Is The NFL Overextending Their Product?

[BillsImpossible]

3 regular season games will be played in London this year.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000289131/article/nfl-announces-three-london-dates-for-2014-season

I didn't know that the NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007!

Most players probably hate it, just like the Bills hated playing a, "home," game in Canada.

The demographics of Toronto seem more conducive to a professional soccer franchise, not American football.

If the NFL didn't learn their lesson after losing two teams from Los Angeles, The "Toronto Series," should have taught the NFL that size and population really do not matter. That lesson goes all the way back to the roots of the game in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Pro football is a unique American sport. There is no other sport like it in the world.

The rest of the world prefers rugby, soccer, hockey and curling.

I wish the NFL would concentrate on their product here at home, instead of trying to, "increase their market share," overseas and expanding their product outside of the United States.

Some things will always be...

Hockey will always be king in Toronto.

Soccer will always be king in England.

Football will always be king in America.

If a potential future owner had the opportunity to buy the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs or a new franchise with a brand new stadium in LA, what franchise would they choose?

Any smart businessman would choose the small market team with loyal customers.

Selling pro football in LA is like trying to sell a bucket of wings and a sheet pizza in Beverly Hills or Miami.

The NFL should be more worried about why the Miami Dolphins have so many empty orange seats instead playing football in London.

[Luisito23]

They've been trying to shove it down everyone's throat for years, they just don't get the message...

No one outside of the US cares about "football" you dummies.

[Historian]

It's EuroDisney all over again...

[Mr. Pink]

All the NFL cares about is money and they will do everything they possibly can to whore the product to get more.

[DraftBoy]

I believe the London games are profittable from a league perspective so they really couldn't care less about anything else.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

For the thousandth time, football in Los Angeles didn't fail for lack of interest, it failed because the youngest stadium just celebrated its 90th birthday.

And at this point, we as Bills fans are in little position to throw stones about poor attendance.

[The Jokeman]

For the thousandth time, football in Los Angeles didn't fail for lack of interest, it failed because the youngest stadium just celebrated its 90th birthday.

And at this point, we as Bills fans are in little position to throw stones about poor attendance.

but see here if an LA team doesn't sell out then the NFL loses out on all those viewers that could be watching the local team on tv and because there's so much to do in LA the fans don't have to flock to the stadium. Ever wonder why the league doesn't have a team in New York City? It's part of the same reasoning. The only way I see the NFL putting a team in LA again is if it's a proven winner with an LA fan base that would watch them. Perhaps the Chargers could relocate there but don't see the 49ers because the fans in San Francisco be an uproar because of the winning tradition. The Raiders could but need to start winning again.

[Night Train]

core fans > corporate

NFL office = corporate > core fans .

Cost to attend a game is getting out of hand.

[Downinfloflo]

I think Mark Cuban is right...And when it does implode the Buffalo Bills will be one of the franchises that pays the price and will be relocated.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/03/mark-cuban-nfl-implosion-10-years



“I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion. When pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they’re getting hoggy. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I’m just telling you, when you got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns against you.”

[BillsImpossible]

I believe the London games are profittable from a league perspective so they really couldn't care less about anything else.

The logistics involved with playing an NFL game overseas has to cost a small fortune.

Every time an NFL game is played overseas, every penny is spent overseas instead of here at home.

What about the ushers, parking attendants, local bars, grocery stores, ticket takers, security personnel, cab drivers, restaurant owners, convenient stores, and gas station owners that benefit on game day?

Playing games overseas is like the NFL taking money out of their own fans pockets.

[Buffalogic]

Do whatever you want NFL. You wonder why nobody wants to go to a game or why people just buy all their jersies from China..Hogs.

[BillsImpossible]

What's the old adage?

"Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered."

I think that is what Mark Cuban was referring to, and he's absolutely right.

If the NFL fails to take care of what's wrong at home (head injuries, pain pills, player lawsuits and empty seats) nobody that lives 4,000 miles away is going to give a flying turd.

The NFL could barely sell out multiple playoff games last year.

Time to get back to basics and stick to the original business model.

[DynaPaul]

But Jerry wants more pie people!

[BillsImpossible]

One of thing's that the NFL doesn't want to touch with a ten foot pole is the idea of having a franchise in Mexico City.

Fan support is no question. Mexico loves American football. But does the league want to expand their product to Mexico?

No regular season or preseason game is scheduled for the 2014 NFL season, so I guess the answer is a flat out, "No."

Why not?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/355662-globalization-the-one-word-that-nfl-fans-should-fear-the-most

In 1994, a preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers garnered a crowd of 112,246 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. In the only regular season game held in Mexico, there was a then-record NFL attendance of 103,467 at Azteca.
There is a growing amount of NFL merchandise being bought in Mexico, and the NFL is really hurting itself by not tapping the key market that exists in Mexico.
Attendence has steadily grown for the annual NFL games staged at Wembley, but there has been no big boost for the NFL in England. The English Premier League is not only the most popular sports league there but in the world.

[BuffaloRedleg]

The other shoe will drop eventually. I'd hate for the Bills to be that shoe, but that has the potential to be a PR nightmare in the modern world we live in if they choose to do so.

Could you imagine if the Browns left in 2014? Holy hell, shut down twitter, facebook and whateverthe**** is also out there.

**** I'm not going to lie if I knew what I knew now and were as old as I am now I would have not watched anything but Bills football, because **** that ****.

[YardRat]

LA has lost more than just two teams, and they've been losing them for a long time...maybe the condition of the stadium has a little bit to do with that, but the age doesn't.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

but see here if an LA team doesn't sell out then the NFL loses out on all those viewers that could be watching the local team on tv and because there's so much to do in LA the fans don't have to flock to the stadium. Ever wonder why the league doesn't have a team in New York City? It's part of the same reasoning.

What? New York City is well within the blackout radius of the Meadowlands. The reason they don't have a team in New York City is the exact same reason they don't have a team in Los Angeles - they don't have a modern NFL stadium. If the voters had approved the West Side Stadium a few years back, it would right this minute be hosting the Jets and would have hosted February's Super Bowl.


The only way I see the NFL putting a team in LA again is if it's a proven winner with an LA fan base that would watch them.

No proven winners have unsettled ownership situations right now.


Perhaps the Chargers could relocate there

They are the most likely. Minnesota got their stadium, so they are out. Buffalo has these restrictions in place, which I don't think are insurmountable but will make it much harder. Jax is another candidate but there hasn't been much talk about it since Khan took over.


but don't see the 49ers because the fans in San Francisco be an uproar because of the winning tradition.

San Francisco is opening a brand new stadium this season, and hosting the Super Bowl in 2016. They are not going anywhere. The possibility is that Oakland might even join them.


LA has lost more than just two teams, and they've been losing them for a long time...maybe the condition of the stadium has a little bit to do with that, but the age doesn't.

Are you referring to the Chargers, who played in LA for a single season over half a century ago?

[Novacane]

For the thousandth time, football in Los Angeles didn't fail for lack of interest, it failed because the youngest stadium just celebrated its 90th birthday.

And at this point, we as Bills fans are in little position to throw stones about poor attendance.


What about the Rams? The big A is 50 years old and was only 30 years old when they left LA. LA doesn't deserve a NFL team

[Mr. Pink]

FYI there is no such thing as over-extending when it comes to the NFL.

There are rabid fanbases of almost every single team with people who live all over the country.

No matter what they do, people still tune in and watch the games, corporations in major cities buy luxury suites and average fans scrounge together money to go to the games and buy jerseys, shirts, hats and everything else.

If you think otherwise, you're just kidding yourself as you're one of the people, just like myself, who contributes to it.

Other leagues start up to try and compete/offer an alternative and disappear almost as quickly because fans and the money don't follow. If people were only in it for the football aspect there would still be an XFL. Hell there would still be a WFL or USFL for that matter.

[theanswer74]

3 regular season games will be played in London this year.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000289131/article/nfl-announces-three-london-dates-for-2014-season

I didn't know that the NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007!

Most players probably hate it, just like the Bills hated playing a, "home," game in Canada.

The demographics of Toronto seem more conducive to a professional soccer franchise, not American football.

If the NFL didn't learn their lesson after losing two teams from Los Angeles, The "Toronto Series," should have taught the NFL that size and population really do not matter. That lesson goes all the way back to the roots of the game in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Pro football is a unique American sport. There is no other sport like it in the world.

The rest of the world prefers rugby, soccer, hockey and curling.

I wish the NFL would concentrate on their product here at home, instead of trying to, "increase their market share," overseas and expanding their product outside of the United States.

Some things will always be...

Hockey will always be king in Toronto.

Soccer will always be king in England.

Football will always be king in America.

If a potential future owner had the opportunity to buy the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs or a new franchise with a brand new stadium in LA, what franchise would they choose?

Any smart businessman would choose the small market team with loyal customers.

Selling pro football in LA is like trying to sell a bucket of wings and a sheet pizza in Beverly Hills or Miami.

The NFL should be more worried about why the Miami Dolphins have so many empty orange seats instead playing football in London.
Its all about TV ratings. NFL just keeps growing. Check the Super bowl tv ratings around world. More people watch the draft then nhl playoffs. Until people stop watching they wont be in trouble. Take the Dolphins. Huge market, stadium is full of empty seats. But they are one of the top revenue teams in the Nfl. LA would be the same.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

What about the Rams? The big A is 50 years old and was only 30 years old when they left LA. LA doesn't deserve a NFL team

The Big A is a baseball stadium, and not just any stadium but the fourth oldest in MLB. When they moved there it was fine, but by the 1990s the lack of luxury boxes were killing them. Every single team that has tried a dual use stadium moved out, with the exception of Oakland, who has been casting about for a new stadium for years.

St. Louis built a stadium, LA didn't. So St Louis got the team.

[BillsImpossible]

Take the Dolphins. Huge market, stadium is full of empty seats. But they are one of the top revenue teams in the Nfl. LA would be the same.

Miami ranks 16th in League revenue.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201308/only-one-nfl-team-lost-money-2012

Half empty stadiums give the NFL an image they don't want. Lack of fan support is not good for the game.

A team can have all of the corporate support in the world, but if they don't have fans that show up on beautiful 65 degree days in October something's seriously wrong. Is Miami going to eventually have to cover up seats, like they do in Jacksonville?

If the Miami Dolphins were up for sale too, I wonder what prospective owners would think of their situation compared to Buffalo's.

NFL football doesn't matter much now in Miami and the empty seats show it. Will the Dolphins still exist a decade from now?

Is Miami the next LA for the NFL?

[Novacane]

The Big A is a baseball stadium, and not just any stadium but the fourth oldest in MLB. When they moved there it was fine, but by the 1990s the lack of luxury boxes were killing them. Every single team that has tried a dual use stadium moved out, with the exception of Oakland, who has been casting about for a new stadium for years.

St. Louis built a stadium, LA didn't. So St Louis got the team.



Which goes to the point of lack of interest. If enough fans in LA cared the politicians would have built them a stadium.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Which goes to the point of lack of interest. If enough fans in LA cared the politicians would have built them a stadium.

The politicans thought (and many still do) that the Coliseum or Rose Bowl were adequate NFL venues. They were clearly incorrect. That has nothing at all to do with fan interest.

[alohabillsfan]

The nfl is now becoming g more and more of a joke. Constant rule changes and the pussification of the sport pains me. I used to be a passionate fan, now casual at best, and the nfl gets zero of my cash!

[Historian]

A team can have all of the corporate support in the world, but if they don't have fans that show up on beautiful 65 degree days in October something's seriously wrong. Is Miami going to eventually have to cover up seats, like they do in Jacksonville?

If the Miami Dolphins were up for sale too, I wonder what prospective owners would think of their situation compared to Buffalo's.

NFL football doesn't matter much now in Miami and the empty seats show it. Will the Dolphins still exist a decade from now?

Is Miami the next LA for the NFL?

I doubt it, as Miami is a prime location for a SB.

Having lived in Florida, I can tell you that while the pro game is popular, it is the college games and the rivalries within that gets Florida buzzing.

I think that's why Miami and Jax have crummy attendance. (Tampa has a lot of northern transplants, but even their numbers stunk before their SB win)

[MidnightVoice]

Football will always be king in America.

True, but probably not in the way you intended. Of the 600 million or so non-US Americans, Football is indeed king. The kind of football known as "soccer" in the US :D

[DraftBoy]

The nfl is now becoming g more and more of a joke. Constant rule changes and the pussification of the sport pains me. I used to be a passionate fan, now casual at best, and the nfl gets zero of my cash!

They don't care about your cash...they care about you tuning your TV in on Sundays. That's where the money is.

[Fletch]

3 regular season games will be played in London this year.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000289131/article/nfl-announces-three-london-dates-for-2014-season

I didn't know that the NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007!

Most players probably hate it, just like the Bills hated playing a, "home," game in Canada.

The demographics of Toronto seem more conducive to a professional soccer franchise, not American football.

If the NFL didn't learn their lesson after losing two teams from Los Angeles, The "Toronto Series," should have taught the NFL that size and population really do not matter. That lesson goes all the way back to the roots of the game in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Pro football is a unique American sport. There is no other sport like it in the world.

The rest of the world prefers rugby, soccer, hockey and curling.

I wish the NFL would concentrate on their product here at home, instead of trying to, "increase their market share," overseas and expanding their product outside of the United States.

Some things will always be...

Hockey will always be king in Toronto.

Soccer will always be king in England.

Football will always be king in America.

If a potential future owner had the opportunity to buy the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs or a new franchise with a brand new stadium in LA, what franchise would they choose?

Any smart businessman would choose the small market team with loyal customers.

Selling pro football in LA is like trying to sell a bucket of wings and a sheet pizza in Beverly Hills or Miami.

The NFL should be more worried about why the Miami Dolphins have so many empty orange seats instead playing football in London.

Nicely written!

They're going to lose me when they expand to 14 playoff teams. At that point the season will be about as meaningful as the NBA's or NHL's. I'll stop watching until playoff time.

[Fletch]

Miami ranks 16th in League revenue.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201308/only-one-nfl-team-lost-money-2012

Half empty stadiums give the NFL an image they don't want. Lack of fan support is not good for the game.

A team can have all of the corporate support in the world, but if they don't have fans that show up on beautiful 65 degree days in October something's seriously wrong. Is Miami going to eventually have to cover up seats, like they do in Jacksonville?

If the Miami Dolphins were up for sale too, I wonder what prospective owners would think of their situation compared to Buffalo's.

NFL football doesn't matter much now in Miami and the empty seats show it. Will the Dolphins still exist a decade from now?

Is Miami the next LA for the NFL?

Great piece.

Now, getting back to the private financing thing re: a new stadium, how are those investors going to be paid off if the team only made $12M or so last year?

I don't see it, at all. Please, someone connect those dots for me. One would figure that the overall financing on say a $500M stadium would wipe that out easily, and that would be an incredibly cheaply built stadium by today's standards.