Lions are moving to London

[inkfreq]

No way they get a whole new league in Europe. And all be involved in the draft? "Man, I just got drafted by Istanbul." Lol.

HAHAHA! But yes, they can easily build a European league.

The former World League of American Football, and the NFL Europe both had quite a bit of success. Not success by the standards of the NFL, but they were putting 15,000-20,000 fans in those seats. That's what you get at NHL and NBA games.

One of the principals in business is the 10% rule. If you can reach 10% of your existing market with a new product, it's worth going into. If you can expand into a new market and reach 10% of your existing market, it's worth going into.

The NFL is valued at $9Bn a year. 10% of that in Europe would be nearly a billion bucks. That's worth it.

And that is the START of it. They can grow the sport into a rival for what it is here in the States too.

Point is, it's money. Money drives the world. Money is why businesses exist. And Money is why the NFL is willing to bend over backwards for Europe.

Here in the U.S., they are capped. They have teams that aren't making it, and no more major cities after L.A. to put new teams. If they move struggling teams to better cities... Jacksonville to Portland as an example, they are just shuffling money around to scrape for the dregs.

They need to grow the business. Every business needs to grow. But where? If you are out of viable cities here... it's time to look to Europe and grow your market there.

 

[Mitchrapp]

HAHAHA! But yes, they can easily build a European league.

The former World League of American Football, and the NFL Europe both had quite a bit of success. Not success by the standards of the NFL, but they were putting 15,000-20,000 fans in those seats. That's what you get at NHL and NBA games.

One of the principals in business is the 10% rule. If you can reach 10% of your existing market with a new product, it's worth going into. If you can expand into a new market and reach 10% of your existing market, it's worth going into.

The NFL is valued at $9Bn a year. 10% of that in Europe would be nearly a billion bucks. That's worth it.

And that is the START of it. They can grow the sport into a rival for what it is here in the States too.

Point is, it's money. Money drives the world. Money is why businesses exist. And Money is why the NFL is willing to bend over backwards for Europe.

Here in the U.S., they are capped. They have teams that aren't making it, and no more major cities after L.A. to put new teams. If they move struggling teams to better cities... Jacksonville to Portland as an example, they are just shuffling money around to scrape for the dregs.

They need to grow the business. Every business needs to grow. But where? If you are out of viable cities here... it's time to look to Europe and grow your market there.

So 32 expansion teams? And I'm sure some NFL players would love to play in some of those cities while other less desirable cities, not so much. It won't work. A disaster in the making.

They can have their one-two games a year but I don't see a whole league. I would expect a lot of trading and hold outs like when Eli didn't want to play in SD.

 

[Mitchrapp]

And about viable cities.. why do we need more than 32 teams. If down the road certain teams want to get out, losing too much money - no one coming to games etc.. Just retract. The league was great with 26-28 teams.

 

[inkfreq]

So 32 expansion teams? And I'm sure some NFL players would love to play in some of those cities while other less desirable cities, not so much. It won't work. A disaster in the making.

They can have their one-two games a year but I don't see a whole league. I would expect a lot of trading and hold outs like when Eli didn't want to play in SD.

That's no change from now bud. Do you think any kid ever is excited to be drafted by Detroit? Cleveland? Buffalo? Cincinnati?

Do you think anyone out there doesn't want to sign in a great place to live like San DIego or Miami?

Wouldn't be any different than Paris, Rome, Madrid, London, Hamburg, etc... Players will sign there, and they will play there, because they want to get paid.

Will it be 32 teams? No idea. I wouldn't be shocked at all to see the NFL(USA) contract down to 24 teams to be honest. And will it be by 2020? No. It will be by 2100, or whatever... but it's what they hope to achieve, not where they start.

 

[Mitchrapp]

That's no change from now bud. Do you think any kid ever is excited to be drafted by Detroit? Cleveland? Buffalo? Cincinnati?

Do you think anyone out there doesn't want to sign in a great place to live like San DIego or Miami?

Wouldn't be any different than Paris, Rome, Madrid, London, Hamburg, etc... Players will sign there, and they will play there, because they want to get paid.

Will it be 32 teams? No idea. I wouldn't be shocked at all to see the NFL(USA) contract down to 24 teams to be honest. And will it be by 2020? No. It will be by 2100, or whatever... but it's what they hope to achieve, not where they start.

Sure they might but it won't be part of the NFL. Logistics just won't work. And they just won't have their league champ vs NFL league champ for the world SB. And it would be even be hard to know if 24, 28, 32 places in Europe would want an NFL team.

Now the one thing that could solve the problem, Gazoo.

 

[inkfreq]

Sure they might but it won't be part of the NFL. Logistics just won't work. And they just won't have their league champ vs NFL league champ for the world SB. And it would be even be hard to know if 24, 28, 32 places in Europe would want an NFL team.

Now the one thing that could solve the problem, Gazoo.

Gazoo can solve anything.

But, you can guarantee two things...

#1 There are not 32 cities right now that can support NFL teams by any means.

#2 There are 32 cities that if properly cultivated for a few years the way the NFL has done in London, that will support NFL teams some day.

 

[mhughes0021]

You hit the nail on the head... Money.

The NFL is a business, not a sport. Football is a sport. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar a year business that wants to be a trillion dollar a year business.

Did nfl europe make money? Product sucked and it died out. ...couldn't have made that much money.

 

[mhughes0021]

Should have a separate league in Europe then have a world championship after the super bowl.

 

[inkfreq]

Did nfl europe make money? Product sucked and it died out. ...couldn't have made that much money.

Actually, it did make quite a bit of money, but it was never really properly promoted.

Bear in mind, those guys didn't make millions. Costs were much lower, but the NFL looked at it like a minor league for the American product.

Goodell and the board of directors has a different take on it, clearly. They are promoting the hell out of London, which is the gateway to the rest of Europe.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Still all about their own brand of football over there.. But you bring up a point, I don't believe they could sustain a team of 150 million plus all the other costs.

 

[inkfreq]

I sort of agree. The average person in London is a soccer fan. The NFL is/was a novelty there.

But it started out with bringing the "American Bowl" to London in the 80's through 2005. Total novelty act.

Then they added a game a year. Then two. Then four. And those are crowds of 83,000 people, larger than most NFL games.

If you can get 83,000 people to four games a year to see a team with no connection to the area, you can get 80,000 fans to go to 8 home games a year if you drop a team in. That's a season bud.

And with the exchange rates and the pound being worth more, those games a profitable as all hell for the NFL.

They didn't just come in, drop a team down, and say "Hey, we're the REAL football, we're here to make you forget about soccer". It's been cultivated for 20+ years into something that can completely sustain a franchise.

And if it can be done in London, it can be done elsewhere.

As soon as London has a team, where do you think those four games go? On a rotating schedule. Hamburg this week, Glascow next week, Madrid after that... and they see where it might explode, and where it will need a little more attention.

By 2020 all of Europe will be sort of watching the London team with gauged interest. The NFL will have built to one European game per week. The people will be getting acclimated to it, like boiling a pot of water with a frog in it.

By 2030... more teams. 8 of them I would guess, and by 2040, 16. And now you're not hunting down cities to put teams in. Cities are coming to you. They are bidding with billion dollar stadiums. They want their share of the tax revenue and the profits.

If you can sell Coca-Cola in every country in the world.. including Ethiopia... you can sell a brand like the NFL anywhere you want to.

 

[Mitchrapp]

In London sure. Not sure Italy will be on board or Croatia etc.

 

[inkfreq]

In London sure. Not sure Italy will be on board or Croatia etc.

Italy picked up on Baseball, they can get into football.

Croatia.. probably not. But no one said every country gets a team.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Still don't think it works and in-fact I don't want it to work. We have a sport that's full American. I like that.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

The one positive about the Lions in London is that I only have to waste my morning watching them lose.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Still don't think it works and in-fact I don't want it to work. We have a sport that's full American. I like that.

Watching American football on television has been a niche sports interest among the Brits for years, but I don't know that much more than two NFL games a year at Wembley stadium is sustainable.

NFL Europe ceased to exist after only a few seasons. There just wasn't any interest in it across Europe.

 

[mhughes0021]

I sort of agree. The average person in London is a soccer fan. The NFL is/was a novelty there.

But it started out with bringing the "American Bowl" to London in the 80's through 2005. Total novelty act.

Then they added a game a year. Then two. Then four. And those are crowds of 83,000 people, larger than most NFL games.

If you can get 83,000 people to four games a year to see a team with no connection to the area, you can get 80,000 fans to go to 8 home games a year if you drop a team in. That's a season bud.

And with the exchange rates and the pound being worth more, those games a profitable as all hell for the NFL.

They didn't just come in, drop a team down, and say "Hey, we're the REAL football, we're here to make you forget about soccer". It's been cultivated for 20+ years into something that can completely sustain a franchise.

And if it can be done in London, it can be done elsewhere.

As soon as London has a team, where do you think those four games go? On a rotating schedule. Hamburg this week, Glascow next week, Madrid after that... and they see where it might explode, and where it will need a little more attention.

By 2020 all of Europe will be sort of watching the London team with gauged interest. The NFL will have built to one European game per week. The people will be getting acclimated to it, like boiling a pot of water with a frog in it.

By 2030... more teams. 8 of them I would guess, and by 2040, 16. And now you're not hunting down cities to put teams in. Cities are coming to you. They are bidding with billion dollar stadiums. They want their share of the tax revenue and the profits.

If you can sell Coca-Cola in every country in the world.. including Ethiopia... you can sell a brand like the NFL anywhere you want to.

You cant move a team there though....its impossible to tell 53 player...."oh by the way....you need to move to a different country." Start a shitty minor league there if you want. Zenners of the world can get some quality PT.

 

[zyxt9]

That was B league and the fans knew it. You drop in teams that are legit NFL teams, they will definitely be more interested.

And don't think for a second the NFL isn't considering having the Super Bowl being played outside the US. It'll compete with the Olympics as a sport cities will spend a fortune to have played. All NFL would need to do is say the cities allowed to submit a bid must be able to build a legit 80,000+ stadium, be willing to support having a team that joins the league for minimum 10 years, and then see how many cities submit bids. Quick way to gauge interest.

 

[inkfreq]

You cant move a team there though....its impossible to tell 53 player...."oh by the way....you need to move to a different country." Start a shitty minor league there if you want. Zenners of the world can get some quality PT.

You very much can in fact. Just like you can tell a player they have been traded to another city.

Of course, the choice ultimately belongs to the player. He can choose not to go, but then he is also choosing to not play in the NFL anymore.


The NFL doesn't want that approach though. In the end, they will work out an agreement with the players union.

 

[inkfreq]

That was B league and the fans knew it. You drop in teams that are legit NFL teams, they will definitely be more interested.

And don't think for a second the NFL isn't considering having the Super Bowl being played outside the US. It'll compete with the Olympics as a sport cities will spend a fortune to have played. All NFL would need to do is say the cities allowed to submit a bid must be able to build a legit 80,000+ stadium, be willing to support having a team that joins the league for minimum 10 years, and then see how many cities submit bids. Quick way to gauge interest.

Exactly right. Fan won't turn in out droves to see Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme run some extremely weird two QB system....

... but they will turn out to see Tom Brady and J.J. Watt.

No one shells out for a cute rate product.