Fansided

5 reasons an NFL franchise in London won’t work

By Ryan Phillips

Sep 25, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; General view of the NFL shield logo on the Wembley Stadium marquee in advance of the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; General view of the NFL shield logo on the Wembley Stadium marquee in advance of the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 23, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; General view of NFL shield banners and Great Britain flags on Regent Street in advance of the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; General view of NFL shield banners and Great Britain flags on Regent Street in advance of the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

2. England already has its version of the NFL

While television ratings for the NFL on British television have grown over the past decade, American football doesn’t rate as a “popular” sport in England. Soccer (their football) outstrips everything else by a landslide and the Barclays Premier League is far more popular there than the NFL could ever hope to become. After that, football would have to compete for attention with sports like rugby, cricket, tennis and even darts (yes, darts!!!). All of those sports have deep-seated ties to the population there, while football would be starting from almost scratch.

For a few games a year the English will surely turn up and cheer one teams whose players they don’t know just for the thrill and novelty of it all. But would they do that for an entire season at current NFL prices for a sport they know nothing about? Would they care about things like the NFL draft, when none of the players entering it actually play in their home country?

Additionally, as we here in the U.S. are gearing up for the start of football, the aforementioned Barclays Premier League is also kicking off. The NFL would have to compete with the BPL for ratings on Sundays during the entire season. There is no way American football would come close to winning that battle.

I’m sure a small pocket of rabid fans would exist, but the NFL would be facing a Sisyphean task to even break into the market.

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