OT: Time for Le Football

[ddaryl]

The game is gaining some popularity abroad... and in all places France.

Was shocked to read that American football is actually gaining some steam even after NFL Europe has ended

video transcript

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/07/sunday/main6183107.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;videoMetaInfo

Here is the video

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6183311n&tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.1

Kind of cool to believe Ameircan Football is finding a place in the World

[Scumbag College]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

I saw that clip on CBS Sunday Morning (which I think is a great show.) I was amazed that they have kids that have been playing in football leagues for 10+ years over there.

They must have gotten sick of boring ass soccer.

[DraftBoy]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Not sure how much this has to do with NFL's annual European game but this is what the NFL wanted. Another market to potentially tap not just for revenue but for possible players, and even one day (way way way away) expansion sites.

[Night Train]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

They probably saw a game where everyone was waving white flags in the stands.

They thought it was a mass surrender and took a fancy to it.

[kernowboy]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

I saw that clip on CBS Sunday Morning (which I think is a great show.) I was amazed that they have kids that have been playing in football leagues for 10+ years over there.

They must have gotten sick of boring ass soccer.

Boring ass soccer - from a country who's national sport is baseball? ROFL

[kernowboy]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

The interest in American Football in Europe is massively overstated by the NFL. It would be like the pro-game in LA, starting off with 90,000 crowds before quickly dropping below 40,000

Yes people will watch the games on TV maybe even occasionally by the shirts, but sitting over here in the UK, it is a minority sport by some considerable distance. If there is a soccer game being played fans will watch that 10x out of 10.

The only real sustainable market in Europe is Germany principally due to the US Forces based there, but in France although the NFL is making some inroads, its not gaining as quick an interest as ...... cricket LOL

Soccer (as you call it) will always be No1, as will such sports as Rugby Union in certain regions with 125 years of tradition etc.

You may get one or two kids moving to the US to some of the colleges like Sebastian Vollmer, but in most cases any useful guys playing American football in Europe will be scouted by the rugby and soccer teams. Some of them have academies where they have kids as young as 8 playing for the respective clubs academy teams.

The other thing is the franchise system is totally alien to Europe. In the UK for example, in the 120years history of the professional leagues, one soccer club has moved (as you'd see move when franchises do)

Not to say I don't like American Football, but its more likely that the USA will be conquered by soccer first.

[Scumbag College]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Boring ass soccer - from a country who's national sport is baseball? ROFL

Baseball is almost as bad as soccer.

[psubills62]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Baseball is almost as bad as soccer.

Baseball is worse than soccer. In baseball, the ball is actually in play for about 1% of the total time the game actually takes.

And kernowboy...Jack Crawford is a guy to watch out for. Originally came from England, is in his third year (or fourth, can't remember) playing football. Currently a DE for PSU, has quite a bit of talent, but somewhat inconsistent. Athletically a beast.

[kernowboy]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Baseball is worse than soccer. In baseball, the ball is actually in play for about 1% of the total time the game actually takes.

And kernowboy...Jack Crawford is a guy to watch out for. Originally came from England, is in his third year (or fourth, can't remember) playing football. Currently a DE for PSU, has quite a bit of talent, but somewhat inconsistent. Athletically a beast.

I know - The Bills pick in 2012?

Whilst the game has a small but loyal fanbase in Europe, to think it could actually challenge to be a top sport is laughable.

There is nothing to support it in schools etc, and certainly in England, after school sports activities no longer occur because of loads of Health and Safety red tape so I don't think it would ever really catch on.

The odd regular season European game will help bring extra support for some teams but really if its one game a season, English NFL fans wouldn't care less who was sent to Wembley.

[kernowboy]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

And the EU would almost certainly consider the way the NFL is structured to be a closed shop and therefore illegal under European law.

[ddaryl]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Not to say I don't like American Football, but its more likely that the USA will be conquered by soccer first.

I don't doubt this for a second, and it will all have to do with greed.

Young kids today are losng access to the game due to the increasing costs of taking families to these games.

We already see more and more kids playing soccer.... many of these kids would have been the top athletes in other sports like football but are now many are growing up enjoying soccer instead.

In 20 years I feel the NFL's talent pool will be wavering while soccers popularity grows which will feed even less of a talent pool for football and more for soccer....

[Dujek]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

Boring ass soccer - from a country who's national sport is baseball? ROFL

To be fair, if I was watching the Spuds I'd be bored to tears.

[better days]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

I don't doubt this for a second, and it will all have to do with greed.

Young kids today are losng access to the game due to the increasing costs of taking families to these games.

We already see more and more kids playing soccer.... many of these kids would have been the top athletes in other sports like football but are now many are growing up enjoying soccer instead.

In 20 years I feel the NFL's talent pool will be wavering while soccers popularity grows which will feed even less of a talent pool for football and more for soccer....

In the 70's & 80's Soccer fans were saying just wait until all these kids playing soccer grow up, Soccer will be HUGE.

Well they have grown up, what happened?

[ddaryl]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

In the 70's & 80's Soccer fans were saying just wait until all these kids playing soccer grow up, Soccer will be HUGE.

Well they have grown up, what happened?

It's different now.. You can see how much the game has grown especially for kids these days.

When I was growing up there were no soccer leagues anywhere, and none of us played soccer in our spare time.

Today that is much different

[better days]

Re: OT: Time for Le Football

It's different now.. You can see how much the game has grown especially for kids these days.

When I was growing up there were no soccer leagues anywhere, and none of us played soccer in our spare time.

Today that is much different

Well you must have grown up before the 70's because there were all kinds of soccer leagues back then. Two of my cousins were into it. As I said fans of Soccer were saying in the 70's & 80's in 10-20 years when the kids grow up Soccer will be huge. Well here we are & there may be some adult leagues that there weren't back then but Soccer is not huge.