Today I would like to talk about another sore spot with Badgers athletics... The men's hockey program in particular Mike Eaves who was hired back in 2002. Now I understand that this guy who a National Championship back in 2005, but these were with players that were recruited or who could have had previous contact with Jeff Sauer.
This years struggles is of no surprise to me as Eaves has not changed the offensive scheme since being hired as the Badgers head coach. No team is surprised by the style the Badgers play and it has become easier and easier to beat the Badgers. We are not longer competitive against North Dakota, Colorado College, or Denver, we can't even beat Northern Michigan.
The power play strategy is laughable and makes you want to change the channel. In any given power play, you can expect a minute thirty of the two minutes spent trying to move the puck into the offensive zone by dumping the puck along the board only to have the penalty killing team just flip the puck back out. We only get one, maybe two chances to score and it has to change. Based on how the rest of the offense works, I call this the "Mike Eaves and the no change offense" for the past couple of years.
Now I understand that coaches can not win all the time, but if the other team knows how you will play them, you can never win. If Eaves can not change it up and start winning he will join Bielema on my coaches to go list.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
NCAA to step up on violations, Ya Right
There is once news story that occurred back in October that I want to circle back to. The NCAA announced they were increasing the penalties and would punish coaches more for violations. I see this as more for show than a way to control the sports they oversee. Since the dawn of time, people have always have been trying to circumvent rules and when a rule is created, another loophole or way to circumvent is found.
This also occurs with the NCAA rules, cheating will still occur, coaches will just get better at cheating. There is no penalty that the NCAA can enforce that can deter cheating with the exception of the so called "Death Penalty". This would directly clean up the NCAA sports and reinstall confidence in college sports. No college want to see any of their money making sports cease as it would cut the revenue their athletic departments need.
The sad thing is, the NCAA will more than likely never enforce the Death Penalty for any revenue generating sport (Football and Men's Basketball and to a lesser degree Women's Basketball and Baseball) since this has a domino effect in today's cash grab world of college sports. If the NCAA would have to cancel all the games of one school, that is a loss of money for the other schools the violating school would have played which causes a shortfall in their budget, lost TV revenue, and lost money for the NCAA.
That is why we will never see the Death Penalty, the NCAA would rather see a games played and ban the teams from the bowl games or tournaments, since there are extra teams to take the violating teams place, there is no loss of revenue across multiple channels, just for the violating school.
In this case, I don't know what the answer is to solve the problem. The head of the house (NCAA) does not want to punish the kids (Colleges) too hard that they resent them since the kids are the future and take care of the head of the house with their money, but the head of the house does not want child protective services (Government, Congress) to step in and toss the house.
What to do, what to do?
This also occurs with the NCAA rules, cheating will still occur, coaches will just get better at cheating. There is no penalty that the NCAA can enforce that can deter cheating with the exception of the so called "Death Penalty". This would directly clean up the NCAA sports and reinstall confidence in college sports. No college want to see any of their money making sports cease as it would cut the revenue their athletic departments need.
The sad thing is, the NCAA will more than likely never enforce the Death Penalty for any revenue generating sport (Football and Men's Basketball and to a lesser degree Women's Basketball and Baseball) since this has a domino effect in today's cash grab world of college sports. If the NCAA would have to cancel all the games of one school, that is a loss of money for the other schools the violating school would have played which causes a shortfall in their budget, lost TV revenue, and lost money for the NCAA.
That is why we will never see the Death Penalty, the NCAA would rather see a games played and ban the teams from the bowl games or tournaments, since there are extra teams to take the violating teams place, there is no loss of revenue across multiple channels, just for the violating school.
In this case, I don't know what the answer is to solve the problem. The head of the house (NCAA) does not want to punish the kids (Colleges) too hard that they resent them since the kids are the future and take care of the head of the house with their money, but the head of the house does not want child protective services (Government, Congress) to step in and toss the house.
What to do, what to do?
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
MLB rule changes
As I was scrolling through the internet, I found a good article on Sport Illustrated from Tom Verducci. The article is here.
Monday, November 26, 2012
NFL: Stuck in the Technicality's
As has been reported many times before and by this time I'm sure everybody is sick of hearing about, there was an interesting play during the Texans-Lions game on Thursday which has everybody up in arms. The Lions head coach throwing the challenge flag when nullified the review that was sure to come from the replay both.
I wish I would have started this blog before this season, because we saw this exact same thing occur during a Packers preseason game in which McCarthy attempted to challenge a turnover and was penalized 15 yards and the play was not reviewed. This should have been a major wake up call to the NFL that this needs to be addressed before a real game was affected, like on Thursday. Then again, the NFL was not thinking when using replacement officials so why would they use logic in this case?
The sad thing is, there is nothing the NFL will do about this until the season has completed because they say it is too difficult to implement a rule change mid-season. This is not a hard change, let coaches challenge in the final 2 minutes + OT, turnovers and touchdowns in addition to the replay offical being able to stop the game.
In reality, we are slowly progressing towards a college like replay system in which the replay offical can review all plays. So I say, lets just end the insanity and next season move to a college replay system.
We are so stuck in the detail of the rules, we forgot the reason replay was brought back.... To get the call RIGHT. Instead replay is creating more issues rather than preventing them,
My prediction for the next big gaff in the replay system? Field Goal over the upright. Since reply can only be used to determine if the ball crossed over the crossbar on Field Goal, we will have a kick that is called good (or no good) and the officials will call the opposite.
We have not heard the end of issues with the rules around replay. So until next time.....
I wish I would have started this blog before this season, because we saw this exact same thing occur during a Packers preseason game in which McCarthy attempted to challenge a turnover and was penalized 15 yards and the play was not reviewed. This should have been a major wake up call to the NFL that this needs to be addressed before a real game was affected, like on Thursday. Then again, the NFL was not thinking when using replacement officials so why would they use logic in this case?
The sad thing is, there is nothing the NFL will do about this until the season has completed because they say it is too difficult to implement a rule change mid-season. This is not a hard change, let coaches challenge in the final 2 minutes + OT, turnovers and touchdowns in addition to the replay offical being able to stop the game.
In reality, we are slowly progressing towards a college like replay system in which the replay offical can review all plays. So I say, lets just end the insanity and next season move to a college replay system.
We are so stuck in the detail of the rules, we forgot the reason replay was brought back.... To get the call RIGHT. Instead replay is creating more issues rather than preventing them,
My prediction for the next big gaff in the replay system? Field Goal over the upright. Since reply can only be used to determine if the ball crossed over the crossbar on Field Goal, we will have a kick that is called good (or no good) and the officials will call the opposite.
We have not heard the end of issues with the rules around replay. So until next time.....
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Bret losses again, no surpises here
As we all know, Bielema once again lost on Saturday, this time to Penn State. Once again the offense slowed down to the grinding halt putting pressure on a defense that does not deserve this kind offensive game play. I'm not personally shocked we did not win. I bet I can even predict what the talk in the half time locker room was like:
Matt Canada: "We got them right we want them, lets just keep running. 1st down, Run; 2nd down, Run; 3rd and 8, Run"
Bret Bielema: "Ugggggggggg..... Sounds good, I trust you and your great play calling, I don't see Penn State making any adjustments in the 2nd half..... Uggggggggg.... Now can I get a burrito?"
Maybe a little exaggerated, but I'm sure I'm close the way the Badgers played in the second half. Sure we might have tied it up at the end of the 4th quarter, but the game should not have came down to overtime. Bielema does not realize that the other team make adjustments, and when the other team is of equal or greater talent, that could mean they could come back and win. Canada play calling does not make sense, he does not surprise the other team with the calls. In the second half of the Ohio State and Penn State games, the massive numbers of shifting players do not even fool the other team, the defense were just standing there since they knew it was just for show.
As I have said time and time again, FIRE BIELEMA before we are at the bottom and we are battling Indiana in close games. This will be a interesting Big Ten Championship game, if we are lucky we might keep it to a two score game at the end. From what I can tell, this will be the last Big Ten Championship game for Bielema for a long time as Ohio State will be coming off their NCAA bans and there will be nothing between them until Penn State completes there bans unless Bielema is fired and the program is resurrected.
Matt Canada: "We got them right we want them, lets just keep running. 1st down, Run; 2nd down, Run; 3rd and 8, Run"
Bret Bielema: "Ugggggggggg..... Sounds good, I trust you and your great play calling, I don't see Penn State making any adjustments in the 2nd half..... Uggggggggg.... Now can I get a burrito?"
Maybe a little exaggerated, but I'm sure I'm close the way the Badgers played in the second half. Sure we might have tied it up at the end of the 4th quarter, but the game should not have came down to overtime. Bielema does not realize that the other team make adjustments, and when the other team is of equal or greater talent, that could mean they could come back and win. Canada play calling does not make sense, he does not surprise the other team with the calls. In the second half of the Ohio State and Penn State games, the massive numbers of shifting players do not even fool the other team, the defense were just standing there since they knew it was just for show.
As I have said time and time again, FIRE BIELEMA before we are at the bottom and we are battling Indiana in close games. This will be a interesting Big Ten Championship game, if we are lucky we might keep it to a two score game at the end. From what I can tell, this will be the last Big Ten Championship game for Bielema for a long time as Ohio State will be coming off their NCAA bans and there will be nothing between them until Penn State completes there bans unless Bielema is fired and the program is resurrected.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Bucks in First
Saturday, the Bucks won, which brought their record up to 6-2. I never thought that this season would have started this way. I know there is a long way to go, but 6-2 and in first place.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Bielema just does not get it
Another game against a good opponent for the Badgers and another loss. I'm not surprised anymore that Bret continues to sink the Badgers slowly to the bottom of the Big Ten. His poor choices continues to bring the Badger football program to ruin.
In spite of Bret's usual poor pregame preparations for Ohio State, the Badgers were able to drive the ball down the field in the final two minutes, even after some poor play calls, and score the game tying touchdown. But in spite of getting to overtime, our poor play calling comes back to plague us again especially with the run call on third down. Then on fourth down everybody except Bielema seemed to know that Ohio State was going to blitz, but do we account for that? Do we roll the QB out of the pocket? Nope and that is why Ohio State wins big games year after year, and all we get is goofy looks from Bielema.
Bielema does not know how to win the "Big Game" when the game is close and his choice will decide the outcome. The only way he has won up to this point if something usual occurs to tilt the advantage to Wisconsin (Running into the kicker for example) and not by a choice Bret has made.
Some of his poor choices were actually done a long time ago which are hurting them today. As noted in previous post, recruiting seems to a difficult thing for Bielema. This statement is no more true than at the WR position. All season, game after game, announcer after announcer kept saying that the receiver position was led by Abbrederis but we were waiting for someone to step up for next season. But game after game nobody has come to the front to step up for next season and nobody on the current team seems ready to step up to the top receiver position.
Who even wants to come to Wisconsin to play Wide Receiver for Bielema? Nobody, That is because he does not know how to properly use them, because he can not make a choice, because he does not get it. When you run the ball as much as he does, why would you want to play for Wisconsin? All you do play after play is block DB's or do 20 yard sprints with no hope of seeing the ball.
You would think in 7 years as the Badgers head coach, Bielema would have figured out how to win the "Big Game" in close situations, but to no avail. He is only 2-4 in bowl games by winning one with Alvarez's players and the other against a Miami team on the downfall. As I have mentioned before, I think it is time for Barry Alvarez to save the football program and remove Bielema has head coach. This would be a difficult choice for Alvarez since this hire was his choice and this would not reflect well on his decision making ability since there was not even a interview process for his replacement, but this is something that would need to be done to save the Football program as a whole.
If changes are not made soon, we will be at bottom of the Big Ten battling Indiana for the bottom position of the Legends division in front of a half full Camp Randell.
I don't know how much longer I can take this from Bielema week after week, year after year, close game loss after close game loss. More importantly, how much longer will the fans and boosters take this before change is demanded.
In spite of Bret's usual poor pregame preparations for Ohio State, the Badgers were able to drive the ball down the field in the final two minutes, even after some poor play calls, and score the game tying touchdown. But in spite of getting to overtime, our poor play calling comes back to plague us again especially with the run call on third down. Then on fourth down everybody except Bielema seemed to know that Ohio State was going to blitz, but do we account for that? Do we roll the QB out of the pocket? Nope and that is why Ohio State wins big games year after year, and all we get is goofy looks from Bielema.
Bielema does not know how to win the "Big Game" when the game is close and his choice will decide the outcome. The only way he has won up to this point if something usual occurs to tilt the advantage to Wisconsin (Running into the kicker for example) and not by a choice Bret has made.
Some of his poor choices were actually done a long time ago which are hurting them today. As noted in previous post, recruiting seems to a difficult thing for Bielema. This statement is no more true than at the WR position. All season, game after game, announcer after announcer kept saying that the receiver position was led by Abbrederis but we were waiting for someone to step up for next season. But game after game nobody has come to the front to step up for next season and nobody on the current team seems ready to step up to the top receiver position.
Who even wants to come to Wisconsin to play Wide Receiver for Bielema? Nobody, That is because he does not know how to properly use them, because he can not make a choice, because he does not get it. When you run the ball as much as he does, why would you want to play for Wisconsin? All you do play after play is block DB's or do 20 yard sprints with no hope of seeing the ball.
You would think in 7 years as the Badgers head coach, Bielema would have figured out how to win the "Big Game" in close situations, but to no avail. He is only 2-4 in bowl games by winning one with Alvarez's players and the other against a Miami team on the downfall. As I have mentioned before, I think it is time for Barry Alvarez to save the football program and remove Bielema has head coach. This would be a difficult choice for Alvarez since this hire was his choice and this would not reflect well on his decision making ability since there was not even a interview process for his replacement, but this is something that would need to be done to save the Football program as a whole.
If changes are not made soon, we will be at bottom of the Big Ten battling Indiana for the bottom position of the Legends division in front of a half full Camp Randell.
I don't know how much longer I can take this from Bielema week after week, year after year, close game loss after close game loss. More importantly, how much longer will the fans and boosters take this before change is demanded.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Braun second in MVP voting
Today it was announced that Buster Posey was the NL MVP with Ryan Braun in second place. Just think about that a minute... After all that Braun has been trough last off season to still come in second is just amazing. Posey deserved the award, but I was impress at how Braun finished in the voting.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
NFL Tie Games: Nobody wins
Sunday we saw the rare feat of a tie game between the 49'ers and Rams after many missed opportunities. In the big four professional sports in America, only Football allows tie games in the regular season since the shootout rule was instituted in the NHL in 2005.
These ties zap the excitement out of what was a good game. It seems more and more that the NFL should go with a college football style of overtime. Fans really don't care about the plays it takes to go 50-60 yards to get in Field Goal range, they care about scoring and declaring a winner to the game. The NFL should just put the ball on the 25 yard line, give each team one possession and give the fans what they really want, scoring.
Overtime rules should remain the same for playoff games since those games today can not end in a tie. It is now time for the Competition Committee to review the overtime rules and stop the ability for NFL games to end in a tie
These ties zap the excitement out of what was a good game. It seems more and more that the NFL should go with a college football style of overtime. Fans really don't care about the plays it takes to go 50-60 yards to get in Field Goal range, they care about scoring and declaring a winner to the game. The NFL should just put the ball on the 25 yard line, give each team one possession and give the fans what they really want, scoring.
Overtime rules should remain the same for playoff games since those games today can not end in a tie. It is now time for the Competition Committee to review the overtime rules and stop the ability for NFL games to end in a tie
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Badgers Football: A team full of false confidence
After watching the Badgers blowout victory over Indiana 62-14 I could not help but observe a false sense of confidence amidst a record setting day for the Wisconsin rushing game. Now I'm glad that we did run the ball as well as we did and did not play down to our opponent as the Packers seem to do from time to time, but it seems the game came with some undesired effects. There was a sense of false confidence in the overall coaching and play calling that will burn us in the remaining games this season.
During the second quarter with Wisconsin winning 17-0, Indiana was able to slow down the Wisconsin attack and force a couple of punts while scoring a touchdown themselves. With Wisconsin on the ropes with a 3rd and 16 after a couple of bad play calls, we are just trying to run the ball to prevent any bad plays in the long yardage situation, but James White is able to break a couple of tackles, make a couple of good moves and score a 69 yard Touchdown.
We had no right in the situation to be getting first down much less the touchdown given the down and yardage, but Matt Canada looks like a genius since the play worked so well. For the previous 3 drives, Indiana had been crashing the line with blitzes to stop the running attack which resulted in 3 punts and was on pace for 4 punts in a row. I noticed this occurring on the second drive that resulted in a punt.
Time and time again this season this situation occurred and all Canada needed to do was call the play action fake on 1st or 2nd down to the "hopefully" wide open receiver 10-12 yards down the field, but continues to run into the brick wall. This would allow the running game to continue without eight men in the box. Most of the time we unable to break this eight men in the box defense resulting in the offense struggling the rest of the game since we wait until 3rd and long when it is a obvious passing situation. This is how we operated under Paul Chryst with great success, but under Bret, the motto is "If it aint broke, then break it".
On Saturday, we saw the except to the rule, White was able to score, Wisconsin was able to run the ball after that on the deflated Indiana team and win the game. If we would have punted the ball, who knows what could have happened.
Indiana is a program still trying to pull itself off the bottom of the Big Ten. Still trying to figure out how to win the big game. If this kind of victory would have occurred against Nebraska or Michigan State, I would have said the run game is here to stay, but the run game has only been as good (or should I say as bad) as our opponent.
This running attack will not translate to success in future games. Just like the two previous games to the Michigan State game, smart coaches will stop the run first which will leave Wisconsin unproductive on offense. Bielema and Canada will go into the Ohio State game thinking they will be able to win the game by pounding the ball on the ground, but all they will get is a brick wall and have no idea on how to break the eight man in the box defense.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy that game today, I did enjoy watching Ball and White run all over the Indiana defense, and I'm happy that we will be playing in the Big Ten Championship game. My concern is how we take what we learned from this game along with what is on the tapes for Ohio State and formula a game plan. Under Alvarez, I knew a 62-14 win the previous week was not going to mess up the game planning the following week.
Badgers fans, enjoy the win this week, but don't expect Urban Meyer to allow the Badgers to just run all over the defense without making some kind of adjustment.
During the second quarter with Wisconsin winning 17-0, Indiana was able to slow down the Wisconsin attack and force a couple of punts while scoring a touchdown themselves. With Wisconsin on the ropes with a 3rd and 16 after a couple of bad play calls, we are just trying to run the ball to prevent any bad plays in the long yardage situation, but James White is able to break a couple of tackles, make a couple of good moves and score a 69 yard Touchdown.
We had no right in the situation to be getting first down much less the touchdown given the down and yardage, but Matt Canada looks like a genius since the play worked so well. For the previous 3 drives, Indiana had been crashing the line with blitzes to stop the running attack which resulted in 3 punts and was on pace for 4 punts in a row. I noticed this occurring on the second drive that resulted in a punt.
Time and time again this season this situation occurred and all Canada needed to do was call the play action fake on 1st or 2nd down to the "hopefully" wide open receiver 10-12 yards down the field, but continues to run into the brick wall. This would allow the running game to continue without eight men in the box. Most of the time we unable to break this eight men in the box defense resulting in the offense struggling the rest of the game since we wait until 3rd and long when it is a obvious passing situation. This is how we operated under Paul Chryst with great success, but under Bret, the motto is "If it aint broke, then break it".
On Saturday, we saw the except to the rule, White was able to score, Wisconsin was able to run the ball after that on the deflated Indiana team and win the game. If we would have punted the ball, who knows what could have happened.
Indiana is a program still trying to pull itself off the bottom of the Big Ten. Still trying to figure out how to win the big game. If this kind of victory would have occurred against Nebraska or Michigan State, I would have said the run game is here to stay, but the run game has only been as good (or should I say as bad) as our opponent.
This running attack will not translate to success in future games. Just like the two previous games to the Michigan State game, smart coaches will stop the run first which will leave Wisconsin unproductive on offense. Bielema and Canada will go into the Ohio State game thinking they will be able to win the game by pounding the ball on the ground, but all they will get is a brick wall and have no idea on how to break the eight man in the box defense.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy that game today, I did enjoy watching Ball and White run all over the Indiana defense, and I'm happy that we will be playing in the Big Ten Championship game. My concern is how we take what we learned from this game along with what is on the tapes for Ohio State and formula a game plan. Under Alvarez, I knew a 62-14 win the previous week was not going to mess up the game planning the following week.
Badgers fans, enjoy the win this week, but don't expect Urban Meyer to allow the Badgers to just run all over the defense without making some kind of adjustment.
Packers Bye Week
This week the Packers are in their bye week, which means that I will have nothing to complain about when Monday rolls around.
Also, with the possible exception of the Super Bowl Sunday, is the busiest Sunday for stores in Wisconsin during the football season. I have no numbers to back that up, but being out and about during previous Packer Bye Weeks, there seems to be more people hanging out.
Also, with the possible exception of the Super Bowl Sunday, is the busiest Sunday for stores in Wisconsin during the football season. I have no numbers to back that up, but being out and about during previous Packer Bye Weeks, there seems to be more people hanging out.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Tony Siragusa: Ohhhh my ears
I know this topic has most likely been written about many times before, but I figure it is now my turn to write about how bad Tony Siragusa is a sideline reporter for Fox.
While he was a good player, someone thought it was a good idea to give this guy a microphone and let him walk around the field letting us know stuff we already know or mindless dribble. The sad part is he does not do the things that normal sideline reports should be doing, get injury reports, sideline vibe and things not seen by the camera.
How to fix the issues? There is only one solution... Replace him. Usually I do not like to be this rash, but you are asking for trouble by keeping him on. Firing websites appear, blog posts are created, letters are written and when all else fails, people stop watching. The best example of this was with Sunday Night Baseball and Joe Morgan.
FOX, save yourself the trouble, help save my ears, stop the pain and let Tony go.
While he was a good player, someone thought it was a good idea to give this guy a microphone and let him walk around the field letting us know stuff we already know or mindless dribble. The sad part is he does not do the things that normal sideline reports should be doing, get injury reports, sideline vibe and things not seen by the camera.
How to fix the issues? There is only one solution... Replace him. Usually I do not like to be this rash, but you are asking for trouble by keeping him on. Firing websites appear, blog posts are created, letters are written and when all else fails, people stop watching. The best example of this was with Sunday Night Baseball and Joe Morgan.
FOX, save yourself the trouble, help save my ears, stop the pain and let Tony go.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Rollercoaster Tycoon
I sit here playing Roller-coaster Tycoon and still enjoy this game after all these years. I guess the reason I enjoy it is because it is my escape from the world. It is so fake, it is escaping. I know it is only a game, but I enjoy the fake ride paid for by the fake people with the fake money. Well back to the game...
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Winter
I know winter is coming when I have to put away the lawn mover and bring out the snow blower.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
+Friday, November 2, 2012
Facebook: A Game of Chess
I was thinking while on Facebook... How did it come to this? I sit here
thinking what to post, who might see it, how it may be used, will the bishop
take the knight and should I move my King... Oh wait I kind of drifted off
there.... When I first signed I did not have to think. It was not this game of
chess with every thought, picture and post. Now every post is checked and can
be exploited if the wrong person sees or shares what you have wrote.
Facebook is a victim of its own success as everybody from friends to employers to information seekers use it as a one stop shop for get information against people who have something to lose. Now people that have past their college years now have to watch what they write or pay the ultimate penalties in life of losing their job, livelihood, family, ect.
Before Facebook, if you spoke something questionable, you could always say "You didn't hear me correctly" and life moves on. Now, with the way information moves so quickly, there is little to no time to retract a regrettable comment and since the comment gets stored away in the world of the internet, there is more risk than ever to no say anything. Nothing I have ever said has not hurt me if I have never said it.
So what did I post... Nothing
Facebook is a victim of its own success as everybody from friends to employers to information seekers use it as a one stop shop for get information against people who have something to lose. Now people that have past their college years now have to watch what they write or pay the ultimate penalties in life of losing their job, livelihood, family, ect.
Before Facebook, if you spoke something questionable, you could always say "You didn't hear me correctly" and life moves on. Now, with the way information moves so quickly, there is little to no time to retract a regrettable comment and since the comment gets stored away in the world of the internet, there is more risk than ever to no say anything. Nothing I have ever said has not hurt me if I have never said it.
So what did I post... Nothing
Thursday, November 1, 2012
NFL in London? Think this one through
Another year, another game in London as New England played St. Louis and once again talk about putting a franchise overseas in London. This continues the thinking of expanding the game internationally for what the NFL thinks will make the sport an international game.
But one must think.... Is this the right move for the NFL? With the increased talk of player safety at all levels of the game along with some NFL teams having issues filling their home team stadium's, would the game hold up in the international sporting world?
As with any team that struggles in any sport, teams have issues getting people to attend the home matches. Putting a team in London means you have to compete with the national sport Soccer (or as they say Football). Overall, with the law of diminishing returns as the NFL loses it uniqueness to the British fans, less people will attend the games over the years with 8 home games a year. If this NFL team does not have a winning record, that will drive more fans away and all that will remain is the empty seats along with some worn out players that have to travel 3,500 - 5,500 miles for all roads games stateside.
Along with the above issues, there is one other thing to consider. How do you get the fans to attend your London NFL team instead of the established London Soccer teams? While most Soccer games in England are played on Saturday, there are a few "Good" games for Sunday. Who are the fans going to really care about? NFL or EPL? London alone has many winning established teams including but not limited to:
With these issues present, the NFL should really question putting a team in Europe especially since the NFL has already had one failed venture with NFL Europe. Take care of your teams at home first, then think outside your domestic boarders.
But one must think.... Is this the right move for the NFL? With the increased talk of player safety at all levels of the game along with some NFL teams having issues filling their home team stadium's, would the game hold up in the international sporting world?
As with any team that struggles in any sport, teams have issues getting people to attend the home matches. Putting a team in London means you have to compete with the national sport Soccer (or as they say Football). Overall, with the law of diminishing returns as the NFL loses it uniqueness to the British fans, less people will attend the games over the years with 8 home games a year. If this NFL team does not have a winning record, that will drive more fans away and all that will remain is the empty seats along with some worn out players that have to travel 3,500 - 5,500 miles for all roads games stateside.
Along with the above issues, there is one other thing to consider. How do you get the fans to attend your London NFL team instead of the established London Soccer teams? While most Soccer games in England are played on Saturday, there are a few "Good" games for Sunday. Who are the fans going to really care about? NFL or EPL? London alone has many winning established teams including but not limited to:
- Arsenal
- Chelsea
- Fulham
- QPR (Well... Maybe not a good team, but they are in London)
- Tottenham
- West Ham United
- Charlton
- Crystal Palace
- Milwall
- Brentford
- Leyton Orient
With these issues present, the NFL should really question putting a team in Europe especially since the NFL has already had one failed venture with NFL Europe. Take care of your teams at home first, then think outside your domestic boarders.
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