Sports

Another NFL Game Overseas?

Apparently NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell wants to add a second regular season game overseas for the 2010 season.  This is not a good idea.

“The fan reaction we’ve had in London has been extraordinary. We would like to feed that passion,” Goodell said. “We have a great fan base in the UK.” Uh, Roger. Have you already forgotten about the disaster that was NFL Europe?   I know it wasn’t started under your watch, but it sure as hell was put out of its misery by you.  Europeans are more interested in 0 - 0 ties in soccer than NFL football.   I know the talent level wasn’t the same in NFL Europe as it is in the NFL, but those people really don’t care that much. I couldn’t be happier that the NFL Europe tanked.  If it was a success, then Goodell would have probably pushed to have NFL teams in European cities.   NFL Europe was a trial balloon and it popped.  Thank Goodness.

The NFL first staged a regular-season game in London in 2007, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10.  Last year, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32.   Both games were sellouts and fans quickly gobbled up tickets for this season’s game between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 25th.  I think the people there think that Patriots QB, Tom Brady will bring his wife, Geisel Bundchen along and that’s why they bought the tickets.

“I think the teams have had a great experience that have gone over,” Goodell said. “We’ve been able to build on that and I think teams recognize it’s an honor and a privilege to go over and play there. And it can be done without impacting a team negatively.” Oh you think so Roger? Apparently somebody forgot to tell the players and coaches that they are supposed to be honored and privileged.

Players have been overwhelmingly critical of the game due to the extensive travel involved in the middle of the season.  The teams get a bye week after the game, but that’s not enough.  One team also loses a home game in the arrangement, a potential competitive disadvantage.  Saints coach, Sean Payton, was critical of the “sloppy” field conditions at Wembley Stadium last season and the logistics of playing a “home” game in London.  That takes me to my next point, the “home” game.

As a season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Eagles, I don’t really care what the people in Europe think about NFL football.   I want to be able to cheer on my team and boo the hell out whoever the Eagles are playing.   I sure as hell don’t want to give up one of my home games so that the NFL can try to sell more jerseys overseas.   Goodell acknowledges this fact, but doesn’t really care. “The negative is taking away a home game from the fans,” Goodell said. That’s nice, but if he cared at all he wouldn’t do this crap to the loyal fans of NFL franchises.

This is just another in a long line of middle fingers to the fans.   Rising ticket prices, seat license fees, games on ESPN, satellite and now the NFL Network, that fans have to pay to see.  The NFL isn’t about the fans.   It isn’t about the players. It isn’t even about the games anymore.  What it’s really about is making money on merchandising.  What other explanation can there be for playing a regular season game overseas? How about two?  The fact is, there isn’t a valid explanation. I mean, other than greed.

NFL teams are a license to print money.  Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie whose only source of income is owning the team was recently declared a Billionaire, with a “B”. The salary cap keeps going up and the team president, Joe Banner, said the Eagles couldn’t possibly spend all the money they have under the cap no matter what.  (Psst, Joe. Giving some of that money to Brian Dawkins would have helped you spend it and been a good move for the team.   It also would have been a good public relations move, but you wouldn’t know anything about that would you?  Yeah, I’m still not over that one.  Never will be, either.)

Goodell is trying to push this one past the fans by distracting them with something they want. “[Another overseas game] is another reason why potentially restructuring the season and changing two preseason into regular season games can be something that we find is beneficial to the fans.” Wrong Roger.   While most fans want more regular season games and all fans want less of the useless preseason games, nobody wants games over in Europe.  The players and coaches don’t want it either.  The only way a second game gets approved by the NFL Players Union is if the Union can use it as leverage to get something else that they want from the owners in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Yep, it’s all about the rich getting richer and the Average Joe getting screwed.   As usual.

Europeans proved they don’t care much about American football when NFL Europe went belly-up.  Nobody watched or cared about that over there.   So why give these “fans” more games that they really don’t want in the first place.  Goodell points to the game being a sellout each year.   That’s all well and good, but it’s also complete bullshit.  When World Cup soccer comes to the United States, those games are sold out in stadiums (I have been told).  Then every time some genius thinks that means that Americans give a rat’s ass about soccer, another soccer league folds.

Look, Americans like football.   Europeans love soccer.   It really is that simple.  Why can’t Roger Goodell see that?  What’s that?  Oh yeah, I guess he can’t see over the pile of money the NFL makes in merchandising from overseas.  And here I thought that was just the money he could have been saving by using Geico.

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