11/21/24
October 23, 2008
Memo to the NFL: London doesn’t care!: For the second year in a row the NFL is taking it's act to London, but lo and behold, no one seems to care!
"This is all just crap marketing nonsense. I do recall that the NFL have already tried to impose this body-armoured, steroid-fuelled, waste-of-three-hours-even-though-it's supposed-to-take-one pointless sport on Europe and got precisely nowhere. And the reason? People here watch sport to see people compete, not to see cheerleaders and $15m running backs do little celebration dances because they are the man' and certainly not to see drugged up thirty stone idiots shoving each other for three seconds at a time. This will have the same impact NFL Europe had."
NFL Returns to London Sunday when the Chargers play the Saints at Wembley Stadium. A game between a pair of two disappointing yet high scoring teams. So why does Goodell and the NFL insist on sending teams across the pond?
And now Roger Goodell say's the NFL may give Britain four regular season games each year.
"[i]Eruope[/i]"
The wrong type of tags and a free anagram. Whoo!
posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:17 PM on October 23, 2008
I used to be into football (as in NFL) when I was a kid, but I grew out of it.
I think football in the UK is rather like baseball. A very niche sport that most people dismiss, but that has a passionate core of fans.
This is just more elitist "our sports are better than yours" crap. And I find it rich saying about $15m running backs, given the corporate obscenity that is the English Premier League. I know a lot more people in England who hate the Premier League than hate the NFL.
posted by Drood at 12:57 AM on October 24, 2008
Well, old chap, if you don't like the NFL I guess you won't be in attendance, but what's the point in trying to ruin it for those who may actually be 'open' to broadening their horizons? I think the term 'piss off' adequately defines my sentiment regarding this ludicrous attempt to ruffle a few feathers. At the end of the day, the backs will still be worth 15M while the writer of this article, which earned him not even 15 cents, will have moved on to bashing yet something else he finds offensive about American culture. -What a waste of cyber-space.
posted by Glenn at 06:53 AM on October 24, 2008
My favorite part of the article is the screwed up quotation marks in the author's pretend conversation.
"Did he score a goal one lad probably asked another?"
"No the other replied, I think he got a red card."
Awesome.
posted by 86 at 09:27 AM on October 24, 2008
The first link reminded me of the sour grapes we get here in the States at times in articles about *soccer*. And I loved the quote about the $15M steriod using druged up running backs. As well as the one mentioned by 86.
The second link has a nice bit of information about the game itself and is actually well written(unlike as Mr. B pointed out the poor skills of the writer of the rant).
The ThisIsLondon.co.uk link has apparently moved on to other topics, its ashame too because the quotes from Goodell were interesting.
posted by Folkways at 10:43 AM on October 24, 2008
I am sure that American football has a following in UK like Soccer has here. I have tons of friends who get up at 8:00 am to go check out the Chelsea or Manchester games. I am not sure our Ranter knows where or how to look. Soccer is always on the cusp of breaking out here. And While the NFL europe closed I am sure there are some heartbroken fans there as well. What a TURD!
posted by adammcd at 01:25 PM on October 24, 2008
All I can say is:
Bugger off you silly git.
and:
I suppose you would fancy a sprited game of cricket instead.
Y A W N .
posted by Tinman at 05:17 PM on October 24, 2008
Cricket is a wonderful sport if you watch it properly. That being slumped in a chair within reach of considerable amounts of alcohol.
posted by Drood at 07:39 PM on October 24, 2008
90,000 people won't pay to see something they don't at least somewhat care about.
What an awful article.
posted by dfleming at 03:09 PM on October 25, 2008
The article is pretty much the usual Empire type chatter bought into the 21st century. "All these damn savages and their ridiculous pastimes..."
I mean I agree with some of it to be honest. Half the reason I don't watch football is they manage to stretch a one hour game out to over three hours, which wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to endure commercials during most of the breaks in gameplay. (I'd rather watch what's on field. It's called ATMOSPHERE PEOPLE!) But the attitude to a sport they didn't invent is sickening.
I'd rather go see a football game than a Premier League game any day of the week!
posted by Drood at 06:24 PM on October 25, 2008
I think football in the UK is rather like baseball. A very niche sport that most people dismiss, but that has a passionate core of fans
You mean like soccer is to us in America?
posted by BornIcon at 09:42 AM on October 27, 2008
At least the NFL sent over a decent game this year. It's a shame the two teams had to check their defence at customs though.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:09 AM on October 27, 2008
Not to defend this guy, but he did own up to his mistakes in the comments section. I can see where he got the idea that noone cares though. I am an avid soccer fan/player. When I look to the media for information, it's very difficult to find over here. If I didn't know the more obscure places to look, I would think no one in the states cared about soccer. While I know we're a minority, I do know there are those of us who care.
This guy searched quickly, and in all likelyhood, in the wrong places for information. This was a blog and not an article. Poorly done mind you, but these are the kinds of things we should just ignore and keep walking past.
posted by Ricardo at 01:13 PM on October 27, 2008
The game was shown on the BBC and as such was referred to extensively on their website.
It's tough to get less obscure than Auntie Beeb.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 03:41 PM on October 27, 2008
What a terrible article. On par with the stupid British Press articles claiming Americans don't know anything about soccer, except with really bad writing too.
There will be people at the Saints - Chargers games who are there on a corporate jolly but Roy Keane's Prawn Sandwich brigade go to "real" football games too - just look at the empty ring of "Club Wembley" seats next time you get to see the "home of football" on tv.
The support for NFL football in the UK isn't huge, but it is hardcore. Almost all of my friends are knowledgable about the game at least to a level where they could tell you the difference between a Wide Receiver and a Tight End, (if not between a Flanker and a Split End) and a certain bunch of us have been following the game for more than two decades.
When you add in the fact that this is the only NFL game in [i]Eruope[/i], you'll also get the rabid German NFL fans over and I'd bet a small amount of my own money that the knowledge of this crowd would stand up pretty well to the knowledge present at any US-based NFL game.
The level of excitement won't be the same, but that's because 90% of the fans there won't be Saints or Chargers fans, they'll be NFL fans, there to see the game rather than the teams.