FanPost

London Calling....

Well, now that the excitement of the draft is over and the Niners grabbed a true haul that covered most all their needs, it got me to thinking. It seems that over the past three years that Roger Goodell has had a "wet dream" of putting a franchise in London, England. While I agree that the concept is good, and the ratings from the special games that have been played have been encouraging...the truth remains. Putting an NFL team in England is a BAD idea! Just getting away from the logistics of home/away games is just ridiculous. But I am old enough to remember the two failed attempts of overseas football leagues in NFL Europe and World League respectively. As a kid, I enjoyed the games and looked forward to watching them almost as much as the NFL. But, the cost of maintaining and running a franchise is just astronomical and takes unwavering support from the local populace. The aforementioned two attempts speaks volumes about the thought of permanent franchises in the UK. But is all lost? Hardly. I think if Goodell really wants football in another market, he should look no further than then (wait for it....), the Great White North! Yes I mean CANANDA! "OK, you say. Come back to reality. there's already a league up there!" This is my point. Roger should take a page from his good friend Vincent K. McMahan and make the NFL and their owners minority partners in the CFL. Why? Because just like McMahon with a deeply in debt ECW, the NFL can use the CFL for a "farm league." Follow my logic here before you douse your torch in gas.... 1)Chance to grow: Every draft brings in a ton of new, young talent that feels they are all ready for primetime and deserve a "King's Ransom" in pay. the owners all want to fill their overflowing coffers with more money, yet still want the best talent around. We fans all want our teams to win NOW no matter how long the team has stunk up the joint and we put all that pressure on these kids to perform (and yes, they are still kids). Then when they flame out from expectations being too high and turn around being too slow, we brand them a "bust." This isn't fair NOR is it financially smart. It just gets the kids to spend their earnings too fast, then they are waived, and the owners spend even more money on the next "can't miss" prospect out of Overhyped U. with a couple years, (say their first 2 years with a team option for a third) the kid can learn in a league that isn't as high on expectations. they can play out their first contract with a chance to really play into a bigger payday. Finally, they can make a transition from college speed to pro. by the time they hit the "Big Leagues" they are more than ready. We just drafted B.J. Daniels and are looking at Nate Montana. No one is really giving them a shot at starting immediately. But can you imagine what they could be like after 3 years of training in Canada? We could either trade them for extra picks. Or "call them up" if we need fresh bodies due to injuries. Just a thought. 2)Competition breeds better production: Anyone ever notice that WWE was a better product when there were more wrestling organizations to choose from? The WCW brought us the "Monday night Wars." ECW brought about the "Invasion" angle. And the wrestling "purists" would laude the validity of the AWA against the "bubble gum" WWE. Whatever angle you play, McMahon made more money when there was another option to his product. Moreover, the fans were happier. With the CFL being a "farm league", it would introduce new teams to root for, and open up more markets to sell in for the NFL. The issue the NFL faces right now in the U.S. is that here, it has no competition. not the NBA, NHL, MLB, nor NASCAR. Fans are happy right now, but as all fans eventually do, we will get bored. Can you say; "total football saturation?" I knew that you could. 3)Stability: Did you know the CFL has been in existence since 1958? That's a lot longer then the World League, NFL Europe, the AFL, USFL and the (gasp)XFL combined. That says one thing.....stability. Although like the U.S., Canada has plenty of other sports to choose from (soccor, baseball, basketball, etc.) the CFL has prospered for 55 years. Fans are obviously keeping the league afloat. If Goodell wants to expand the NFL brand to another country, Canada has shown it can sustain the financial strain of a new expansion franchise without fear of folding due to poor attendance and non interest. The logistics of home/away games would be minimum (with the exception of those teams in the southern U.S.) without being ludicrously out of the way for tailgating. 4)"Pro Bowl": Is it just me or have the fans spoken.....they HATE the Pro Bowl. Most The players don't like going and participating, and only the fans in Hawaii are even interested in attending. With the addition of the CFL, the two leagues could have a "PRO BOWL" of the best players not in the title game that would draw bigger fan followings from 2 countries, as well as giving the players something to bring more interest in attending. Namely say....for the winners, a ring and a nice bonus check for participating. Also the game would travel. It wouldn't be held in just the U.S. or Hawaii every year. Instead, it would travel to Miami one year, Saskatchewan the next. Just a thought. For those of you who have stuck with me throughout this post....thanks. I hope that it has given you something to consider. I am open to CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. If you just want to be a pain and say "NO!" without backing up your reason....troll somewhere else. For those who haven't, it's too bad. because just like the NFL...a little good competition makes Niners Nation the best site in SB.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.