Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe was not something I thought I would be saying after this weekend. The NFL has played games in Europe since 2007. Since then, the NFL has played at least one game in London every year. This year, the NFL amped up the international schedule. A total of three games are being played in London and another is being played in Munich, Germany. Based on Goodell’s comments, he would love to see a lot more games in Europe. The way Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion, you can tell his is excited.
NFL Europe Division?
https://twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1578763506819670016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1578763506819670016%7Ctwgr%5E8e0c79fde22d721a5ab59059a6ca9bed0d22419f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10051688-roger-goodell-europe-can-support-multiple-nfl-franchises-discusses-4-team-division
Before the Packers played the Giants on Sunday, Goodell hosted a panel talking about the future of the NFL in Europe. The audience got to listen as Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion possibilities. The host of the panel, Neil Reynolds, jokingly asked him whether Europe could have its own division. “That’s part of what we are doing, right?” Goodell responded. He went on to talk about how London could easily support not one but two teams. London could have two teams and then another country (possibly Germany) would fill out the division. This would solve a couple of hurdles.
Hurdles Of NFL Europe Expansion
I talked about the time zone change being an issue earlier this week. Goodell acknowledged that this is a problem they are trying to solve and having multiple teams in Europe would help. Division teams play each other twice so that would mean less travel for those teams and opponents. Goodell talked a lot about keeping the competitiveness of the game alive. He did not want teams that had to travel to be adversely affected all season. He pointed to the 07-08 Giants. They traveled to London and won the Super Bowl that year. It is worth noting that this was the only example provided when Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion.
Other Possible Solutions To Travel
As Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion possibilities, there is a lack of logistic details. He definitely has the “pie in the sky” ideas but still working through the logistics. One possible solution to the travel has been to add an extra week and an extra bye week. This would allow any team that had to travel to Europe a bye and an additional bye without travel. The NFL would also get another week of revenue. The schedule may also be adapted to give the Europe teams road trips or teams from the States road trips. If this does happen, it will be interesting to see what solution the NFL decides.
The Free Agent Problem
Another problem that came to mind as Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion is the free agent problem. Will the NFL be able to convince talent to want to go live abroad? Uprooting your family from Chicago to Los Angeles is a lot but fairly easy to do. Uprooting your family from Dallas to Munich is a huge change for a family. It is having to get used to a whole new culture and country. If the hypothetical NFL Europe division is inferior to the division in the United States, it will create a problem in building the brand.
The one thing that I do not have a question of is the fans in Europe. London has shown out for these games and the atmosphere has been great at least through the television screen. As Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion more, it will be interesting to hear more about how he plans to get over the hurdles. We shall see if Roger Goodell talks NFL Europe expansion more in the coming weeks. It will be something to watch as the NFL looks to expand internationally.