NFL Owners Approve More International Games

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

IMO, this may not be about "air time" in the US. "TV revenues" come in advertisement $ and in selling NFL "gear" ie jerseys, coats, hats, zuba's etc etc.

 

Throw an NFL logo onto a piece of clothing and the NFL gets it's cut. Yes, it's minimal but every dollar / Euro adds up.

Add a half million new fans gain few Million dollars in gear sold.

[Chandler#81]

What proof do we have that the quality is declining. The games have been exciting, meaningful and records are continuing to be broken.

I'll take a stab. IMO, there are a couple dozen teams with weak, below standard OL. At 7 players per team avg.- or 224 players, fans are convinced at least half of them aren't worthy. You won't hear it from the teams so much, but they're all struggling to overcome poor OL play.

[zonabb]

The NFL needs more money, therefore a larger market. They have sucked pretty much all the revenue that can expect to from Americans. Expand or die.

That's the American mentality but it's so woefully shortsighted its nauseating. Everything that expands requires some trade-off that ultimately undermine the product. It comes down to the simple question: how much is enough profit? It's not they they're shareholders banging them for higher returns, it's just owner greed. Off that you don't see the English Premier League trying to expand or even play games here? Only the American Model of Greed thinks this way.

It also underscores who owns these NFL teams. Investors basically. All they care about is making more money, period. If they can win, great, but if they can make more money first, awesome. I think the product is getting worse actually and a lot of it has to do with the greed. I said at the game Sunday that the commercial breaks were too long. Gotta sell ads though. I think its 12 minutes of actual play in an NFL game. Touchdown, commercial. Extra point, commercial. Kickoff, commercial. It's brutal. Commercials in the stadium are brutal, you can't even talk to people around you during game breaks because they're jamming commercials at you at 150 dbs. Home is just as bad. Sitting on the couch watching the same damn commercials every break.

 

Teams always looking to pack up and leave for the highest and best package of public dollars for a stadium. You'd never see that in the EPL. Imagine Manchester United leaving for London, hell no. Here investors like Stan Kroenke play the govt shakedown game and its allowed, mainly because our govt sucks, from the anti-trust exemption to taking public dollars for stadiums and then leaving cities behind.

 

By the expand or die mode, Buffalo's been dying for 65 years. Yet somehow a wealthy businessman found the team profitable enough, key word enough, to buy the team on a bottom market for a record price and commit to keeping it here. Funny how that works.

 

The NFL has a problem in the future for three reasons: the demographic transition because the younger generation doesn't follow sports as much. Twitter, Facebook and other social media is entertainment now. The concussion issue. Less kids are playing football because parents don't want their kids hurt. Soccer is the replacement and it puts soccer in people's sights. And lastly, soccer. The interest in this country is growing daily. More and more kids are playing. The EPL is gaining popularity and because the only reason we have population growth in this country is through immigration, we're seeing more and more interest in the sport nationally. MLS is finally gaining some interest outside its market. Oh and one more, a lot of people I know who used to be huge fans and have fallen off over the years aren't interested in a league full of Ray Rice's. And when you're pregame networks shows have guys like Ray Lewis on them, hard to watch. I personally stopped watching pregame shows I can't even remember how long ago because of the ignorance and shouting.

 

I think the NFL is actually asking desperate with these overseas moves. They realize these are huge issues and that they need to maximize profit now before the inevitable downturn happens, which it will, unfettered growth isn't sustainable. An eventual backslide is guaranteed.

[Dorkington]

That's the American mentality but it's so woefully shortsighted its nauseating. Everything that expands requires some trade-off that ultimately undermine the product. It comes down to the simple question: how much is enough profit? It's not they they're shareholders banging them for higher returns, it's just owner greed. Off that you don't see the English Premier League trying to expand or even play games here? Only the American Model of Greed thinks this way.

It also underscores who owns these NFL teams. Investors basically. All they care about is making more money, period. If they can win, great, but if they can make more money first, awesome. I think the product is getting worse actually and a lot of it has to do with the greed. I said at the game Sunday that the commercial breaks were too long. Gotta sell ads though. I think its 12 minutes of actual play in an NFL game. Touchdown, commercial. Extra point, commercial. Kickoff, commercial. It's brutal. Commercials in the stadium are brutal, you can't even talk to people around you during game breaks because they're jamming commercials at you at 150 dbs. Home is just as bad. Sitting on the couch watching the same damn commercials every break.

 

Teams always looking to pack up and leave for the highest and best package of public dollars for a stadium. You'd never see that in the EPL. Imagine Manchester United leaving for London, hell no. Here investors like Stan Kroenke play the govt shakedown game and its allowed, mainly because our govt sucks, from the anti-trust exemption to taking public dollars for stadiums and then leaving cities behind.

 

By the expand or die mode, Buffalo's been dying for 65 years. Yet somehow a wealthy businessman found the team profitable enough, key word enough, to buy the team on a bottom market for a record price and commit to keeping it here. Funny how that works.

 

The NFL has a problem in the future for three reasons: the demographic transition because the younger generation doesn't follow sports as much. Twitter, Facebook and other social media is entertainment now. The concussion issue. Less kids are playing football because parents don't want their kids hurt. Soccer is the replacement and it puts soccer in people's sights. And lastly, soccer. The interest in this country is growing daily. More and more kids are playing. The EPL is gaining popularity and because the only reason we have population growth in this country is through immigration, we're seeing more and more interest in the sport nationally. MLS is finally gaining some interest outside its market. Oh and one more, a lot of people I know who used to be huge fans and have fallen off over the years aren't interested in a league full of Ray Rice's. And when you're pregame networks shows have guys like Ray Lewis on them, hard to watch. I personally stopped watching pregame shows I can't even remember how long ago because of the ignorance and shouting.

 

I think the NFL is actually asking desperate with these overseas moves. They realize these are huge issues and that they need to maximize profit now before the inevitable downturn happens, which it will, unfettered growth isn't sustainable. An eventual backslide is guaranteed.

There's no such thing as 'enough profit'. #capitalism

[xsoldier54]

International fans are...

I doubt it. Most Europeans hate American football. Europeans prefer soccer. It is like a religion to them. American football will never be popular anywhere outside the U.S. And judging by the comments on this forum, it is rapidly losing it's popularity among Americans as well due to over officiating and poor officiating.

[CodeMonkey]

nah... more regular season games in the U.S. and larger rosters to compensate are the answer in my opinion. europeans generally aren't overly interested in american anything these days

Oh I agree with you completely and do not think it will be successful. But I believe that is the NFLs thought process.

I doubt it. Most Europeans hate American football. Europeans prefer soccer. It is like a religion to them. American football will never be popular anywhere outside the U.S. And judging by the comments on this forum, it is rapidly losing it's popularity among Americans as well due to over officiating and poor officiating.

Agree as well.

[PO16FFS]

Living outside the U.S.A. I can tell you how refreshing it is to watch a soccer game where you go to a restaurant near the stadium at 12pm, go to the game for 12:45. ( 1pm start ) Watch 45 minutes of non stop action. Get a beer at half time and watch another 45 minutes and be home at 4pm. No players standing around waiting for the budweiser commercial to end.

 

Also, fans cheering nonstop for the whole game. Its crazy ****.

[BuffaloHokie13]

Living outside the U.S.A. I can tell you how refreshing it is to watch a soccer game where you go to a restaurant near the stadium at 12pm, go to the game for 12:45. ( 1pm start ) Watch 45 minutes of non stop action. Get a beer at half time and watch another 45 minutes and be home at 4pm. No players standing around waiting for the budweiser commercial to end.

 

Also, fans cheering nonstop for the whole game. Its crazy ****.

Agreed, the only thing that I'd like reduced more than the flags being thrown is the commercials.

[CodeMonkey]

Living outside the U.S.A. I can tell you how refreshing it is to watch a soccer game where you go to a restaurant near the stadium at 12pm, go to the game for 12:45. ( 1pm start ) Watch 45 minutes of non stop action. Get a beer at half time and watch another 45 minutes and be home at 4pm. No players standing around waiting for the budweiser commercial to end.

 

Also, fans cheering nonstop for the whole game. Its crazy ****.

No vuvuzela's at nfl games though. God I hate those !@#$ing things.

I lived in the UK for a year and went to several games. It can be dangerous because of the small country, away fans travel in large numbers, but fun if you aren't a moron.

Edited October 8, 2015 by CodeMonkey

[1st&ten]

More Bullshot from the greedy NFL. These idiots in control are slowly killing the game with all the rule changes, questionable ref calls, & pressure on cities to build new stadiums. I'm starting to watch more college football & less NFL.

[Mr. WEO]

That was me too actually But how much more money can the NFL expect to squeeze out of their existing market and TV here in the US? I suppose they have some more avenues. Four nights of the week don't currently have a game on TV for example. But what other reason other than expanding the market would the NFL have for this move?

There has to be a ceiling on how much the networks can charge for their ad space. They could create more TV timeouts I suppose and play more night's of the week. But there is a ceiling. Ticket sales are a drop in the bucket compared to the TV money.

 

 

In a given year, yes. But year to year, no. 30 second spots are always rising each year because the NFL rules all ratings. The NFL offers advertisers what absolutely nomother TV franchise can--and it's not even close.

[26CornerBlitz]

@SBNationNFL

The NFL adds more London games. This time, at the most British venue: Twickenham Stadium http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/11/3/9663536/nfl-london-football-games-2018-twickenham-stadium

[PromoTheRobot]

More Bullshot from the greedy NFL. These idiots in control are slowly killing the game with all the rule changes, questionable ref calls, & pressure on cities to build new stadiums. I'm starting to watch more college football & less NFL.

I think there is a method to the madness. Let's face it, football is dying out in America because parents don't want their kids playing the sport anymore. So the NFL is hoping to get other countries interested in the hopes of creating a new source of player talent.

Edited November 4, 2015 by PromoTheRobot

[iinii]

This marks an important step in our long-term international growth. Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007. They have demanded more NFL games, and we have worked to accommodate them. We think it's time to expand our International Series to other countries and respond to the growing interest in our game not only in the UK, but elsewhere around the world.

Knock yourself out.

[GunnerBill]

I doubt it. Most Europeans hate American football. Europeans prefer soccer. It is like a religion to them. American football will never be popular anywhere outside the U.S. And judging by the comments on this forum, it is rapidly losing it's popularity among Americans as well due to over officiating and poor officiating.

 

It will never take over from soccer - that is certainly true. But American Football's popularity in the UK is growing year on year and has grown exponentially since the International Series games started (and it is popular in Holland, Germany and Scandanavia too - not at soccer levels but popular all the same).

 

A for the Twickenham move - this is about locating a franchise here - make no mistake about that. Wembley logistically could not host 8 regular season games there given it's football schedule, nor could Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium when it is ready - in fact Tottenham even less so. This is about building a portfolio of stadia able to host games in London with the idea that a London based team would play 8 games across 3 or maybe even 4 "home" venues in the city.

 

At the moment I believe contractually the NFL is tied in to as a minimum:

 

2 games a year at Wembley until 2020

1 game a year at Twickenham 2016-2018

2 games a year at Spurs 2018-2023

 

That means in 2018, as the article indicates, the NFL are contracted to 5 London games. I expect they will go to 4 the next two years and if a year of 5 sells out then watch out - the plan for the London Jags gathers pace.

 

EDIT: Just worth saying for those of you across the pond who might not realise it - London is more than just a city where British fans can watch NFL football. It is probably the most significant and important city in the world outside North America (where you can argue about the relative significance of New York and Washington for example). It is a beacon for people from the Asian sub continent, from continental Europe, from Australasia.... and as a result if the NFL can make London work it is making the NFL work in a truly global market. That is without doubt the attraction.

 

EDIT2: I don't mean that last bit to sound patronising and apologise if it does.

Edited November 4, 2015 by GunnerBill

[iinii]

That's the American mentality but it's so woefully shortsighted its nauseating. Everything that expands requires some trade-off that ultimately undermine the product. It comes down to the simple question: how much is enough profit? It's not they they're shareholders banging them for higher returns, it's just owner greed. Off that you don't see the English Premier League trying to expand or even play games here? Only the American Model of Greed thinks this way.

It also underscores who owns these NFL teams. Investors basically. All they care about is making more money, period. If they can win, great, but if they can make more money first, awesome. I think the product is getting worse actually and a lot of it has to do with the greed. I said at the game Sunday that the commercial breaks were too long. Gotta sell ads though. I think its 12 minutes of actual play in an NFL game. Touchdown, commercial. Extra point, commercial. Kickoff, commercial. It's brutal. Commercials in the stadium are brutal, you can't even talk to people around you during game breaks because they're jamming commercials at you at 150 dbs. Home is just as bad. Sitting on the couch watching the same damn commercials every break.

 

Teams always looking to pack up and leave for the highest and best package of public dollars for a stadium. You'd never see that in the EPL. Imagine Manchester United leaving for London, hell no. Here investors like Stan Kroenke play the govt shakedown game and its allowed, mainly because our govt sucks, from the anti-trust exemption to taking public dollars for stadiums and then leaving cities behind.

 

By the expand or die mode, Buffalo's been dying for 65 years. Yet somehow a wealthy businessman found the team profitable enough, key word enough, to buy the team on a bottom market for a record price and commit to keeping it here. Funny how that works.

 

The NFL has a problem in the future for three reasons: the demographic transition because the younger generation doesn't follow sports as much. Twitter, Facebook and other social media is entertainment now. The concussion issue. Less kids are playing football because parents don't want their kids hurt. Soccer is the replacement and it puts soccer in people's sights. And lastly, soccer. The interest in this country is growing daily. More and more kids are playing. The EPL is gaining popularity and because the only reason we have population growth in this country is through immigration, we're seeing more and more interest in the sport nationally. MLS is finally gaining some interest outside its market. Oh and one more, a lot of people I know who used to be huge fans and have fallen off over the years aren't interested in a league full of Ray Rice's. And when you're pregame networks shows have guys like Ray Lewis on them, hard to watch. I personally stopped watching pregame shows I can't even remember how long ago because of the ignorance and shouting.

 

I think the NFL is actually asking desperate with these overseas moves. They realize these are huge issues and that they need to maximize profit now before the inevitable downturn happens, which it will, unfettered growth isn't sustainable. An eventual backslide is guaranteed.

Agreed! The commercialization of the game is gone way to far for my taste. Sitting, standing, whatever you do for the "other" 2 hours 48 minutes or so has become a sore spot for me too. Watching a team sprint onto the field after a kickoff so they can stand around for 3 minutes during a commercial break isn't even funny any more. Just once I would like to see a game played the way it was before television.

[CodeMonkey]

In honor of our former QB - Meh he co

 

London, Toronto, how about Vancouver? Frankfurt Germany.

Anyplace near a US military base would be a good location.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Ah, the golden days of yore...

[26CornerBlitz]

‏@AlbertBreer

An NFL group arrives in Mexico City today and will be there through Wednesday to study the readiness of Azteca Stadium for a 2016 game.

[harv shitz]

They hold cities ransom for new stadiums then have games outside of America

That is such a great point, JR1. I wish the players union would put their foot down, and tell the league enough is enough.

 

Something dreadful is going to happen one of these times, be it a bombed stadium, a shot down plane, or some other horrific terrorist act, and then where will the league be?

 

I hate that greedy C%^k S$#@er commissioner worse than anything, and while the owners approve, all this bull **** that has happened to the only sport I have left to enjoy has came under his watch!

 

This screws the fans, the fanbase and local businesses the support and depend on home games, and Assface Goodell and the owners couldn't care less! I watched some great college games last evening, and may just start to concentrate on that, and tell Goodell and the NFL to kiss my ass.