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Future NFL Expansion?

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It's kind of odd to me the NFL has seen so little expansion in comparison to the other leagues, although I know money has something to do with it as well as the mega merger in 1970.

However to think only 4 teams have been added in 42 years seems almost crazy to me. All I read about in terms of NFL expansion is London and how now we're at 4 games a year there and a 10 year commitment expires in 2025.

Makes me believe a permanent London team might come sometime in the 2030s. However I find 1 single team across the Atlantic seems logistically unlikely. I myself have often considered the only viable European expansion having an all-European division which would require mass re-alignment or relocation to work.

That said I have no clue with again, only 4 teams added in 42 seasons and that probably being stretched to 50+ years. Half a century.

But I guess as a bet I'd expect some expansion to occur by 2050 right? It all comes down to plausible relocation scenarios and expanding populations. I'm also convinced Toronto isn't ever getting a team unless Buffalo moves which seems unlikely.

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DigInBoys

DigInBoys

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27 minutes ago, UtahUtesFan said:

I don't know how the NFL expands to 33, market doesn't really warrant a team in the US to go to 34. 

Canada is where the league should go next. Similar culturally to the US, football is loved, and it's affluent.

There's 3 markets with the size to support NFL teams, though I'm not sure about interest in football besides Toronto:

Vancouver

Montreal

Toronto

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lomaxgrUK

lomaxgrUK

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I honestly think a London franchise will be a total flop. The UK sporting base as a whole will never, ever accept a sport that actually stops for commercial breaks as opposed to commercial breaks prior to the game and during half time/scheduled intervals in the game.

I guess the powers that be have access to Marketing data that I don't, but whilst I have seen an increase in the amount of people I know taking an interest in the sport these last 5 years or so, none would go out of there way to get behind a London franchise.

It's one thing to go to a game or two a year but it's a totally different matter to expect people to get a season ticket for 8 games. Most UK sport fans (Soccer in particular) don't have to travel far at all to home fixtures and won't be willing to pay the outrageous train travel fees (along with expensive ticketing) 8 times a year, every year to support a London franchise.

My guess is that the NFL would be banking on hundreds of thousands of different people attending each game from around Europe as opposed to season ticket holders which in my opinion, isn't healthy for the sport.

I for one wouldn't change my allegiance to a London franchise anyway and I know many hardcore UK NFL fans who feel the same way.

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UtahUtesFan

UtahUtesFan

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I am okay with 4 games, even 8 regular season games (rotating those games among all teams) as a "NFL London Series" & a possible future Super Bowl

If any team moves to London, I feel like Jacksonville should be that team. However, I don't think they're looking to leave Jacksonville either. 

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Kiltman

Kiltman

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Feel like there isn't a ton of space for it now, both with players and marketshare, so it'll be awhile.

I think the most likely thing to happen is the NFL acquires some of these new smaller leagues if they prove profitable and finally get a farm system, likely then changing the NCAA rule to 2 years instead of 3. It seems like the obvious way to get into markets you don't reach and test them out.

I think in an ideal world they do a 16/18 team league, half in the US. Places like San Antonio, Portland, Richmond, Mexico City etc. Then the other half overseas, London, Glasgow, Berlin, etc.
Have them all play in their continent, then have a 6 team playoff, championship rotates around NFL cities that will never get a superbowl or overseas.

There are a lot of logistics that need ironed out, but I think there is an itch that can be scratched there. If it's spring football you have that nice window post super bowl and before playoffs in the other leagues start along with Baseball.

You do that and in 20 years you see which markets performed the best, and you can elevate or create an expansion franchise there.
Like maybe Portland actually would support a team enough, Maybe there is room for a third team in Texas? 

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37 minutes ago, tyler735 said:

Seems the NFL has more teams than other major sports in the US:

NFL - 32

NHL - 31

NBA - 30 

MLB - 30

MLS- 24 (Likely expanding to 28-30 in the next several years)

Yes, but the NFL had a big lead over the others. Moving forward that lead is gone and they'll soon be behind. NHL is going to 32 now next season and then who knows but I think they'll be relocating instead of expanding next decade. MLB is going to 32 at some point in the 2020s and while the NBA has no immediate plans there's been talk of a euro division for several years that could come into reality sometime in the 2030s.

Meanwhile the NFL has finally gotten back to Los Angeles and getting a team in Vegas.

Now obviously St. Louis and San Diego are not getting a team back right away but given their history you have to expect they will get one back eventually, so that's 2. However it might be through relocation. Then here are the following US cities with the populations and other pro sports teams that could be options down the line:
 

San Antonio/Austin (cause I don't see 4 teams in Texas)
San Jose (no team in Oakland and it's still a 5 hour drive and Sacramento only has Kings, which could move)
Memphis (big enough and expanding with only NBA)
Portland (self-explanatory)
Oklahoma City (NBA team doing well)
Louisville (long-shot but NFL could be first pro team)

Now obviously Mexico City and Toronto are options but I think the CFL makes it a no go in Canada. I wasn't convinced of that for a while because even with the small salaries we had one of our 9th teams fold and our US expansion failed but then we got that 9th team back and looking promising to expand to 10 so I think NFL is out here.

Like I said, all things considered I would bet something happens by the 2040s at the latest.

 

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Shanedorf

Shanedorf

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55 minutes ago, brooks1957 said:

Completely against NFL expansion. 32 is the perfect number for scheduling, divisional setups, etc.......

Agreed.
And speaking of greed, that's the only reason to expand.
There is no unmet need that adding more teams will solve

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