Thoughts on NFL in London/cross country sporting pollination

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]

Soccer is a simple game that doesn't really take much thought to watch and process what's going on or even to play

[/ QUOTE ]

TBH, people overrate how complex Football is. Its a fairly simple game for most people to watch. The rules can be confusing, but if you knew the rules, there isn't a whole lot of analyzing going on. People like watching football because its mindless violence. You watch huge men plowing into each other, waiting for big hits and plays. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise. The NFL is pure entertainment.

Most sports are pure entertainment though. If you really want to, you can dive into a sport and learn as much as possible. In that sense, soccer can be just a complex sport as football or basketball. If you don't think so, chances are you just don't know enough about the game.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
Re soccer: I actually agree that it can be a boring game. If you're watching two teams you have little interest in, and both teams suck at attacking it can be pretty sleep-inducing. That is true for most other comparable sports too, though. Don't really get the obsession with having a ton of scores either. A 1-0 game can be well-played, exciting and nerve-wrecking under the right circumstances, but I guess some people crave instant gratification and lack the attention span to appreciate soccer. Their loss...

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a really hard time watching sports between two teams that I am not interested in. I just lose interest, unless it is a big game. Basketball and soccer are probably the only two sports that I could just watch, probably because of the flow of each game. Too many stops in football for me to be interested in a game not involving the Seahawks. Same with baseball.

[mmbt0ne]

[ QUOTE ]
Are you the poster formerly known as Dean?
What's up with the name change?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dean was originally known as PGUK. Probably has to do with the software change which is going to be making everyone's screenname the same as their login.

[daveymck]

Comparing the NFL in the UK to soccer in the US is just a bad comparison.

NFL has had good exposure and a mature decent following in the UK for getting on twenty years as can be seen by the size of the crowd. Matches are shown every sunday live on sky and there is even commentary on national radio tonight which is a first so it is getting more exposure. If it were a baseball game there would be barely anyone there.

Not sure how happy I would be if my team was of on a jaunt to another country to play a home league game though.

[MicroBob]

That's a good point.
The novelty aspect only goes so far when you consider that if the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox played in London then probably nobody would care or go.
It would be probably be about as popular as holding the world championships of Cricket in the U.S.

So it's not JUST the novelty aspect that is the driving force for this football game.

[ThaSaltCracka]

$ is the driving force. Instead of trying to get people to play football, the NFL wants more people to watch a game they have never played! Then their brand is worth more! Which means an even more commercialized league and sport!!!

[daveymck]

[ QUOTE ]
$ is the driving force. Instead of trying to get people to play football, the NFL wants more people to watch a game they have never played! Then their brand is worth more! Which means an even more commercialized league and sport!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Which is what most sports bodies do from Fifa giving the World Cup to the US to UFC coming to europe and NBA are trying to push into the UK again as well. Some teams do it as well Man Utd trying hard in the asian market etc.

[MicroBob]

salt - I can't tell if you think that is a bad thing or not.
I've never played organized football and I'm sure that many current fans haven't either so what's the problem?

[ThaSaltCracka]

its different when you are an American though, you grow up with the sport, regardless of whether you play it or not.

Davey, I understand your argument in regards to the WC. But the fact of the matter is people play soccer here, there just wasn't a pro league at that time. FIFA's intention was to get a pro league started here.

edit: wanted to add a comment about the NBA and UFC. Stern has basically said he doesn't want a Euro NBA team. Maybe a Euro NBA league, but I think he's happy there is a Euroleague and various other pro leagues throughout Europe. In regards to UFC, you don't really have a league, you have an organization. I don't see why this is an issue, unless you have a problem with it being a US organization. I know boxing is popular in England, but MMA seems to be the direction these types of sports are headed. Moving into England seems like a natural progression. I saw a UFC event that was held in Manchester. Seemed like it was packed, great atmosphere as well.

[Lori]

[ QUOTE ]
the NFL wants more people to watch a game they have never played!

[/ QUOTE ]

American football was played in my school 20 years ago.