The NFL season is upon us yet again, and this season features more international games than ever before. The nine matchups span Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and Mexico, but it seems the NFL isn't ready to stop there. There's even talk about moving one team or more permanently to another country outside the U.S., though as a group of 24 agents told NFL writer Ben Standig, the desire for the league to expand might hit some hard realities.
The agents, who spoke anonymously to encourage their unfiltered thoughts, said those international teams would be at an automatic disadvantage due to a variety of reasons. To start with, who would want to play for those teams? "Relocating to England isn’t the same as playing in New England," one agent said.
"Would a player coming out of USC or Alabama who has never left the States be excited to get drafted by a European team? Or do vets with families now have to move overseas or be away from their kids for months?" And that's just rookies. In free agency, when players have more power, those teams could be even further disadvantaged.
"Overseas teams would lose the tiebreaker almost every time when a free agent chooses between comparable offers," another agent said. "Those teams would have to overpay." That said, the NFL could benefit from growing the sport internationally, an agent pointed out, especially when adding to the talent pool for positions like quarterback and offensive line, where Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata, an Australian, is showing that NFL talent can develop overseas. "If you want to raise the talent floor and improve the game, it’s probably time to go international," the agent said.
"It’s finding 10 Jordan Mailatas, not just having one. The travel and sleep deprivation are tough, but on a macro scale of where the game needs to go with revenue and the talent pool, it probably means having a base in all these countries." It could require, though, a bigger initial investment than people thought. "It seems like a logistical nightmare," another agent said.
"If the NFL does it, the best model would be multiple teams at once—ideally a four-team European division—to reduce travel and create natural regional rivalries. One isolated overseas team would create major competitive and travel problems."
Extract — continue reading at the source.
