LONDON? ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Would the NFL bring the biggest sporting event in all of American sports to London? Well, apparently the British are attempting to bring the Super Bowl to Wembley Stadium possibly as soon as 2014. The move would be worth over $500 million for the London economy.

NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has denied reports from the BBC that say the NFL is in deep negotiations with London officials. I must say, I hope that Goodell is being truthful here. It would be a big mistake to have the Super Bowl anywhere other than the United States.

First of all, I wonder what time the game would be played. If the NFL wants to keep their standard 6:25ET kickoff, that means that the game would start at 11:25pm in London. How is that fair to either team in the game? The more likely scenario is that the game would be played at 3pm (8pm London) on either its usual Sunday or on President's Day. By 2014, the NFL will most likely be playing an 18-game schedule with the Super Bowl played President's Day Weekend. I don't like either scenario here. Keep the game in the US, so it can air in prime time. Why mess with something that gets a 40+ rating? Only the Academy Awards comes even remotely close to the rating the Super Bowl gets, and even that had a big drop off this year.

It's so much more than a time issue to me though. Our version of football is an American game! I could see the World Series, NBA Finals, or some other big event being played overseas before the Super Bowl. I'd still be against that, but at least those sports are shared by other countries around the world. You have to remember that the rest of the world has their own version of football. I don't think the European Premier League would ever consider holding their championship over in the USA. It doesn't make sense! Neither does having the Super Bowl over there. I don't have a problem with continuing them having one regular season game a year, but Super Bowl is a piece of Americana. It wouldn't make sense holding it anywhere other than right here in the USA.

Would the British really embrace the Super Bowl? It's just an attempt to help boost their struggling economy. If you add the Super Bowl to the 2012 Olympics, that could really help them. However, last I checked, our economy isn't in good shape either. So, why would we move one of the biggest money making events of the year to another country so people can spend their money there? The NFL is by far the most successful league in the country, so I understand why they want to be like other American leagues and try and be more global. However, they need to realize that they are not a worldwide sport! Again, it's fine by me if they want to keep fooling around and putting regular season games in other countries, but, please, keep the Super Bowl here!

Pat Morgan