Goodell hints at a 4 team European Division for the NFL in the near future...and wasn't joking.

[Low Positive]

11 minutes ago, bobobonators said:

My family is from Spain and i grew up watching the other kind of football as well. 
 

the commercials are the one thing in the NFL that drives me bonkers. If they can play a 90 minute match in soccer without commercials other than the halftime break, we can play 60 minutes and do the same. A soccer match takes roughly 2 hrs for 90 minutes of play + halftime and aggregate time. NFL game takes 3-3.5 hrs for 60 minutes of play. It’s asinine. Granted, I get the clock stoppage in NFL vs no clock stoppage in soccer, but its the commercials that are a time suck. That’s why I hate watching games in person as opposed to on tv - seeing players just standing around waiting for the commercial break to end while im freezing my butt off is painful. 
 

I wish the nfl would introduce more of the split screen advertisements inbetween plays or flash Budweiser or Chevrolet at the bottom of the screen or a variation thereof. But lets keep it moving. 
 

I remember when soccer first started being televised in the US on public tv and they would cut to commercial in the middle of the game and a goal would be scored and you’d miss the goal. Lmao. That didn’t last very long. Eventually they got it right. 

Those digital sandwich boards with a never ending stream of ads for Chinese betting apps are commercials too.

[bobobonators]

1 minute ago, Success said:

You know - money isn't everything.

 

This would be a profound mistake.

 

Another thing too is the very name of the league. Would it still be the NATIONAL football league? Or do we change it to International Football League (IFL) or Major League Football (MLF). 
 

i know that to many it may be semantics, but words matter and with teams overseas its no longer a national league. Does the brand change? Is that a good thing? I dont want that. 
 

in short, I simply feel the NFL is trying to squeeze a square peg in a round hole. 

3 minutes ago, FrenchConnection said:

Those digital sandwich boards with a never ending stream of ads for Chinese betting apps are commercials too.

Yeh i get that but the game continues. 

[Albany,n.y.]

55 minutes ago, JDubya76 said:

Can the talent pool support another four teams. We all watched that debacle on Thursday night. There has been some really bad football on display the first four weeks and that’s without having to staff an additional 212 player positions plus practice squads.

 

 

Josh Rosen will say there were 4 more mistakes when none of the new teams sign him.  

Edited October 8, 2022 by Albany,n.y.

[Logic]

Mark Cuban was right.

The NFL is Icarus.

[Big Turk]

17 minutes ago, bobobonators said:

In a perfect world for me the NFL wouldn’t expand to Europe. We invest the $$$ into the product we have here already. Make it better. Expand within the US if there is a market for it. Milwaukee? Portland? St Louis? Oklahoma? Hawaii? Etc. 
 

Logistically, it would make more sense to expand into Mexico and Canada than it would Europe. But I get it - money talks and there’s more $$$ in Germany/England than Mexico. 

 

Less having to worry about extremely powerful drug cartels that pretty much do whatever they want too...

 

Not far fetched to think they would try and kidnap players and hold them for ransom.

Edited October 8, 2022 by Big Turk

[Motorin']

1 hour ago, Irish Dave said:

I grew up in Amherst, life long Bills fan.  But now I live in Europe. (Ireland).  I gotta tell  you guys,  "American Football" as it's known here is seen as a silly little sport.  They make fun of the padding (compared to Rugby which has no padding).   Also people here see it as having WAY too many commercials.  It's actually ridicouls the amount of commercials there are, when you compare it with a Premiere League  Soccer match - and soccer is by far the biggest sport in Europe.   Games have NO commercials, except at halftime.  Imagine that.  The clock runs continuously.  So - as much as we love it, grew up with it and love the Bills, for people here it's  nothing more than a passing fancing; a silly game, with silly helmets.  Despite my trying to convince them otherwise!

 

That's the same way soccer was seen here for decades. How's that Premiere League viewership doing in the states? It's huge now! Aaron Rodgers sporting a Man City jersey this week on the McAfee show. 

 

For what I've seen the biggest obstacle to growing the fan base among Europeans is that they don't know the rules. It's impossible to follow the NFL if you don't understand down and distance. What a pass is, and how you score.

 

With all the effort the NFL has put in, the growing understanding of how the "silly game" works has made tones of fans across the pond. 

 

And the whole "they wear pads it's a soft game" erodes very quickly. You'd probably be shocked by the amount of "European reacts to NFL biggest hits" videos there are on YT. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Motorin'

[Big Turk]

32 minutes ago, Captain Caveman said:

Is 4 even going to work?  If they add 1 new division (4 teams) then one conference has 16 teams and the other has 20?  How is that going to work, how are playoffs going to be adjusted, etc...

It almost seems like they'd need to add 8 for it to work?

 

No idea...they have had unbalanced teams before...I mean think when they had 31 teams

[Mr Info]

37 minutes ago, bobobonators said:

Thats what i thought. The jet lag more than the plane flight is what would be horrible. 
 

8hr time difference from London to West Coast. Thats no joke 

Could have replied to a few similar statements regarding jet lag but will use this one.

Supersonic jets will return in 2-3 years. Teams could charter those to make an EU trip potentially shorter than a US coast to coast journey. Expect the NFL has already been following this. @Boyst62can also comment on this.

[bobobonators]

1 minute ago, Mr Info said:

Could have replied to a few similar statements regarding jet lag but will use this one.

Supersonic jets will return in 2-3 years. Teams could charter those to make an EU trip potentially shorter than a US coast to coast journey. Expect the NFL has already been following this. @Boyst62can also comment on this.

You can make a trip shorter however the body difference remains its 1pm in LA and your internal clock is at 9pm London time. Vice/versa 

 

but I get your point. 

[HappyDays]

If anything they should start an official minor league in Europe. A full time NFL team across the ocean wouldn't work, too many logistical issues and players don't want to spend that much time on the other side of the world away from their friends and family.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, JDubya76 said:

Can the talent pool support another four teams. We all watched that debacle on Thursday night. There has been some really bad football on display the first four weeks and that’s without having to staff an additional 212 player positions plus practice squads.

 

 

 

I mean the same way it's gone from whatever it started with...8 or 12 teams all the way to 32.

 

There will be some watered down players no doubt, but they are spread amongst the teams. 

 

Even now they say there is watered down play, mostly with OLinemen.

 

Used to say the QB play was watered down for a long time but now it's one of the strengths with so many good young QBs coming into the league and coordinators focusing on building offenses around their strengths instead of trying to force them to fit their offense.

 

Additionally as it becomes more popular worldwide, you start getting a bigger player pool with some kids wanting to play football instead of soccer or hockey or basketball, etc.

 

Look at all the foreign players from outside North America in baseball, hockey and basketball. Expanding those leagues with teams great enhanced them with new talent from other countries. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Big Turk

[mjd1001]

5 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

For what I've seen the biggest obstacle to growing the fan base among Europeans is that they don't know the rules. It's impossible to follow the NFL if you don't understand down and distance. What a pass is, and how you score.

 

With all the effort the NFL has put in, the growing understanding of how the "silly game" works has made tones of fans across the pond. 

 

This reminds me a a conversation last year that was had trying to explain to the girfiend of a Coworker what is or isn't a catch.

At one point it was brough up that for many, many years, the rule was simply, catch the ball (no bobbling) and having 2 feet down. You do that and it was a catch.  Now the rule is abount control, what is a 'football move' and she just looked at the guy trying to explain it to her and said something like "the 2 foot thing was simpler, why did they complicate it"

[17islongenough]

Won't the players who would play in Europe get killed on taxes?

[Irish Dave]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

I would bet the popularity is probably higher in London and maybe Manchester where they have played games and a good number of locals have gone to them over the years.

 

Germany is pretty football rabid too apparently, in comparison to Ireland...NFL Europe had 5 teams there and Ticketmaster said they could have sold over 3 million tickets to the 4 games coming up in Germany.

 

It's a slow build but it's definitely starting to gain momentum.

 

Still obviously plenty of places will not like it or will not accept it I am sure...

 

Kyle Brandt from GMFB said they were over in London and watching the Bills Dolphins game at a local bar and said the people there were loving it and super into the game...

 

 

Also...I have to say that I watched Gaelic Football once on like ESPN 2 at 2am and I was totally hooked...I freaking cannot get enough of that and will watch it every time I can find it on. Super fun and interesting sport with some crazy rules that make it almost a cross between rugby, soccer and basketball.

 

[boyst]

29 minutes ago, Mr Info said:

Could have replied to a few similar statements regarding jet lag but will use this one.

Supersonic jets will return in 2-3 years. Teams could charter those to make an EU trip potentially shorter than a US coast to coast journey. Expect the NFL has already been following this. @Boyst62can also comment on this.

BoomJet makes its debut in 3-4 years at the earliest. These are 60-70 person jets. The equipment can be shipped other ways. 

 

Jfk to Fra is a 3 hour flight on th ovature. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Boyst62

[Since1981]

The league would have to make a lot of concessions to such Euro teams. And, btw the commercials and stoppages are jarring for Europeans used to flow-of-game in soccer.

 

**I only played soccer HS and never organized football but I can’t stand watching soccer!!

[frostbitmic]

1 hour ago, Irish Dave said:

I grew up in Amherst, life long Bills fan.  But now I live in Europe. (Ireland).  I gotta tell  you guys,  "American Football" as it's known here is seen as a silly little sport.  They make fun of the padding (compared to Rugby which has no padding).   Also people here see it as having WAY too many commercials.  It's actually ridicouls the amount of commercials there are, when you compare it with a Premiere League  Soccer match - and soccer is by far the biggest sport in Europe.   Games have NO commercials, except at halftime.  Imagine that.  The clock runs continuously.  So - as much as we love it, grew up with it and love the Bills, for people here it's  nothing more than a passing fancing; a silly game, with silly helmets.  Despite my trying to convince them otherwise!

In England they would've been thrilled with Thursday nights clunker, they like the kicking game.

[Irish Dave]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

I would bet the popularity is probably higher in London and maybe Manchester where they have played games and a good number of locals have gone to them over the years.

 

Germany is pretty football rabid too apparently, in comparison to Ireland...NFL Europe had 5 teams there and Ticketmaster said they could have sold over 3 million tickets to the 4 games coming up in Germany.

 

It's a slow build but it's definitely starting to gain momentum.

 

Still obviously plenty of places will not like it or will not accept it I am sure...

 

Kyle Brandt from GMFB said they were over in London and watching the Bills Dolphins game at a local bar and said the people there were loving it and super into the game...

 

 

Also...I have to say that I watched Gaelic Football once on like ESPN 2 at 2am and I was totally hooked...I freaking cannot get enough of that and will watch it every time I can find it on. Super fun and interesting sport with some crazy rules that make it almost a cross between rugby, soccer and basketball.

 

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

This reminds me a a conversation last year that was had trying to explain to the girfiend of a Coworker what is or isn't a catch.

At one point it was brough up that for many, many years, the rule was simply, catch the ball (no bobbling) and having 2 feet down. You do that and it was a catch.  Now the rule is abount control, what is a 'football move' and she just looked at the guy trying to explain it to her and said something like "the 2 foot thing was simpler, why did they complicate it"

 

Because people looked at situations where guys did that and then had the ball knocked out and it "didn't look like a catch" to anyone who watched football regularly and shouldn't have been a catch but because of the rules, it was. They added things to try and ensure those catches didn't count but now they have made it so catches that would have counted before that should have under the same criteria of what looks like a catch don't count.

 

So it's just hard to find a balance especially as the game gets faster.

[Irish Dave]

Dude!  Yes, Gaelic Football!  (Known as the GAA).   My 14 year old Son plays, has played since he was 4; LOVES it.  I love it too - actually coached for a while.  Its every bit as popular in Ireland as the NFL is in the States.  And the interesting thing is it's amateur.  Nobody get paid.  And you have to be from the county you play for.  There are local teams, and County teams, if you're good enough.   There's actually one team - Mayo - who has been to the final several times, sometimes two years in a row and they NEVER have won the Big one.   Not since the 1940s.  I try to describe being a Bills fan as similar to being a Mayo Fan.  Then they get it!

 

Rules: Basically it's soccer, but you can pick the ball up.  The goal post is an "H".  If you kick or punch it over the top and through the uprights it's 1 point.  But there's also a goalie who guards the bottom part of the "H".  If you get it past the the goalie it's 3 points.  To move the ball you can take 4 steps before you have to either A-bounce/dribble (but can't do two in a row), or B-"Solo", which is dropping the ball onto your foot and kicking it back up to yourself - While Running Full stride (it's hard!).  You can't throw the ball to your team mate, you either kick it to him, or punch it to him - like the underhanded Volleyball serve.    We live in County Donegal and they won the whole thing in 2012 - I was at the game -80,000 fans - every bit as rabid as Bills fans I gotta say.   And it was the FIRST TIME I ever felt proud of "My Team" winning a championship of any kind....(But it wa actually MAYO that Donegal Beat!)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtqexj6u954

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtqexj6u954

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Irish Dave