I'm down in Las Vegas and having some limited Internet issues due to jacked up charging policies here at the Hilton. So I've got Internet access for the next 24 hours and I'm not sure how much more. ProfessorBigelow and StrictlyFootball will have an eye on things here and there and I'll try and get some posts up. However, mine will be a little shorter than usual. More just bringing up some random topics to get some discussion going.
For today, has anybody seen the articles about Condoleeza Rice attending the NFL owners' meetings and addressing the owners? She had some very interesting comments on international aspects of the NFL. She was asked about the potential for international expansion of the game and said:
"I think we have to find countries where there is a strong mass sports culture," Rice said. "Clearly, Great Britain is a great possibility. Germany is a strong possibility. I would think that actually Australia might be a place that could be interesting. Places with a mass sports culture and where they play either rugby, Australian rules football or soccer are certainly good. Places where they only play cricket, I would not go. It's not in the genes."
So what do people think about this? Is it realistic to see the NFL expanding abroad outside of the US as more than just what NFL Europe was? The NBA has discussed it as well and I see that as much more likely given how global a game it is. Not so sure about the NFL.