Super Bowl in London?

[DaleC76]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/american_football/8016358.stm

NFL in talks on London Super Bowl


By Tim Love

The NFL has had "substantive talks" with officials in London about holding the Super Bowl in the city, a senior league official has told BBC Sport.
While commissioner Roger Goodell has previously admitted an interest in bringing the game to London, this is the first confirmation of discussions.
"We've spoken on what it would take to host and for us to bring it over," said events vice-president Frank Supovitz.
"The city has all the facilities needed, and in great quantity."
Supovitz was talking in New York City where the NFL Draft will take place this weekend.
"We have had very substantive conversations with the city of London. We've got to the point of exploring the bid document," he added.

Visit London, the capital's official visitor organisation, confirmed that it was pursuing a long-term ambition to bring the Super Bowl to the city.
"Ever since the NFL began playing games in London we have been in discussions with the NFL about what is involved in staging Super Bowl from the host city perspective," said commercial director David Hornby.


"It continues to be something we discuss on a regular basis, without there being any specific timetable or plan in place."
The venues for the next three Super Bowls have already been decided with Dolphin Stadium in Florida, Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas and the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana putting together successful bids.
But London has become the focal point for the NFL's desire to expand the sport globally, and bringing the sport's showpiece event to the city appears to be a real possibility.
Mark Waller, NFL Head of Sales and Marketing, said: "The NFL is a global property, has a global audience, and London is an incredible city from a sports fan's perspective. I don't think it's an unrealistic prospect at all."
There is certainly good reason for the NFL to believe that a Super Bowl in London would create sufficient interest for the game to be a success.
In October 2007, the NFL staged its first regular season game outside of the Americas, with over 80,000 fans at Wembley watching the New York Giants defeat the Miami Dolphins.
Last year, 83,000 supporters turned out to watch the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers.
Visit London estimate that the match brought about £20m to the city with 7,000 team employees, sponsors and their guests crossing the Atlantic.
Tickets for this year's game in October between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots sold out more quickly than for the previous two contests.
However, if London is to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world, it will not be for quite some time.
"It won't happen in the next three or four years because we know where the Super Bowls will be, but these are exciting opportunities for us," Supovitz said.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Interesting. I had no idea American football was that popular overseas.

I once heard a Brit say this, though: "What we call football, you call soccer. What you call football, we call pointless."

 

[ITL]

*stands up*

Hi! My name is Dave and I'm a Brit who likes American Football.

I can see where they're going with this from a "selling the game to the world" angle, but to hold the premiere event of what is essentially a domestic championship in a different country seems a bit strange...

 

[nevermore]

*stands up*

Hi! My name is Dave and I'm a Brit who likes American Football.

I can see where they're going with this from a "selling the game to the world" angle, but to hold the premiere event of what is essentially a domestic championship in a different country seems a bit strange...

And, they would what? Play it at midnight?

 

[ITL]

Good point!

The start time would have to be right for the American audience - to have it any other way would be just wrong. When I watch a live game on TV streamed from America it's usually at 1.30 in the morning...

 

[Maestro]

Since this idea is fairly absurd to begin with, the NFL would undoubtedly continue the absurdity and have the Super Bowl kick at 18:17 GMT and then be shown in the US on tape delay at 6:17 pm EST.

 

[Timby]

Right. You're looking at a 10 a.m. kickoff for West Coast audiences. Not happening. Fuck off, Goodell.

 

[ITL]

To be honest, the regular season game played in London came as a shock to me, let alone having the Super Bowl there....it all seems a little ridiculous.

 

[Garrovick]

Would be interesting. Maybe. Doesn't really make sense though. Why not just have an American team play an E.U. team for a traveling trophy or some ting like that.

 

[Maestro]

Right. You're looking at a 10 a.m. kickoff for West Coast audiences. Not happening. Fuck off, Goodell.

You read my post, right?

 

[Timby]

I'm too lazy to bother with GMT calculations. You can present the material, but you can't make me care.

 

[Maestro]

They're going to have it kick off at the same local time, but they'll show it here on a tape delay. That's the kind of stupidity that would accompany this giant plate of FAIL.

 

[wamdue]

I get the NFL having some regular seasons games, in global citys like London, but the Superbowl that is crazy.

1) there isnt THAT much of a market for it, how on earth could NFL look fans in the face, and tell them they need to fly to London to see there team play in the Superbowl?

2) GMT, yes its been mentioned already, the US is about 6 to 8 behind the UK, making it very tricky to time it for both the UK & US audience.

 

[nevermore]

^GMT is exactly 5 hours ahead of the East Coast.

Also, given the cost of Superbowl tickets, if you can shell that out, you can drop a coupe hundred extra to fly. Shit, you have to fly anyway unless you live in Florida or Texas.

They're going to have it kick off at the same local time, but they'll show it here on a tape delay. That's the kind of stupidity that would accompany this giant plate of FAIL.

No way. They would lose so much money doing that it would make no sense whatsoever. They're just dangling the carrot for the londoners to keep them interested in the sport.

 

[Sheep]

To be honest, the regular season game played in London came as a shock to me, let alone having the Super Bowl there....it all seems a little ridiculous.

Despite the NFL's efforts to show otherwise, apparently the attitude for the regular season game there last season was utter apathy from all except for a portion of Americans living in the area. Unfortunately I can't see many of them paying uber-premium prices to attend a SB, which means this idea has no legs whatsoever.

 

[Maestro]

They're going to have it kick off at the same local time, but they'll show it here on a tape delay. That's the kind of stupidity that would accompany this giant plate of FAIL.

No way. They would lose so much money doing that it would make no sense whatsoever. They're just dangling the carrot for the londoners to keep them interested in the sport.

You're right, of course, but since the whole idea is absurd to begin with, we might as well take it to it's most hyperbolic conclusion.

 

[nevermore]

^Well, if that's what they come up with, I will be on a plane the day beforehand.

 

[Mallory]

Right. You're looking at a 10 a.m. kickoff for West Coast audiences.

Just like the regular season. That just means the West Coast will be drunk by 1pm instead of 6pm. I feel sorry for the people in Hawaii though.

Not happening. Fuck off, Goodell.

This I agree with 100%.

 

[SmoothieX]

What a dreadful idea. There are plenty of fine American cities that have never hosted the Superbowl.

 

[Brian Bosworth]

Playing the SuperBowl in London is an interesting idea but it would be hard to work because of the timezones.Londons a good place to have the ProBowl.