NFL International Team

[Mr. TM]

32 teams in the league, stretching from New England to just a little south of Los Angeles in beautiful San Diego. From Seattle to Tampa. What a league. But what does it lack that the MLB, NBA, MLS, and NHL lack? A team in Canada. Heck, a team outside of the 50.

Will the NFL expand outside outside of those 50 stars into Canada? London? Mexico City? Puerto Rico?

With the discussion of a possible Toronto Bills in the future (its lacking a certain ring) there are some talks of moving a team to the home of the CFL's Toronto Argos. With the pressure that the CFL is putting to keep them out, it might be a posibility. Toronto also lacks an NFL sized stadium (Thank you Beijing Olympics), but with tidcket prices 4 times more exensive than theg Bills had out, they wouldnt lose the money the Bills were.

London also seems like a posibility, as NFL action is now being played there. With the travel time an issue however, I doubt it will ever happen.

Mexico City could be a choice. How about the Territory of PR? There are more than a few places that seem possible. Even Vancouver has a shot.

So what do you think? Will the NFL look to expand out of the homeland?

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I would say places like Canada and Mexico City would be an easier destination to expand then somewhere like London. The few times they had NFL games in Mexico City, it has done real well. There has been talk of Buffalo moving to Toronto and if they don't improve soon, I can see that happening although I don't want it to. I don't believe they will add a new team but just relocate some of the small franchises who aren't doing great financially. I believe they will get a franchise before Los Angeles because it has been proven in the past that L.A. doesn't really want a team.

 

[Mr. TM]

Why wouldn't you want a team to move to Toronto if it is doing well? In Toronto, the fans sell out a stadium of 50,000 easily, paying $300 a ticket, while in Buffalo fans don't pay the $80 for their tickets. If anyone cares about the growth of the league, Toronto seems to be the best choice.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Why wouldn't you want a team to move to Toronto if it is doing well? In Toronto, the fans sell out a stadium of 50,000 easily, paying $300 a ticket, while in Buffalo fans don't pay the $80 for their tickets. If anyone cares about the growth of the league, Toronto seems to be the best choice.

I just feel for Buffalo because they have such a passionate fan base and their team basically has sucked for a decade new but I do think that Toronto would receive a NFL team well. Canada would care about a NFL team as well as America I believe so I like Toronto having a NFL team.

 

[Agent_Bond34]

Toronto would be the most likely choice, because of their ties to the Buffalo Bills. A team in London wouldn't work because of the travel time and cost. Especially for west coast teams having to travel all the way over. If this has been talked about, then consider me in agreement with you.

LA hasn't really proven that they don't want a team, I blame the owners of the Rams and Raiders for their departures more than I do the people of Los Angeles.

Although, the guy above has it right, the Bills have a pretty loyal and passionate fanbase, and they typically pack Ralph Wilson Stadium, but they just haven't been given a damn thing to cheer for in more than a decade. No playoffs, no division titles, no nothing. Just one big disappointment after another.

I know how they feel too, because my team (San Francisco) hasn't been relevant in a while either.

 

[Stormtrooper]

I do not really see the NFL expanding beyond 32 teams at he current time, because the talent pool isn't deep enough, and if you add 1 team, you would have to find a way to keep divisions equal in order to keep the schedules as balanced as they are. The only way they could add teams is if they went with 4 more teams and went back to 3 divisions in each conference (36 teams / 6 divisions = 6 teams per division). This would mean the NFL would have to do add more games to the schedule, or re-configure how the schedules are designed, neither of which the NFL is too keen on doing at the current time.

That being said, I do believe that relocation could occur, and it could occur soon. Buffalo was brought up, because of the fact that they play a home game in Toronto each year, but I cannot see them moving. The main reason teams move is because they can't sell tickets, or cannot make money. Buffalo has NO problem selling tickets (they never were blacked out this year, and I do not recall the last time they were). The Toronto games are more about expanding the fan-base, as supposed to testing relocation. NFL teams are about putting a butt every 18 inches, and Buffalo does that as good (if not better, considering the quality of football they play) as anyone.

However, the one team that I see moving (and it could happen as soon as next year) is the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had a successful start to the season, going 7-5 and being in the playoff hunt, yet the only game they were able to sell out was when the then 13-0 Colts came in for a Thursday Night game Week 15. Every other home game this season was blacked out because of insufficient ticket sales. The question then is where do they relocate?

In my opinion, I cannot see a team relocating to Mexico City. I think the language barrier (they do speak Spanish in Mexico City, right?) is too great, not to mention trying to get NFL players, coaches, and staff to relocate themselves and their families to Mexico would be pretty hard. Therefore, we are down to 2 possible locations for a new team, Los Angeles or Toronto. I think both could happen eventually, but the NFL wants a team in LA, because it is the 2nd largest market in the country. Therefore I think LA could happen (LA Jaguars sounds OK I guess). Now the important question is what division do they play in? Obviously they can't be AFC South. Therefore, I would say put them in the NFC West, and move the St. Louis Rams to the AFC South, unless of course they relocate too. If the Rams were to move to Toronto, then they can go to the AFC East and move the Dolphins to the AFC South.

Here is a list of moves to make it easier to understand:
Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South) --> LA _____ (NFC West)
St. Louis Rams (NFC West) --> Toronto _____ (AFC East)
Miami Dolphins (AFC East) --> Miami Dolphins (AFC South)

As a Jet fan, I would hate to see Miami leave the division (they were kept in the East to preserve rivalries with New England and the Jets), but it is the most logical move if a team goes to Toronto.

One thing to remember, it is one thing for an NFL team to play 1 game in a different location. It's another thing all together for a city to support a franchise, especially if they don't have success pretty quick. The games in Toronto were sold out, but 3 things to consider about the Toronto experiment:

1. How many of those fans were Buffalo fans who took the trip for one game, but would have gone to the game had it been in Buffalo?
2. How many of those fans were Jets fans who went to see their team play a road game at a neutral site in which tickets were easily available for non-Bills fans? More then you might think, I recall seeing a lot of Green there).
3. How many people went to the game because it was something that they only see once a year, and wouldn't go if they had their own team (especially if the team sucked)?

I think (unfortunately) the only way to tell if a franchise would be successful is if the team moves there. Just ask the NBA, who put a team in Vancouver, only to have to relocate it about 10 years later to Memphis.