Will the Jacksonville Jaguars move to London?

[Danny]

I am in favor of this. Move the Jaguars over the London. However I would then leave them there and remove them from NFL

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

I would imagine work visas for the entire goddamn team would make this a non-starter. Either that or they will be 0-16 every year while relying on nothing but European talent.

I think they'd probably be able to come to an agreement on that pretty easily (they probably already have to deal with that kind of thing for the 100+ players plus massive amounts of staff that go over every year, this would just be for 3+ months vs a week), but it would definitely be an interesting case study in logistics when you get an injury and you are trying to sign somebody off the street and get them into the country in time to be in uniform the next day. I guess they'd just have the training camps in the US so that wasn't such a clusterfuck, but still.

Definitely agree that the interest for an 8 game home season in London isn't there. Not sure what Goodell is thinking about but some of the comments in this thread make me chuckle. It's not a third world country.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by CAsterling

I still have friends in Swindon (yes I know, I pity them for living there too), which is just 75 miles west of London, who looked at going this year. Trains ran too infrequently and were too expensive to make is feasible. Driving was inconvenient, expensive and parking would be a nightmare, so that option was out. So like you they looked at an overnight stay and in the end decided it was too much hassle and expense. So even much closer fans have much the same problems.

This is mostly tongue in cheek but you must have some seriously unmotivated friends... considering I could do Colchester to Cardiff and back on weekends on a regular basis if something important came up and Swindon to Wembley is about a quarter of the distance and relies on one third of the modes of transportation

[B & B]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

Between this and the push for an 18 game season I am hoping Goodell is forced out somehow soon. I think he is really fucking up the game.

Neither of these even make my top 5 of how his tyranny is ruining the game I grew up loving. Im no fan of Darth Goodell, but if moving the team closest to my home across an ocean makes him lose his job, Im all for it.

[Young Drachma]

I can see the idea of making the league global by seeding a place with a team, kids grow up with the sport, it's different than ANYTHING else on the market, becomes the cool thing and in a generation, he figures more kids want to watch football.

The other thing is, other sports are able to attract global talent and save for the one-off kicker or random German kids who happen to love the sport and end up at US colleges -- or Africans -- the sport doesn't really have the global pool to develop because it's so expensive at the lower levels to play outside of the US (and no coaching really to develop it)

So if they're ever going to grow beyond our borders, seems like this is the way to get it done. I don't think it'll fail if they commit to it, ultimately. But the different between a US EPL team and a UK NFL team is...the EPL doesn't need the US for its ultimate growth. Soccer isn't going anywhere globally. But the NFL needs broader reach if it's going to be a lasting sport and I think the logic is..turning London club into the Man U of the NFL to pollinate the sport elsewhere.

Brave new world we're in, that it's even a conversation. I mean, this is the league with a team in Green Bay and not Los Angeles.

[fantom1979]

Mexico City would seem like a great place to try to start a team. It is the size of New York and is only 750 miles from Houston. From a quick google search, the average salary in Mexico City is $32,000 US, which isn't great, but I would bet it is in the ballpark with the lower earning cities the NFL is in.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Figure out if the attendance is going to collapse when the novelty wears off.

Agree 100%.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Mexico City would seem like a great place to try to start a team. It is the size of New York and is only 750 miles from Houston. From a quick google search, the average salary in Mexico City is $32,000 US, which isn't great, but I would bet it is in the ballpark with the lower earning cities the NFL is in.

I always used to move a crap franchise there in Madden GM-mode.

[RainMaker]

Wouldn't a team in Portland do well? They seem to be crazy about sports up there and I have to figure a football team would do well and create an awesome rivalry with the Seahawks.

[MylesKnight]

A European Division?? Bring back The Scots!!



Actually nix the idea. Keep the Jags in Jax!!

[Grover]

This is unlikely, considering West Ham is moving into the Olympic Stadium for 2016.

[MylesKnight]

Grover, Orient is getting completely screwed. West Ham, the Premier League and the FA's doing. A Ground Share could've easily occurred.. Instead the Hammers are slowly but surely going to put the O's out of business.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by MylesKnight

Grover, Orient is getting completely screwed. West Ham, the Premier League and the FA's doing. A Ground Share could've easily occurred.. Instead the Hammers are slowly but surely going to put the O's out of business.

I love West Ham, but I am aware that their owners are a pair of scumbags.