FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are some final tidbits stemming from the league’s first international regular-season game Sunday in London.
They’re successful businessmen in pigskin and pizza respectively, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Papa John’s President/CEO Nigel Travis share the same belief of how football’s popularity can grow in the United Kingdom.
And it isn’t necessarily through the NFL.
"Arena football could be the way," said the British-born Travis, who now lives in Louisville, Ky. "You need the right product and it takes a long time to do anything, but I think it would build over time."
Like Travis, Jones touted the merits of that gridiron hybrid while attending a global sports economics conference in London preceding Sunday’s New York Giants-Miami Dolphins game. Jones owns the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League.
Said Jones: "There are fewer players. There are much less economics involved. You can play in indoor arenas. But you can still get some of the skills of football [like] blocking, tackling and throwing."
Now entering its 20th season, the AFL is still trying to grow beyond being a niche entity in the U.S. The same can be said of the NFL in the United Kingdom. An AFL expansion into Great Britain – which, along with markets in Mexico and Canada, is being discussed internally – could find a receptive audience, especially in the NFL’s offseason. It also would further football’s grass-roots movement in England.
“It’s conceivable that the AFL could be the world's only trans-Atlantic league within the next five years,” an AFL spokesman said.
Jones has an even larger view of arena football’s potential future.
"I’m involved with an arena team for one reason and one reason only," he said. "I thought that it had a chance to be an Olympic event."
Sure that sounds far-fetched. But 10 years ago, who could have imagined the NFL playing a regular-season game overseas?
Don’t be surprised if the NFL returns to London next year with San Francisco as one of the participants. Like the Dan Marino-led Dolphins, the 49ers are popular because the league began airing on British television in the mid-1980s during Joe Montana’s heyday. Sky Sports even aired Sunday’s San Francisco-New Orleans game following the Giants’ 13-10 victory.
Should the NFL again cross the pond, one area that must be addressed is Wembley Stadium’s field condition. The turf, which is groomed for soccer, came up in divots during Sunday’s rain and helped lead to a sloppy game.
"The footing contributed to the inability to make plays on either side," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. "It’s too bad."
The potential of an NFL expansion franchise in London was bandied about last week, but Jones doesn’t buy it.
"I see no sentiment for expanded franchises in the NFL. None," Jones said. "We aren’t even considering it for Los Angeles. I don’t see that. But as you look down the road and some of the possibilities, playing a regular-season game -- a meaningful game toward getting to the Super Bowl -- I think that’s the way we’re doing it to create interest from time to time."
Playing in London helped a Scotsman. Coughlin said he is sticking with Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes, who connected on one of two field goals and an extra point Sunday. Tynes entered on the hot seat, but Coughlin isn’t inclined to make a change after New York’s 6-2 start.
Attending NFL games in the U.S. gets pricier each year, but they’re still a bargain compared to Sunday’s contest at Wembley. Besides individual tickets priced between $90 and $180, concessions included $10 cheeseburgers, $14 fish-and-chips and large sodas for $5.80. For the average fan, that doesn’t leave much left to purchase $7 pints of ale.
The only reason the cost was so much was the exchange rate. That $14 fish anc chips cost them 6 pounds. 6 pounds to a Brit is like 6 dollars to us. Their tickets were between 40 and 85 dollars in their money.
So in essence, they paid $3.50 for a 20 ounce beer, I would take that anyday.
As for arena football-- this article makes much of the fact that it can be played inside out of the rain. IT IS ENGLAND!!!!! They would rather play in the rain. The sloppy field is part of the fun, yes FUN.
This also is not the first foray of football in England. They had the London Monarchs. Scotland had the Claymores. There is a pretty robust league over there, the BAFL http://www.bafl.org.uk/ and the colleges are starting to have teams as well.
OH, and for the sportscasters that were talking about the Giants player born in northwest London. NOT everyone from London is a Cockney. Do some research for criminy sakes.
For information, Sky sports shows 3 games per Sunday and the Monday Night Game every week. They also broadcast all the magazine shows daily. Even one of the standard terrestrial channels (channel 5) shows 1-2 games per week.
I don't think an NFL franchise would be viable due to the lack of homegrown talent - the fanbase is probably there. The Giants Dolphins game had 500k applications for tickets online!
Don't know the numbers on the NFL Europe cancellation but the German teams were attracting 30-40k fans per game.
Another good site to check out is www.nfluk.com if you're interested. There's lots of interest in the UK and we're not all c***neys :D
what planet do you live on wyota!!! a dollar is like a pound!!! i don't think so mate! i'm british and was at the game, and now i'm broke! 3 quid 50 for a pint, that is expensive! if i was paying 3 $ 50 for a pint (1 £ 60 ish) then i'd be chuffed!
as for the game! great experience and one i will never forget. more games over here in the future hopefully but a franchise?!? if that were to ever happen its at least 25 years away! what a great stadium and atmosphere, just a wonderful occasion that lived up to the hype (except the football itself).
ROGER GOODELL MORE GAMES OVER HERE PLEASE, we proved our worth sunday night!
well seeing we have brits/UKers/Europeans answering how do you feel it would rate for attendance/following as compared to rugby over there?
i played spring/fall rugby and toured some for 5 years and during that time watched international and club leagues intensely and all but forgot u.s. football.
i have to admit to this day nothing compares to the overall atmosphere/intensity of an international rugby match for me still, and you also have rugby league(i think thats what you blokes call it and Morgan Johns or someone like that was an Icon in it) and gaelic leagues, besides the huge followings "footy" and cricket enjoy.
is u.s. football really taking hold there enough to envision any "wide" acceptance? it seems so drawn out and scripted compared to the many great free-flowing sports Ukers/Europeans currently enjoy...
cheers mates and watching the British "test" team arm in arm singing "God Save The Queen" at Wembley is frikkin' Epic :D
Last edited by PaperBagLionsFan#8734 on October 29th at 9:51 PM.
and if Jerry Jones would rather watch "Arena Football" instead of rugby in the olympics not only is he a greedy,selfish so-and-so he's also smoking crack...
come out from under your NFL rock Jerry, international rugby is already well established and poised to be accepted back into the olympic games...
and btw lol the U.S. won "Gold" the last time rugby was an olympic event...hehe...
I did not say the dollar and pound was the same across, I said that using dollars to say the price of beer was misleading.
Case in point:
British Minimum wage is 5 pound 35 at beginning 2007. American is 5 dollars 15.
Therefore, the average joe over there had to work approximately 2/3 of an hour to buy that 3 pound 50 beer.
For the American, 2/3 of an hour would buy a 3 dollar 50 beer, approximately.
Therefore, the correct comparison in the article would have been that. Yes, it will cost an American over 7 dollars to buy that pint, or 1.3 hours. But to the British buying the pint, it is still 2/3 of an hour.
That being said, in football games in the States, a beer cost 7.50, nearly an hour and a half minimum wage. Therefore, I will take the 3quid 50 beer at the game anyday.
I do concede, however, that a pint can be found cheaper at the local pub.
will the nfl get wide acceptance? not any time soon, nothing like football or rugby. that being said, when premiership rugby is held at twickenham (80000 cap) on the opening day of the season there is only attendances of around 50,000.
however there is definitely enough demand to justify holding a game per year, so long may it continue!
What a bunch of Cry-Babys! Ya, Well at the next meeting I'll be wearing my lucky rabbit's foot too! As if Piping in crowd noise isn't enough as well as having the Refs in the Colt's pockets, now they want to lean on the fact that they didn't have Harrison.
Well last year the Patriots didn't have Junior Seau or Rodney Harrison to name a few and you didn't hear them complaining!! Stop your Excuses and just admit you where beat by a better team, Please!!
MARVEZ IS UGLY PRE-CEEDED BY AN F .............AND HARRISON WILL NOT HELP, THE COLTS HAD THE GAME BASICALLY GIVEN TO THEM JUST LIKE THE AFC C G LAST SEASON ,THIS TIME IT WAS THE RIGHT RESULT ADD IT ALL UP THE COLTS PLACE THEIR LIPS AROUND IT!
Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com . He's covered the NFL for 13 seasons as a beat writer and is the president of the Pro Football Writers of America.
