During a recent tour to promote the league’s International Series, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft emphasized how he’d like to see an NFL franchise in London within the next decade.
“I personally think we should have a franchise in London and that is something I am going to push for,” Kraft told Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports. “I think I said that the last time we were over here in 2009 and before this next decade is out, I hope we have a team here. I think that would be right for the NFL and this fan base has proven they deserve it.
“I think we’re starting to tap out in the United States. If you look at the last Super Bowl we were in this past season, we had over 180 million people watching — that’s almost two thirds of America. So for us to grow the game, we have to expand globally. Having seen the kind of support we have received here in London, it is the intention of the NFL owners to get two games here, starting next year.”
As it stands now, the NFL currently holds one game per year at London’s Wembley Stadium. While it has been a big hit for the UK folks who enjoy American football, talk of permanently expanding over the pond has been greeted with much apprehension by fans and team officials alike.
An eight-hour flight for East Coast-based clubs (ten hours for the West Coast variety) makes travel brutal for visiting teams. Same goes for the hypothetical home team, meaning, in any instance, the playing field wouldn’t be completely level.For those against the proposed move, that’s just one reason, and perhaps the only argument needed to nix the idea.
We’re far more likely to see two games played in England — or possibly one in Ireland — before the London Rams are born and severe re-alignment takes hold of the NFL … again.
