Jump to content

Is a London team viable at this stage?


.Buzz

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, .Buzz said:

This, but also it already puts teams at disadvantages because of travel. I'd imagine they'd try to group home games together, but in that case it's just put the road team at a disadvantage.

On top of that, I really don't know that the Jaguars are even THAT popular there. They obviously have a decent following but I get the feeling most are just a big mixing pot of a ton of teams. People will probably go to the games, but will they even create a home field advantage? Idk...I just don't know.

Go a step further.  Soccer (i.e. their football) has the popularity in England that football does here.  Barring Wembley, there aren't really stadiums that isn't owned by a club (who likely won't be all that keen on scheduling around NFL games since their seasons overlap), and venues like the O2 and Manchester Arenas only hold in the neighborhood of 20,000.

Tax stuffs would be something the Players Union sure isn't going to want to hash out, but they'd have to.  Travel (not just costs, but logistics in general) has already been mentioned,, but it would be a nightmare - teams traveling from the Pacific and Mountain time zones would literally be losing a day.  London is, for all intents and purposes, the "new LA" - in that it's the place you threaten to move to in order to get bend your current city to your will, except unlike LA it's plainly not realistic to relocate there (the fortunate bit for the league and teams is that it took so long - the better part of a quarter-century - to get a team back in LA).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The LBC said:

Go a step further.  Soccer (i.e. their football) has the popularity in England that football does here.  Barring Wembley, there aren't really stadiums that isn't owned by a club (who likely won't be all that keen on scheduling around NFL games since their seasons overlap), and venues like the O2 and Manchester Arenas only hold in the neighborhood of 20,000.

Tax stuffs would be something the Players Union sure isn't going to want to hash out, but they'd have to.  Travel (not just costs, but logistics in general) has already been mentioned,, but it would be a nightmare - teams traveling from the Pacific and Mountain time zones would literally be losing a day.  London is, for all intents and purposes, the "new LA" - in that it's the place you threaten to move to in order to get bend your current city to your will, except unlike LA it's plainly not realistic to relocate there (the fortunate bit for the league and teams is that it took so long - the better part of a quarter-century - to get a team back in LA).

Great points all around.

That's why I think London is more of a random game here and there for home teams/if they get a neutral site game in the future. 

For how JAX is using them as a way to increase revenue 1-2 times a year sure. To move there full time I just don't see. So if relocation for JAX is a thing I think it'll be here or Canada. Not just a full time move to London.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, DigInBoys said:

 

It's not about politics, it's about culture.

Canada is very similar to the US culturally, much closer than the UK. I don't really see whats debatable about that.

I can't imagine the CFL would be very happy if the NFL tries to horn in on their turf.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great points in this thread 

I think the main question the NFL should be asking about this, and a Mexico City team, and a Toronto team is, very important, this:

What will make a person from the UK, who has been a fan of a team for so long, dedicated so many hours into shouting at the TV, staying up all night, paying exuberant prices to go and see them at Wembley, suddenly go and say "Yeah okay, I'll support the London team instead." I'm sure they'll be a lot of people who do that but the thing is, why would someone from Edinburgh or Manchester or Newcastle support a London team instead of sticking with their trusty Bears or trusty Raiders? There's no homegrown players on the London team to cheer for, they won't come and play at a local stadium near you they're gonna play in London and you have no ties to the city they're repping! It's like saying I'm from Austin, a team just started in San Antonio so F the Cowboys, I'm supporting them now.

It just makes no sense to me, that with the logistics just makes me think its near impossible.

Edited by Drained
Link to comment
Share on other sites

for a lot of the reasons mentioned, having a team relocate to london is probably closer to a pipe dream than a reality at this point. 

 

but i also think an expansion to toronto is unlikely (or would be a huge mistake). there is a very small NFL fan base compared to the NHL or NBA, we don't have a facility, there is no tailgate culture or whatever to help build a fan base, players don't want to play there (the raptors have a big problem attracting free agents), etc. it's kind of a shame really because toronto would be a perfect fit in the AFC East with buffalo, NYJ and the patriots. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...