NFL commissioner says Super Bowl may someday be held in London

[x635 4,066]

NFL commissioner says Super Bowl may someday be held in London

By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer

October 15, 2007

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- A future Super Bowl champion may someday be crowned overseas in a game witnessed predominantly by a foreign audience, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

"There's a great deal of interest in holding a Super Bowl in London," Goodell told reporters Monday. "So we'll be looking at that."

The commissioner said London's new Wembley Stadium would make a great candidate for pro football's biggest matchup, given the enthusiasm overseas for the game.

The NFL has been expanding its overseas presence for years by televising games around the world. It's held preseason games in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Mexico and Canada, and in 2005, the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played the first regular-season match outside the United States.

The game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City drew the league's largest crowd to date, 103,467.

On Oct. 28, Wembley will host the first regular-season NFL game outside North America. It took just 90 minutes to sell the first 40,000 tickets for the game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Goodell said event organizers have sold 95,000 tickets in all.

Goodell spoke about the possibility of a British Super Bowl after a luncheon Monday in Scottsdale sponsored by the host committee for the 2008 Super Bowl in Arizona.

[gss131 212]

Thats just great ,and we cant get one in the meadowlands because,"of inclement weather" .

[Scottyk107 9]

why go outside of the us? Hosting the game in a US city does great things for the economy. Aren't we trying to get away from outsourcing?

[JBE 328]

Didn't NFL Europe just recently fold?? Why bother with a formula that failed??

[helicopper 1,050]

What a STUPID idea. First there are no NFL teams in England. Second, as was so aptly pointed out, this will do nothing for the US economy.

And finally, assuming the game starts at 8 PM (London time), that means the east coast is watching the game at 3 PM and the left coast is watching at NOON - when do you start the party? For breakfast?

[Future Fireman 4]

The English already have their own type of football: SOCCER! That would be the stupidest mistake in the NFL if they follow through on this idea.

Mike

[SageVigiles 1,194]

NATIONAL Football League. As in, the nation of America... idiots.

[JBE 328]

They did have a football team in the original World League of American Football, which de-evolved into NFL Europe. The London Monarchs. How many of those tickets do you think actually went to folks from England and other parts of Europe?? I'm willing to bet a lot of them were sold to Americans.

It's an interesting comparison though, when you bring up soccer. It's popular here, but not like Europe. The football fans here are just as devoted as the soccer fans there, although I think worldwide, the soccer fans tend to take team loyalty a little bit further than our fans.

I could see regular season games, and maybe a few preseason games played overseas, but not the SuperBowl. I think the NFL should cut its losses in this market, or at least maybe funnel some money into schools that would teach American Football. You want true world champions, I would pay to see an NFL team such as the Giants take on the Championship team from say, Germany, or Italy.

[ny10570 745]

yeah, we're a little less fanatical here. When was the last time a ref was killed for a blown call??

A comic once explained perfectly exactly why Soccer will never take off here, its because if you really are a talented athlete you head towards sports like baseball, football, or basketball. The more fringe sports that Americans dominate are individual sports, like golf, track and field, or tennis. When was the last time you heard about a kid in your neighborhood who was going to grow up to be a really good soccer player? Soccer is still often relegated to all the kids who couldn't compete in another sport. The same thing goes over seas. Cultural pressure drives talented kids to different sports.

[IzzyEng4 427]

London has an open roof stadium and the weather there is a lot worse than here in the Northeast. Dumb move, I like soccer, rugby, et al but this is rediculous. No wonder why I don't watch the game like I used to. Walter Camp invented our version of football here in the states and perfected it in New Haven. He pre-season or exhibition games are ok but not a championship.

[RescueKujo 130]

What a STUPID idea. First there are no NFL teams in England. Second, as was so aptly pointed out, this will do nothing for the US economy.

And finally, assuming the game starts at 8 PM (London time), that means the east coast is watching the game at 3 PM and the left coast is watching at NOON - when do you start the party? For breakfast?

Chris,

When I was in the Air Force in Korea the start time for the game was 0430. The Base Commander let us all off duty (I just slept in), but we had to be back at our duty stations by 1100. AND no alcohol.

I just don't see this. The Super Bowl has become America's biggest corporate party. John Q. Public can't get in for the most part, and the NFL thinks that corporate America is going to go to London, Madrid or Berlin to watch it? Ain't gonna happen

[ex-commish 490]

What's next....the Rose Bowl, World Series? Keep it home where it belongs.

[firemoose827 324]

On Oct. 28, Wembley will host the first regular-season NFL game outside North America. It took just 90 minutes to sell the first 40,000 tickets for the game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Goodell said event organizers have sold 95,000 tickets in all.

Ahh, thats the problem...everyone wants to see the Giants play!! They should have used two other teams that no one wants to see like the Cowboys or the Bears....how many people are mad at me right now!!!!.....just kidding.

It all boils down to the NFL wanting to make more money....$$$$$$$$$$$$....thats the driving force behind it. They dont care about providing americans with a great affordable game to watch, they just care that we are PAYING to see it. Our economy is failing, Jobs are leaving as factories are being shut down and moved over seas and we are dependant on other countries to make our goods for us, people are living on welfare, and no one can afford to go to a game anymore...not even the $45 nosebleed seats. Even the Advertisements during the Super Bowl make millions of dollars for greedy corporations, and they just want more and more. So moving it to another country, at least till the magic fades there as well, will make a bigger profit for them. They dont care about us. It sucks, I know. But unfortunately its the world we live in.

I always watch it on TV anyway, and lately its a runaway game that ends up getting tuned off before halftime when its 56-7 and I pay more attention to the beer and wings.

Keep it in America, let them come here to watch it!!!!