The NFL is considering having Super Bowl L in London. Is it because L can stand for London or 50? I think that the NFL should really consider this proposition before actually making it happen. The game of football, while gaining international interest, is still very much an American game. Super Bowl Sunday is almost an american holiday. It's more than just a game. It is an event. People get together for Super Bowl parties regardless of if their team is playing. It is the grandest stage of all professional championships and I think it would be an injustice to take it overseas at this point. People in the United States worship the game as if it were a religion and gather on their couches every Sunday (perhaps after church) to watch 9 hours of countless collisions and car crashes. People in England worship Soccer the same way. Would England ever consider having its greatest game in the US? I don't think so.
It is no surprise that NFL owners are interested in taking the Super Bowl to an international destination. They have had preseason games in London, at Wembley Stadium, in the mid 80's and early 90's and have had a regular season game there since 2007. This move is about one thing, the almighty dollar. Tickets for this years Super Bowl in Indianapolis are going for an astonishing $5,000. The event is already one that the average american cannot afford to attend. Now you tack on international flights, sight seeing expenses and hotel stays, there isn't a chance that many Americans can attend.
Now there is the discussion of a time difference. London is 5 hours ahead of the us on the east coast and 8 hours on the west coast. So to maintain the normal starting time that we are accustomed to (6pm), the game would have to start around 11pm. I don't think that Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000, would be sold out and it could be borderline embarrassing for the NFL. After all, it would be a Sunday night and people would have to work the next day. I am not sure that they could sell out the FA Cup at that time.
The NFL has built a powerhouse of a brand and to have the Super Bowl anywhere but American soil (maybe Toronto) would be a travesty. If they do this, they will lose a whole lot of the fans that have made the game what it is today. Fans that drive the business, and as a fan, I would be very unhappy if my team (Detroit Lions) was to make the Super Bowl for the first time and it was being played in London.
It is no surprise that NFL owners are interested in taking the Super Bowl to an international destination. They have had preseason games in London, at Wembley Stadium, in the mid 80's and early 90's and have had a regular season game there since 2007. This move is about one thing, the almighty dollar. Tickets for this years Super Bowl in Indianapolis are going for an astonishing $5,000. The event is already one that the average american cannot afford to attend. Now you tack on international flights, sight seeing expenses and hotel stays, there isn't a chance that many Americans can attend.
Now there is the discussion of a time difference. London is 5 hours ahead of the us on the east coast and 8 hours on the west coast. So to maintain the normal starting time that we are accustomed to (6pm), the game would have to start around 11pm. I don't think that Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000, would be sold out and it could be borderline embarrassing for the NFL. After all, it would be a Sunday night and people would have to work the next day. I am not sure that they could sell out the FA Cup at that time.
The NFL has built a powerhouse of a brand and to have the Super Bowl anywhere but American soil (maybe Toronto) would be a travesty. If they do this, they will lose a whole lot of the fans that have made the game what it is today. Fans that drive the business, and as a fan, I would be very unhappy if my team (Detroit Lions) was to make the Super Bowl for the first time and it was being played in London.
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