NFL Europa shutting down

Here's Florio on that:

"ADIEU, NFL EUROPA?

An industry source tells us that this weekend's World Bowl is expected to be the last act for NFL Europa, before it is flushed down the Toilet Bowl.

If that happens, it will mean the end to an experiment that began back in 1991, named the World League of American Football. The league, which was initially run by the guy who pulled the trigger on the Herschel Walker trade, originally had 10 teams, with six in the U.S. and four on foreign soil (Montral, Barcelona, London, Frankfurt).

We recall being mildly fascinated by the helmet cam, but thoroughly disinterested in the on-field product.

By 1995, the league went fully European, and eventually picked up the brand-building moniker "NFL Europe." In 2007, a local flair was added to the title, with the "Europe" becoming "Europa," thereby giving heterosexual American men yet another reason not to pay attention to it.

Perhaps the best evidence of the coming NFL Europa euthanasia is the fact that (as one reader points out) the Yello Strom World Bowl XV will be held this weekend, and there's not a peep about it on the NFL's official web site.

So why isn't it mentioned? If no one knows about it, no one will watch it, and the league's anemic ratings will be even lower, making it easier to justify putting it out of our misery.

Besides, who needs watered-down NFL football in Europa when the real thing is coming in 2007? With the league fully committed to hitting the pads overseas, and with Fins owner Wayne Huizenga recently suggesting that London could end up with three or four regular-season NFL games per year, there's no reason to export a lesser product.

Finally, the developmental benefits aren't as compelling as they used to be. Players allocated to NFL Europa miss out on their teams' entire offseason program, during which upwards of 90 percent of the offense and defense is installed in advance of the coming season. So while the allocated players have more "live" game reps come August, they're woefully behind the other guys with whom they are competing for roster spots.

Think about it -- at one point a list of European success stories could be rattled off pretty quickly (Brad Johnson, Kurt Warner, etc.). We can't think of the last guy who starred in Europe before becoming a big deal in the States."


http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

 

Bye bye NFL Europa. :(

 

Is this for real?

 

That league is still around? How are the Orlando Thunder doing? I'm only a casual fan. Love those unis.

 

Quite a few overseas board members here will be very upset if this happens.

 

there have been rumors about it for a few months now.

Florio seems pretty sure it's ending.

 

I don't think they exist anymore

 

No crap? [smilie=banghead.gi:

 

I also think the Bills lost 4 straight SB's

 

Thats sad, since that kills the plan to move the Browns overseas to a league they could compete in.Maybe.

 

This jersey hurts my eyes. :shock:

 

I sad it closing without it players like Jake Delhomme Kurt Warner Adam Vinatieri & Others a chance to play. So will teh NFL open an all US league to replace it or just let players rot without game time?

 

Me and flea in 1st place

The US teams went out of business, when the WLAF was shut down in 1992. It was succeeded by the NFL Europe and was renamed last year to NFL Europa.

Those rumors are around and ppl here get upset about it, even always had in mind that that will happens someday. Last year the NFL owners decide to run the NFLE to 2011.

 

I don't think so. This league will draw less interess than the NFLE. With the NFL, AFL, CFL and the NCAA there is an overload on FB I guess

 

nothing new here evry off season we hear these rumours,

 

Yes mate, but they never had been so strong then this time

 

It's still remarkable to me the NFL has no minor league of it's own. You're telling me a pro-football league in second tier cities, like AF2, which feeds into the NFL wouldn't succeed. I understand Saturdays are out, so are Fridays for that matter, but a Tuesday-Wednesday league wouldn't do well? Smaller stadiums, cheap tickets, and decent promotions could go a long way towards making the league viable. Plus, the NFL has a network ready to step up and cover it.

 

dunno, do you really think it will have a chance? We talking about a 4th and 5th stringer league. How much ppl will it draw into the stadiums? And for sure, it won't cover it's costs too. btw. the coverage for the NFLE is there, but noone really care about it.

 

I think if it's done correctly, sure. It would have to take place, again, in second tier cities, much smaller stadiums (I'm thinking 30k tops) and it would feature players who might make it to Sundays. I also can't imagine it wouldn't cover costs. The NFL would be the parent, and the money is there. If I still have to see commercials for women's pro basketball on ESPN, it would be impossible to think a more successful league like the NFL, with their money and their marketing, wouldn't be better positioned to support it.

Another benefit for the league is it could, potentially, allow them to reasonably expand the draft. They're already working on making it a three day event by having the first round on Fridays in prime time, this would let the NFL add rounds (4 or 5 tops) and really fatten the weekend and sell more ad time. The rest of the teams could be free agents. Just throwing this in, but there wouldn't, and probably shouldn't, be 30 teams. Let teams pool players to form teams. (This is just a random thought, and doesn't take into account grooming players to a parent team's offense.)

I think the reason most people don't care about NFLE right now, is there isn't any possible way for them to go see a game. With the WLAF, at least there was some buzz, because you could go see a game. Who cares about players in Barcelona or Germany when you already see them sparingly on TV? At least with a minor league, you could air games locally. The NFL Network can air games nationally. These players would be here, in the states, in cities that don't have NFL teams, with a chance to build a fan base and a better opportunity to make "the show."

 

I think another problem the league has is the player turnover. Each year each team has a slew of new faces to reacquaint yourself with.