SuperBowl to head out of US?

[LadyStanley]

Holding a Super Bowl outside the US is a possibility, NFL Commissioner Goodell says

The NFL's aggressive international growth plan could include holding a Super Bowl outside the United States for the first time, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday. Goodell has shot down the idea in the past, but he told a fan forum in London that it's a possibility. “We’ve always...

sports.yahoo.com

Goodell says maybe

Have to wonder how sponsors feel about that.

Click to read more...

 

[HisIceness]

I have a feeling that wouldn't go over well.

 

[CTHabsfan]

Holding a Super Bowl outside the US is a possibility, NFL Commissioner Goodell says

The NFL's aggressive international growth plan could include holding a Super Bowl outside the United States for the first time, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday. Goodell has shot down the idea in the past, but he told a fan forum in London that it's a possibility. “We’ve always...

sports.yahoo.com

Goodell says maybe

Have to wonder how sponsors feel about that.

I can't imagine sponsors being on-board. Official kickoff time is 6:30 PM Eastern and gameplay typically starts about 20 minutes later due to pre-game ceremonies. A game starting 6:50 PM in London starts at 1:50 PM in New York and 10:50 AM in Los Angeles (or 12:50 PM and 9:50 AM if in Germany or France). There's no way you could have a game in Europe where fans would want to attend while being shown in primetime in the States.

 

[Brodie]

There is no way to televise a game whose primary audience is in the United States at a reasonable time from the UK. You would have to shift kickoff to 1 pm EST at the latest, which is 10 am PST. You'd tank the ratings and the value to advertisers.

Like every other idea Goodell has on the next phase of international growth, this is riddled with logistical issues and will perpetually remain a "maybe in 10 years..." concept. The simple reality is that Goodell is continually out over his skis on this issue and he will likely have retired long before any of the fundamental problems with further integrating overseas markets can be resolved (and it isn't clear to me that the next person in his chair will have the same gung-ho obsession with growing the game that he does). Expanding the schedule to 18 games will allow for additional European games per season, which will likely remain lucrative for the league. That will probably be enough for the foreseeable future.

 

[GKJ]

The US sponsors won’t care, whichever ones do will lose their place. The game will lose zero ratings by starting earlier. Might even do better since people won’t have to stay up as late, and whichever fans win can celebrate earlier. Fans getting from the US to the game, that will be a pain. But they won’t be when they’re sitting on the plane headed for Europe.

 

[Bjorn Le]

If Godell is saying this, it’s a pretty good chance the NFL already knows what years they will want to try a London Super Bowl. Could even be in the first year of a London expansion team or the year before a London expansion team starts playing.

Since the Super Bowl is on Sunday, it is not really a problem to have the game start midday.

Anyways, the NFL seems to have very long timelines for things they’re interested in. This is likely something, if it were to happen, were to occur in the early 2030s.