Not many children play tackle football, relative to those who are active in sports, BUT Friday Night Lights is a real event. People show up in support of others, they don’t have to play the sport themselves to have interest. Europeans have almost zero ties to American football. Most would need a reason to support the game and if their youths aren’t playing it, you’re asking grown adults and children to tune into a league that has little relevance to their culture. Soccer was a global sport long before the NBA, it’s not difficult to understand why it’s popular here and abroad. The NBA grew on a global scale not because we had teams playing overseas, but because little kids everywhere could emulate Jordan’s fadeaway, or yell “Kobe” as they shot the ball. It’s a cheap and easy game to play, unlike tackle football. To grow the game overseas, interest has to start with the younger generation, not current adults who have zero connection to the sport. The easiest way for the younger generation to grow to love the sport is if they play, or support someone who does. And when they have kids… (see where I’m going with this?)

This was from the article: It also mentioned they’re still struggling to get a consistent foothold of fans at UK games. When you turn on one of those games what do you see? Fans with all 32 jerseys at the game. It won’t/can’t be more popular if it’s not relatable to the youth and the only way to accomplish that is to get them playing the sport. We appreciate the NFL in the states, even if we haven’t played ourselves because we grew up watching. Not true for the rest of the world. If the NFL wants the next generation of international people watching the sport, it’s going to have to become relatable at some point. They’re going to need to play it since it’s not ingrained in their culture.

The NBA is global because a kid living anywhere in the world can play the sport solo or with friends - all they need is a ball and a hoop. It’s simplistic, practical, and cheap like soccer (or futbol). American football demands a whole lot more. I wish this overseas experiment would end.

I only want a first round receiver if the team finds a way to move Keon before or during the draft and recoup a draft pick for him. Otherwise, I want a defensive front 7 player and will roll into the year with DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Josh Palmer, Brandin Cooks, and Keon Coleman, as the primary pass catchers.

I want the best possible front 7 player left on the board. Don't care if he’s a DE, DT, or a LB. If there’s no one of value there, I’m 100% for a trade down to accumulate more picks.

Totally agree on your first two points - Allen took unnecessary sacks and Brady should’ve protected his tackles when it was clear they weren’t up to it. Can’t remember where I heard/read, but the Bills had one of if not the highest rate of 5 man protections in the league. It wasn’t an offense that left TEs or RBs in to block. Brady never adjusted, not even when RVD came in for an injured Spencer Brown. Texans defensive plays The sack Dion gave up at 3:43 (slow motion replay at 3:27) was the most glaring one that I remember because it directly led to Josh getting smacked. He had a couple others like it, but those didn’t impact the play because Josh was running (not that Dion knew that). At the 1:07 mark of this video it became a sack party where Dion was responsible, Josh was responsible, Brady was responsible, whoever was playing RT was responsible, etc.

If anyone argues the contrary I’d invite them to turn on the Houston tape. I don’t know if he was injured that game or what, but he definitely didn’t block his assignment to the whistle, or even close to it. He was giving up mid play on more than a few plays.

I remember when the replacement refs were in there. The game certainly didn’t feel slanted towards either team. Both squads were the beneficiaries of bad calls and I liked that. When the real refs came back everyone was happy, thinking some sort of order had been restored, but then they proceeded to make bad calls, too. I think the regular refs are better, of course, but I don’t think the replacements are a dumpster fire in comparison. NFL refs in general are pretty poor, replacements or not.