NFL Betting blog

[Acidmouse]

Un-ber-lev-able cant wait for the weekends game! please lets beat the giants!

[Josedinho]

St Louis playing a game here for the next 3 seasons.
Anyone tempted to change allegiance? I've got a pretty weak reason for being a Giants fan and my Dad, brother and I all follow different teams so if it helps build NFL in the UK then I think I could adopt them.

[Sheriff Fatman]

St Louis playing a game here for the next 3 seasons.
Anyone tempted to change allegiance? I've got a pretty weak reason for being a Giants fan and my Dad, brother and I all follow different teams so if it helps build NFL in the UK then I think I could adopt them.

Never!

This is my 31st year of being an Eagles fan.  Nothing will ever change that, including a full-time UK franchise.

[The Camel]

St Louis playing a game here for the next 3 seasons.
Anyone tempted to change allegiance? I've got a pretty weak reason for being a Giants fan and my Dad, brother and I all follow different teams so if it helps build NFL in the UK then I think I could adopt them.

Bad move imo.

Seeing different teams at Wembley and different characters was part of the attraction.

British fans will always have "their" team and trying to make us follow one (bad) team won't work.

[TightEnd]

The Rams lease on the stadium in St Louis runs out in 3 years, and there have long been suggestions they'd move..particularly back to LA

This could be a precursoor to the first London franchise

I personally wouldn't change allegiance, and I think they underestimate the sophistication and knowledge of the UK NFL fan who these days aren't new fans to the sport, needing a team to support


Apparently a second game in Lodnon this season was nixed due to the Olympics/spend but multiple games are on the cards for 2013 seasons onwards

[redarmi]

 think the NFL are wildly overestimating the likely popularity of a team in this country.  The games at Wembley have been fairly easy to get tickets to since the first game here and for a lot of NFL fans it is an annual weekend away but they probably wouldn't make the trip 8 times a year.  I would be surprised if a London franchise got more than 30k regularly although I think a lot of UK NFL fans would support it.  I would have if I had never lived in Miami as I had never really had a team until then.

[Skippy]

At least it wasn't the Sucks.

[Skippy]

Oh, and there can't be a NFL franchise in the UK, surely. The collective bargaining agreement, the draft- all illegal under UK law.

[AndrewT]

Oh, and there can't be a NFL franchise in the UK, surely. The collective bargaining agreement, the draft- all illegal under UK law.

Pretty sure it would be fairly easy for the franchise company to be registered in the US, and then a separate company here to stage matches etc.

[gatso]

Oh, and there can't be a NFL franchise in the UK, surely. The collective bargaining agreement, the draft- all illegal under UK law.

they'll be US based though

[Josedinho]

2 games a season the best way to go? 1 of "random" teams and 1 where it is the same team every year?
I also don't think there is the demand for a UK franchise but can certainly see the appeal in the UK sharing a team.
Many older fans won't change allegiance but I got 2 mates of mine to start watching a bit of NFL this year and they don't have a team. If  the UK get one team coming every year I could see a lot of people adopting them.

[Longy]

Yeah agree with everyone, there is no way I am changing allegience even if the new team was playing down the road from me. This is something we have grown up with in the UK that once you choose a team, that is it.

[Skippy]

Oh, and there can't be a NFL franchise in the UK, surely. The collective bargaining agreement, the draft- all illegal under UK law.

Pretty sure it would be fairly easy for the franchise company to be registered in the US, and then a separate company here to stage matches etc.

I don't think that works. I'm reminded of this case: http://www.friends-partners.org/lists/stop-traffic/1999/1404.html where stonemasons imported from India were awarded the British Minimum Wage despite nominally working for Indian companies. If you work in Britain, you get British employment rights (although I'm sure the minimum wage won't be a problem for NFL players).

[gatso]

as I understood it they would be a completely US based team who would visit the UK twice a year for a series of 4 games

when a cricket team comes here on tour they don't suddenly become subject to our employment laws. it'll be much the same thing

[Marky147]

Just for a sweat on Ravens+7 and Big Blur O/R