The Globalization of the NFL

 As much as the NFL would like to claim they are a non-profit organization, it has become exceptionally clear the NFL operates in a way where money is power. In order to expand the already billion dollar organization, the NFL is looking to bring the sport of football to London. A city primarily dominated by soccer, cricket, rowing and rugby, they believe London would be great opportunity to increase and maximize the NFL's source of revenue. Looking to follow the model of the Premiere League, the NFL is looking to have a larger, more international presents. While it is obvious to see why the NFL would want to move team a team to Europe, there is a lot of barriers preventing them from doing so.

For starters, American football, while sharing similar traits with rugby, is completely different than any sport Londers are used to. To top that off, football is not exactly a game that is easy to catch onto. For example, someone could watch a soccer game for a minute, and easily pick up on some of the rules and tactics of play, however if someone were to watch football for a minute, there is a chance that they may not even see a single play. The time different between London and the United States is large enough that, many Europeans are asleep when American football is on the air, giving them the little necessary exposure it were to need if it were to be able to compete with Europe's other top sports.

Alongside the time different, running an NFL team in another country in itself presents a challenge in itself. While London truly is a wonderful city, with beautiful sights, great food and vibrant people, there is the challenge of having to trade players, not just over state lines, but country lines. In addition, transporting people to and from the London team would take a half day in itself. Plus, the sport culture in London is completely different of that from the United States. While American sports surround violence and winning, European sports are about tactic and sportsmanship. This would pose a huge barrier in the assimilation of American Sport culture.

Having visited London, and the NFL headquarters two years ago, it was really interesting to see the combination of the two cultures. However, I believe that the cultures maybe too different, and the barriers too large for the sport to ever become as big in Europe as it is in London.