More than “half a million people were drawn to the NFL Block Party on Saturday afternoon, as Regent Street, in London's busiest shopping district, was closed down for the day to play home to football fans celebrating” before today’s Steelers-Vikings game. The “main attraction” was a stage where players appeared, and players and coaches on the stage were “stunned by the level of support” (NFL.com, 9/28). Steelers players “were overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of fans who turned out.” It was "exactly what the NFL is looking for as it awaits what appears to be a certain move to London, though not necessarily in the next few years: Fervent fan support” (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 9/29).
CBS’s Jim Nantz said, “We’ve been coming to London for a long time ... and we’ve seen the game grow not only in popularity but in a whole lot of excitement too.” CBS’s Phil Simms: “It definitely has grown over here in London. The people are more excited about" ("The NFL Today," CBS, 9/29). But Fox' Howie Long said, “I don’t know how you have a franchise there, I really don’t. How do you do that? Do you play four games in the states and you’re on the road for four weeks and then play four at home?” ("Fox NFL Sunday," Fox, 9/29). ESPN's Tom Waddle: "If ultimately the goal is to have an NFL franchise play eight home games overseas, that’s never going to work" ("Colin's New Football Show," ESPN2, 9/29).
Despite the big fan turnout yesterday, coverage in the London papers was slim. The web sites of the Telegraph, Daily Mail and Guardian did not have any NFL-related stories on their main pages. The Sunday Times had no mention of the game on the cover of the sports section. The game did receive coverage in one clip on Page 13 of the sports section (THE DAILY).
