It has come to my
attention recently that the NFL is looking to expand games into other countries
(besides the London games over the years). Mexico City is seen as an
especially attractive destination for a game series, and a few owners/coaches
have already sounded off on that particular option (Art Rooney II's comments,
Ron Rivera's comments). Mind you, these particular comments are from
an owner, and a coach that actually has Mexican heritage. So there’s a bit of a vested interest
there.
This vested interest from
team higher-ups does not necessarily mean players will be on board, nor that they should be. The NFL
has taken a lot of flack, especially in recent history, over player
safety. International games and extra
travel do complicate the claim of concern for the players. However, let’s just let that sit for now
because honestly a blog detailing the NFL’s record with player safety….yeah,
that’d take awhile. I don’t have a day
to write that. Anyhow, if the NFL wants
to go to Mexico City, Germany, etc., I can give them some more ideas that would
be great for growing the brand that has seemingly already taken over
America! Here are my top 5 suggestions
for where the NFL should go next, with just a little bit of reasoning behind
each one.
5.
London
Ok,
so the NFL already has games going on in London each year. There have been 12 regular season games in London
since 2007, and there will be 2 more this year (Bills-Jaguars and
Lions-Chiefs). So, why would I say
London? Well, the Patriots have actually
played in a couple of the games over the years, but those were against the Rams
and Buccaneers. What we really need is
two teams with extremely patriotic names to go at it in London. New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia
Eagles? Or New England Patriots vs.
Dallas Cowboys? I mean, really, would
the crowd really get what was going on in those examples? The mere fact that the Patriots have played
in London with nothing weird about it is amazing to me. Let’s up the ante a bit.
4.
China
I
recognize that saying China does not really narrow this down much, seeing as
the country is massive. However, playing
a game or a few in China would increase NFL exposure over there, especially
when the NFL still sort of needs to compete with the NBA and MLB. I honestly couldn’t find any players in the
NFL that are directly of Chinese descent, so finding 2 teams for this game
would likely be a bit random. Still, the
exposure level would be high.
3.
Spain
Photo Credit: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/Photos/spain39.jpg
My
reasoning is pretty basic on this one. I
just really want to hear the comments about how it is “Hand-Egg” and not
“Football.”
2.
Alaska
Photo Credit: http://cdn.alaska.org/assets/content/cache/made/assets/content/sliders/Home%20Page/977_408_s_c1/Alaska-Vacations-2.jpg
Technically,
this is part of the United States.
However, Alaska is pretty limited in its ability to get football, in
part because of population/isolation concerns.
If an NFL team did end up in Alaska though, the populace would likely
swarm to it. There is not a ton of other
professional sport competition. Also, as
far as weather goes, would it really be worse than an East Coast Winter? Well, yes, it would, but that’s just part of
the fun. The league would need to be all
over the situation from a legal/safety standpoint though.
1.
Canada
Photo Credit: http://iliketowastemytime.com/sites/default/files/vancouver-at-dusk-british-columbia-canada_1680x1050_74072.jpg
I’m actually
pretty surprised we still don’t have an NFL team in Canada. It is the “National Football League” after
all. Anyhow, this would give the NFL a
chance to take Canada from hockey.
Because really, if there was a really a challenge to Goodell’s supreme
authority as a commissioner, it was being compared to NHL Commissioner Gary
Bettman. Somehow, Goodell could make
himself more hated in Canada than Bettman, and that’s a true accomplishment.
If you want a
little bit of amusement, check this out (Why Canada should hate Bettman?).
Are
there any other particular countries you want to see the NFL expand to? Give the country and your reasoning down
below!
As
always, constructive comments/suggestions are welcome. Anything in particular you want me to discuss next? Let me know!
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