NFL may add 17th regular season game..

Goodell is outmatching any other homo commish right now

 

Okay - a bit of sanity.

This is ridiculous. I am an overseas fan (or at least I was) and I think moving an NFL regular season game overseas is utterly stupid.

The business plan here has to be focussed on increasing NFL revenues by growing a bigger supporter base. How many converted fans do you seriously think you will get (i.e. people who wouldn't have otherwise spent a cent on NFL related products) from playing a single game (even on an annual basis) overseas? Those that attend by and large will already be followers of the sport. Those that don't attend won't change their mind, so you have gained next to nothing.

The long term planning here has to be to flood the TV market and contribute funding towards the sport indigenously. I don't follow NFLE, but it would appear that the league is still predominantly made up of US expats. The goal must be to grow an indigenous league full of indigenous players. To do so, you need to grow your own players. Set aside the expense you would have incurred on setting up an international game and pay off TV networks to telecast games in prime time, loaded with adverts for the local junior leagues. If it's accesible and entertaining - people will watch. And if people are watching, kids are watching. And if kids are watching, kids will want to play. And that is how you take a product to a new market.

Not by playing a mickey mouse game that has no lasting impact two weeks after its been played.

 

NFLE is painful to watch.

The standard is pitiful,that's why it doesn't attract any support. A real NFL game would sell out every time in the UK.

 

what im saying is you dont see England's soccer leauge scheduling games in DC or New York, people dont wake up in the morning and look at there paper and see o wow, a europe football game being played in texas, sounds like fun!

 

I'm sure that's exacty what they are thinking.

My point is - playing one-off games in London won't help you achieve that. You are better off flooding the TV markets and trying to grow the sport indigenuosly.

From a business perspective, it's a flawed marketing strategy.

 

It would sell-out in the US as well. You don't gain anything from it selling out in the UK because most of those there are already NFL fans. Your strategy has to be to convert non-NFL fans and 1 game isn't going to do that.

 

Only difference is that you guys suck at soccer and soccer is a much more global sport - it's not called English Football.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/england/2751635.stm

Poms.

:gag:

 

I am glad America hasn't ruined your sense of Pommy hatedness.

 

In the 80's/90's when had the world bowl (which became the NFLE),the Bears & I can't remember which other team came over for a pre season game.

It created a spark & fans cropped up everywhere wearing nfl jerseys. TV coverage was limited to one sunday game being shown late monday night/tuesday morning.

The spark wasn't fed & only hardcore fans survived.Now through satellite tv we have good coverage & the fan base has slowly grown. Support in the UK for the NFL is still has poor as it is for soccer in the US.

Your right that a 17th game would sell out just as well in the domestic market. Logistically it's crazy to play abroad but a real game here on a regular basis would definately expand the NFL's fan base. The game this year has attratcted massive media interest & people who know nothing about the NFL are showing an interest.

Each team should be pushing their interest & setting up fan clubs for their overseas fans. The money is in the longterm fans & the merchandise. I doubt the league has their finger oin the pulse enough to do this type of thing though.

Is it good business? Time will tell,it's Goodell's baby & I think he'll live or die by it.