Here's an article for Olly and Chrisbob and all the other NFLE lovers out there. NFL - League never should have let NFL Europe go - FOX Sports on MSN
Bring back the good old days of the Monarchs/Claymores/Dragons/Admirals/Galaxy/Fire and we'll start talking...
I thought the NFLE was a good idea at the time...I actually would watch the games... It also got players that normally wouldn't get reps some live playing time.
as much as i despised the idea of the nfl developmental league being in Europe (I always thought the teams should have been positioned in smaller markets in the U.S.), the concept of a developmental league is a good one and there were many players that did their time in the minor leagues and ended up finding their way to the nfl and that is good for the league. But they need to give up on the whole Europe thing once and for all. Europeans don't care for the game and the nfl thinks it's product is 'so' magically delicious that everyone should love it.
blah, blah, blah That's why they sell out the London games in a few minutes, huh With the UK and Germany, you have two big markets for football, but the running of the league was awful. The huge player turnover of the teams, never really created a real identity for the teams Let teams travel around like a circus, didn't build a stronger fan base (see the UK teams) Making this whole thing an almost German affair, was complete BS. Biggest bust was to locate the Centurions at Colonge, while already having Rhein Fire at Dsseldorf, just a few miles away. The NFL was hoping for a rivalry, like Colongs and Dsseldorf soccer teams has, but it was very obvious that it will fail. They never really explore the European market. The TV licenses was sold to companies, who never had much interest to show football, they just wanted to re-sell it and cash in money Fact is, you can run a successfull football league here (BAFL and GFL prove it on a much lower level), if you pay attention to the market, instead of hoping the market will follow you whatever you create. For a farm league inside the US. I really wonder who is willing to follow a league, whose level is somewhere between HS and college football and all the other disadvanteges that come with a league like the NFLE?
Why not create two d-leagues? One overseas and one here in the US. This way you cater to your overseas fans, ut a team in or two in the UK, a team in France or Spain, two in Germany and one other one. Then in the US, tap into some markets as a test. Get a team in the Southern Gulf (put it in Mobile, AL, have it represent AL and MS), try out the true Midwest (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Montana and the Dakotas), Vegas, VA/WV/KY, AR/OK, even New Mexico. All those are good markets that haven't been tapped into by the NFL, why not try them out?
Here are the facts the way I see it: The USFL would have worked if they would not have expanded in their SECOND year. NFL Europe is a good idea but Europe as a whole could care less for the NFL. Stop trying to jam it down their collective throats. Take the USFL lead, feed the starving NFL fans and give us a summer league! Place the teams in the smaller market cities with the ties to their NFL teams on their helmets this thing could really work. Take the LOSER of this "developmental league play an exhibition with an NFL team. Maybe have them play in the Hall of Fame game against an NFL team. That might draw some interest.
