Bills in Toronto, teams in London…The NFL continues to go global
You knew they’d find a way to get to Toronto somehow, right?
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that the Bills will be playing at least one regular season game in Toronto during the 2008 NFL regular season.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. had petitioned the league to play one home game in Toronto to strengthen its Canadian fan base and the league source said owners are expected to approve the request. The opponent in that game is unknown.
In other NFL global news, the NFL will be headed back to the United Kingdom. The Tampa Buccaneers appear to be one of the teams most likely to play in the game, which will also take place sometime during the 2008 regular season.
***UPDATE: The Times Online has a list of possible teams that will be playing in the UK has shrunk considerably. I personally think it will be the Bucs and the Chargers.***
Just a couple of quick thoughts. I highly doubt that the Bills receiving league approval to play in Toronto comes as a shock to anyone. In fact, there were already rumblings last year that the Bills might move their entire franchise to Toronto, and obviously that’s not yet out of the question. Sure, the regular season game being played in Toronto was proposed by Ralph Wilson, because the Bills want to strengthen their Canadian fan base, but I still say its all a part of Roger Goodell’s bigger plan. He wants a World Football League, not an American league that periodically plays games in other countries. Why else would he honestly discuss the idea of playing the Super Bowl in London? (Although that’s still not the best idea) I still look for the Bills to move to Toronto…its just a matter of when. The moving of their regular season games seems like a step in the right direction.
As far as returning to the UK…The teams that travel to the UK will definitely complain about two things for certain; the weather and the travel time. So lets make this a little easier. Play the game in a dome, and schedule each team’s bye week the week after the game. Yes, I know that NFL players play in bad weather conditions all the time, but you and I both know that if they have to travel across the ocean to play in a bad weather game that complaining will be rampant (see the interviews after the Giants/Fins game). The NFL players are a product, and their performance on the field, especially in a new market, effects future NFL revenue…so why not do your best to placate your product so they can perform at their peaks?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…I’m waiting for the day when Reggie Bush gets traded to the The Madrid Conquistadors. The NFL and sports in general are trying to go global, kids. Either adapt to the changes, or get left behind.
ESPN: Source: Bills likely to get OK to play game in Toronto
SBD: Are the Buffalo Bills moving to Toronto?
Times Online: Tampa Bay Buccaneers in line for UK bow
This entry was posted on Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 3:31 pm and is filed under Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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You know I am trying to get moats, walls, fences, whatever built around the US to keep our NFL teams from leaving the country. This is absurd. Isolationism, baby.
Yeah, I know. I remember your comments from the last post about sports going global. I just don’t think it can be stopped now. Especially when there is money to be made. Roger Goodell knows that there are untapped revenue streams in other countries and continents, and if he can figure out how to take advantage of them, then the NFL could have a team in Antarctica by 2010.