The NFL is refuting a London Daily Mail report that five games will be played in London next year, according to separate tweets from ESPN’s Darren Rovell and the N.Y. Post’s Bart Hubbuch (THE DAILY). In London, Alex Miller in the initial report noted the likelihood of London "becoming home to an NFL franchise has increased with American football bosses planning five games in the capital next year." NFL officials "are bullish about the demand for extra matches in London and are confident they can fill Wembley for five games." The league this season "added an extra Wembley game, with tickets for all three selling out," including yesterday's Lions-Falcons matchup. The additional games, which "would lay the groundwork for a permanent London franchise, are expected to be announced in the coming month" (London DAILY MAIL, 10/26).
THE DEBATE CONTINUES: In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter wrote it "seems only a matter of time until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's stated goal of an NFL team in London becomes a reality." While the popularity of the NFL is growing, the idea of a "permanent team is still hard for some to put their arms around." Also, the concept of a permanent team "has to grow on American-born players." Some NFLers have "spoken against the concept because of the travel that would be involved." But Falcons RB Steven Jackson "believes that players will warm to playing for a foreign team." Jackson: “Being in the NFL is being lucky and fortunate. I think that if you were on a London-based team, you’d be very appreciative.” He added, "As long as we continue to play regular-season games here and the fan base gets to see the star players play, I think it will only (help) build the culture here and maybe even one day having a franchise here." Ledbetter noted there would be "some logistics that would need to be worked out for the London team not to have a competitive advantage or disadvantage because of travel and players coming through several time zones for games" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 10/25). CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask said the logistical challenges associated with playing a game in London "are staggering." Trask: "Maybe you have a base of operations here in the United States and you run things through that base of operations. ... There's a lot of logistical challenges, but it certainly is something that the league is focused on." CBSSN's Tony Gonzalez: "It's going to happen eventually because it's making money and the NFL loves to make some money. It makes sense. I think they have a good fan base over there" ("That Other Pregame Show," CBSSN, 10/26). Fox' Troy Aikman said, "It really is just too difficult on the body to adjust to the time change. (It) makes me wonder about whether or not a franchise is really viable here in London. But it's been awesome and there are a lot of American football fans here in the area” (“Lions-Falcons,” Fox, 10/26).
DEAL BREAKER? Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones on Friday said the reported rule that teams hosting the Super Bowl will be forced to play a home game in London will "put a difficult caveat to our bid." However, Jones, speaking on Dallas-based KRLD-FM, added the Cowboys "probably will make a bid" for a future Super Bowl nonetheless. Jones: "They tell you what they want in a bid, but you can make a bid without what they want in a bid. So when you say, 'They're not going to give it to you,' the owners still get to vote. That's pretty much limiting, and our home games are so important to us. At this time, I'm not sure how we'll handle a bid; we'll make a bid for a Super Bowl in the future. But that's a head-scratcher: if I would do it at a cost of a home game." ESPN DALLAS's Calvin Watkins noted under the new rule, if a team "wins the bid, it will have to play a game in London." Jones: "We're playing Jacksonville in London and we would not have played in that game if it cost us a home game, and we just wouldn't do it, and haven't done it. That's not being mean in any way or (not) being a team player. We made too big of a commitment to our fans and to our organization to play our 10 games here" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 10/24).
