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Thread: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

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    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Default The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Well, not straightaway, and there may be a few complaints about the idea, but it looks like the NFL are seriously thinking about it.

    London SuperBowl talks here

    Could make the half time show interesting and I wonder if they will change the kick off time it is played to account for it. Just imagine the Superbowl played at 1am local time to let the US watch it. Then again, I would get to watch it at a decent time.

    It would like playing the FA Cup final in Washington DC, just don't tell Peter Scudamore or he will arrange it.
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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    The start time seems like a big issue. Maybe they could start it at 9pm GMT, that would be 4pm EST and 1PM PST. I don't think it would affect ratings.

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    Free Exy Cluricaun's avatar
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    How odd. The Super bowl is only slightly less patriotic than dressing up like Uncle Sam and strangling a terrorist with a flag. Joe Sixpack will not like the move were it to happen.
    Hell, if I didn't do things just because they made me feel a bit ridiculous, I wouldn't have much of a social life. - Santo Rugger.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    I'm not sure why the NFL is so desperate to expand internationally.

    Our local team, the Buffalo Bills, is currently playing one game a year in Toronto. When that move was announced the NFL was falling all over itself about how great this was for the sport. From what I heard, the Rogers Centre was only 3/4ths full for the game, and more than half of the people who showed up were Buffalonians who had made the 90-minute trip up the QEW. In comparison, every home game the Bills play in Buffalo is a sellout. Now the Bills are hoping their multi-year contract to play in Toronto doesn't end with the Bills playing in front of a nearly-empty stadium.

    As far as I can tell the NFL is a distinct novelty in the UK. When I lived there I didn't know a single fan and my attempts to explain how American football was played were met with bewilderment. For a while there was an "NFL Game of the Week" on Channel 4 but if I remember right it was dropped because of bad ratings.

    In short, it would be a bit of a disaster to have the Super Bowl at Wembley. The tickets for even the worst seats are going to be way more than what the average UK sports fan has ever seen, for one thing.

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    Free Exy Cluricaun's avatar
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Duke

    In short, it would be a bit of a disaster to have the Super Bowl at Wembley. The tickets for even the worst seats are going to be way more than what the average UK sports fan has ever seen, for one thing.
    That's a good point. I'm sure it would surprise the hell out of the Brits to find out that a seat to a game that they don't care about is going to run them around £1,200.00 if they even cared to go.
    Hell, if I didn't do things just because they made me feel a bit ridiculous, I wouldn't have much of a social life. - Santo Rugger.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Cluricaun
    Quote Originally posted by Duke

    In short, it would be a bit of a disaster to have the Super Bowl at Wembley. The tickets for even the worst seats are going to be way more than what the average UK sports fan has ever seen, for one thing.
    That's a good point. I'm sure it would surprise the hell out of the Brits to find out that a seat to a game that they don't care about is going to run them around £1,200.00 if they even cared to go.
    I would expect that as usual most of the seats are going to go to American corporate sponsors and their guests. The NFL wouldn't necessarily expect to fill the stadium based on local ticket sales alone, I don't think that is ever the case for a Super Bowl.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph
    I would expect that as usual most of the seats are going to go to American corporate sponsors and their guests. The NFL wouldn't necessarily expect to fill the stadium based on local ticket sales alone, I don't think that is ever the case for a Super Bowl.
    That's true, but adding significantly (a few hundred or more dollars travel, plus hotels in London are more expensive than anywhere in the US except NYC) to the cost of attending a Super Bowl is going to make even the corporate types think twice about doing it.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Cluricaun
    How odd. The Super bowl is only slightly less patriotic than dressing up like Uncle Sam and strangling a terrorist with a flag. Joe Sixpack will not like the move were it to happen.
    This, I think, will be the main reason it probably won't happen. If FIFA and the Olympics can fill up stadiums in far-off lands the Superbowl can too, but it's the second most patriotic holiday in the US, no football fan will ever stand for this. I certainly hope it doesn't happen.

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    Oliphaunt
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Duke
    Quote Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph
    I would expect that as usual most of the seats are going to go to American corporate sponsors and their guests. The NFL wouldn't necessarily expect to fill the stadium based on local ticket sales alone, I don't think that is ever the case for a Super Bowl.
    That's true, but adding significantly (a few hundred or more dollars travel, plus hotels in London are more expensive than anywhere in the US except NYC) to the cost of attending a Super Bowl is going to make even the corporate types think twice about doing it.
    I think that is true right now but in normal economic times I don't think it would be as much of an issue, and they are talking at least 3-4 years down the road because all the venues before then have already been selected. Hopefully the economy will have recovered somewhat by then.

    Also presumably if it did happen the NFL would try to get British and European corporate sponsors to buy tickets, and travel expenses would be lower for them.

    As an American and an NFL fan I'm amazed that people seem to equate the Super Bowl with patriotism, that honestly is not a connection I would have made in a million years. I think of occasionally amusing commercials, hokey halftime shows, and days of commercialized hype but patriotism? Uh, no.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Batman

    This, I think, will be the main reason it probably won't happen. If FIFA and the Olympics can fill up stadiums in far-off lands the Superbowl can too, but it's the second most patriotic holiday in the US, no football fan will ever stand for this. I certainly hope it doesn't happen.
    By the way Super Bowl Sunday is not a holiday at all anywhere that I know of, let alone a patriotic one.

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    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    By the way Super Bowl Sunday is not a holiday at all anywhere that I know of, let alone a patriotic one.
    I know, Laughing. I meant that it is treated as one by almost every fan. And you have to admit it is a very patriotic event, what with military jets flying over and the flag being escorted by an honor guard with much fanfare.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    That's still a very odd association to me. Patriotic means feeling, expressing or inspired by love of one's country.

    The Super Bowl to me is feeling, expressing or inspired by the NFL wanting to make a lot of money, whichever TV network is carrying the game doing the same, and all the sponsors trying to get you to buy their products. No mention of George Washington, taxation without representation, don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes, one government by the people, for the people, of the people, or the Stars and Stripes forever.

    I wonder if this is age related...I'm in my mid forties and don't remember any particular deal being made over the halftime show unitl 1991 during the first Persian Gulf War, when Whitney Houston sang the Star Spangled Banner.

    I don't see the Super Bowl as any more 'patriotic' than the World Series, or the Final Four, or NFL draft day. They can have it in Beijing for all I care...in fact that's probably a good idea.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    The World Series and the Superbowl both have "Americana/Patriotic" associations. Not in the Whites of their eyes way, but more in the Stars and Stripes and Apple Pie sort of way.

    it's just something I associate with Americana.
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    I guess we will be seeing you all in 2014 then.
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    People.. It's "Super Bowl", not "Super bowl" or "Superbowl" or "SuperBowl".

    I'm in my mid forties and don't remember any particular deal being made over the halftime show unitl 1991 during the first Persian Gulf War, when Whitney Houston sang the Star Spangled Banner.
    I'm 38, and I always remember Super Bowl halftimes being a big deal. Sure, in the 70s they were more likely to have Up With People or the Doodletown Pipers or some crap like that instead of an actual big-name performer that people might want to see. But the halftime shows were always a spectacle, like the opening ceremonies of the Olympics or something.

    Also... you are aware that "The Star Spangled Banner" is played before the game, right? The halftime show for Super Bowl XXV was some Disney-produced dreck that featured that New Kids On The Block. Most people didn't even see that halftime show that year: ABC did news updates about the Gulf War during halftime and ran the halftime show after the game on a tape delay... but most affiliates opted to run the premiere of some Dennis Quaid comedy that only ran for a couple of years instead of NKOB.

    BTW, some people do want to make Super Bowl Monday a national holiday: http://www.superbowlmonday.com/

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    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by tunaman
    People.. It's "Super Bowl", not "Super bowl" or "Superbowl" or "SuperBowl".
    ... and they don't play Football, it's American Football. :wink:
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by tunaman
    People.. It's "Super Bowl", not "Super bowl" or "Superbowl" or "SuperBowl".

    I'm in my mid forties and don't remember any particular deal being made over the halftime show unitl 1991 during the first Persian Gulf War, when Whitney Houston sang the Star Spangled Banner.
    I'm 38, and I always remember Super Bowl halftimes being a big deal. Sure, in the 70s they were more likely to have Up With People or the Doodletown Pipers or some crap like that instead of an actual big-name performer that people might want to see. But the halftime shows were always a spectacle, like the opening ceremonies of the Olympics or something.

    Also... you are aware that "The Star Spangled Banner" is played before the game, right? The halftime show for Super Bowl XXV was some Disney-produced dreck that featured that New Kids On The Block. Most people didn't even see that halftime show that year: ABC did news updates about the Gulf War during halftime and ran the halftime show after the game on a tape delay... but most affiliates opted to run the premiere of some Dennis Quaid comedy that only ran for a couple of years instead of NKOB.
    ...
    Eh, whatever. I rarely watch any of the non-football parts of the broadcasts. My point is that is the first year I remember a big Stars 'n Stripes association with the NFLs yearly moneyfest. It seemed like a one time thing to me then but I guess it has become a permanent association in many people's minds.

    Besides if the S U P E R B O W L ( ) is as many people seem to think a tribute to all that is right and good about the US of A then it should be held in a foreign country every year. That much easier to finally get the rest of the world completely under our financial, military and cultural control.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    So how cold does it get in London the first week of February? The NFL has a tradition of holding the game in either warm weather cities or domed stadiums, the unstated reason being they don't want the weather to affect the outcome of the game. If the NFL goes ahead with this, I'm guessing a lot of people in New York, Washington, and other northern cities are going to wonder why a foreign country gets a Super Bowl before they do.

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    I would probably boycott a Superbowel held in a foreign country.
    It's not like the British Premier League would ever consider moving their championships here.
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    I would probably boycott a Superbowel held in a foreign country.
    It's not like the British Premier League would ever consider moving their championships here.
    I'm sure the NFL is shaking in their collective boots over the prospect of a garygnu Super Bowl boycott.

    Seriously, you feel that strongly about it? How does it affect your life one way or another?

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    I would probably boycott a Superbowel held in a foreign country.
    (emphasis mine)

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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph
    Seriously, you feel that strongly about it? How does it affect your life one way or another?
    1) It’s a stupid, stupid, stupid idea, and I’m not a fan of such stupidity. There are many shows on TV that I don’t watch because they’re stupid. It’s a foolish investment that won’t amount to any benefit, even for the league. It’s disrespecting existing fans in a vain attempt to gain other fans.
    2) I can support using regular-season games played outside the US to promote the world-wide brand. My team, the 49ers, have played in two such games, including the very first in Mexico City. It’s a fun thing. But hosting the Super Bowl is a reward that the rest of the world hasn’t earned.
    3) I can’t support sending the economic package of hosting a Super Bowl to a foreign country. It’s an American sport supported entirely* by American fans. The championship game should be accessible to those American fans. I know the thing is pretty much corporate-ed out and not so accessible to the average fan nowadays, but that is a separate issue that I also take umbrage with.
    *: However many foreign fans there may be, their collective financial contributions amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, and they’re not concentrated in a single foreign city.
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    Default Re: The NFL SuperBowl is coming to London?

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    Quote Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph
    Seriously, you feel that strongly about it? How does it affect your life one way or another?
    1) It’s a stupid, stupid, stupid idea, and I’m not a fan of such stupidity. There are many shows on TV that I don’t watch because they’re stupid. It’s a foolish investment that won’t amount to any benefit, even for the league. It’s disrespecting existing fans in a vain attempt to gain other fans.
    2) I can support using regular-season games played outside the US to promote the world-wide brand. My team, the 49ers, have played in two such games, including the very first in Mexico City. It’s a fun thing. But hosting the Super Bowl is a reward that the rest of the world hasn’t earned.
    3) I can’t support sending the economic package of hosting a Super Bowl to a foreign country. It’s an American sport supported entirely* by American fans. The championship game should be accessible to those American fans. I know the thing is pretty much corporate-ed out and not so accessible to the average fan nowadays, but that is a separate issue that I also take umbrage with.
    *: However many foreign fans there may be, their collective financial contributions amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, and they’re not concentrated in a single foreign city.
    But I still don't see how it hurts you.

    I think I see the problem here.

    Everyone that's outraged over this idea seems to think the Super Bowl somehow belongs to the citizens of the US.

    It doesn't. It belongs to the NFL, they can do whatever they want with it. If the NFL wants to use it's property to try to extend it's franchise overseas they can do anything they want to towards that end, as long as the team owners and the players (through the CBA) play along, which they will if the pile of money is big enough. If the NFL wants the SB to be played in Pyongyang by dwarfs wearing lingerie that is what's going to happen.

    They're not though, they're just going to try playing it on another continent. The fat-cats and high rollers that always get the tickets are going to have to fly a little further this time, and the people selling the concessions and stuff at the stadium are going to talk kind of funny. You are going to watch the game at home or at friends or in a bar like you always do. This effects you exactly how?


    (And how in the heck is hosting the Super Bowl a 'reward' that is 'earned'? What did Stanford University ever do to win the 'reward' for hosting the Super Bowl that the people of Green Bay haven't done? Is New Orleans somehow six times more worthy than Tampa is?)

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