London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

As with any business, the NFL's goal is to make as much money as possible. It has already proven to be the most popular sport in America, and massive quantities of revenue are drawn from each of the games. However, while the NFL has maintained America's interest for many decades, it has yet to make a notable impact overseas. In order to expose the sport to an international audience, there have been several games played in Wembley Stadium in London, despite having no current team there. However, in order to expand their brand to a global audience, there has been strong indications that the NFL wants a full-time team based in London. While this seems like a good business idea, there are several flaws that make the idea better on paper than in practice. There has been little indication that British citizens would welcome an NFL team openly, as American football is simply not ingrained into the culture there like soccer or rugby is. Also, the logistical issues of having to plan long flights to and from the UK could be a potential nightmare, and attracting players to the team could prove difficult due to the lack of an established fan base and travel issues. Ultimately, I would not be surprised to see the NFL put a team in London eventually, because of the nature of capitalism. Money always talks loudly, and while it would be difficult to solve the issues of having an international team, if there is any chance of gaining more money, the NFL would gladly jump at the opportunity.