The NFL, like everyone else in the world can clearly see the success that soccer has. The NFL has media to sell to within North America, but is nothing compared to how many countries and places soccer has access too. The Premier League is the top-notch in European soccer.This is the league that the NFL has the biggest competition with, they want to be on their level. And with a revenue of $25 billion/year, I would understand that too.London is obviously well known through out the world and the tourism never stops. That may be part of the reason why the NFL chose that city. I do agree in the sense that it is a very modernized city so it would also help greatly in that aspect. It is also easy to travel to from major places in Europe, as is the Wembley Stadium. The NFL has seen in previous games done in London that a small fan base is there, which is what seems to want to drive them in expansion.
Some of the difficulties that could arise are: time, distance, time zones, and prices. We know that we would have to fly our players out to London and there is a huge time shift that they need a day or more to recover from, especially if they are traveling from the West coast. This can also waste a lot of time and money involving the airfare and stay in Europe. Another thing is the distance and time it takes to travel to London from other countries, then there is the cost. Not every single fan will have the time and money to spend on traveling to London every other week to watch a football game.
However, just like any other successful and popular sport, they have to start somewhere and they have to start small. Do I think the NFL will be as big as soccer is world wide, I do not think so, but there is a possibility it could be great.
I agree with your opinion in that trying to globalize the NFL will still not reach the international popularity that soccer has. The endless possibilities, both negative and positive hold extreme potential.
ReplyDeleteGabriella Porreco