A look at why the NFL’s obsession with England needs to stop.
Starting in 2007, the National Football League decided to start shipping teams over to London, England to play regular season games at Wembley Stadium. When the league first came up with the concept, there was only one game played in London a year.
In the past two years, the league has upped the ante and has allowed Wembley Stadium to host three regular season games. The games have been a huge success as Wembley Stadium has been packed with 80,000 fans in each game.
Due to the success of these games, the NFL has begun to seriously consider the possibility of having a team in London. The idea may sound great, but it’s actually a terrible idea that should be put to rest immediately.
The NFL is one of those sports leagues that is constantly making mistakes. Whether they are fining players for supporting charities, or suspending players for celebrating a touchdown, the NFL really has no shame.
The league has always been about profit, but never about its players. A team in London would be incredible for NFL profits—there is no doubting that. However, when it comes to the safety of the players, a lot could be at stake.
Injuries, especially those to the head, have cursed football players for years. More and more players are dying from brain trauma as a result of playing football and the hard hits they receive out on the field. At this point you may be wondering how this relates to a team in London. Let me explain.
London is across the Atlantic Ocean which means that travel would be extremely strenuous. A team playing in London would mean that all visiting teams would have to make the long treck overseas, just for three hours of football. The same would go for the London team that has to travel to North America for just one or two days.
According to painscience.com, a website that gives advice when it comes to injuries, says that when players are not properly rested when injured, they become more prone to aggravating their injuries. NFL players get hit hard and don’t always get the rest needed to heal. This would become much worse if you were playing for or against a team in England. Already, players are fed up with Thursday night games because it doesn’t give them enough time to rest and prepare, especially when they have to travel across the country.
London would be a scheduling nightmare. It would be a nightmare for the players and a headache for a league that has been giving its players headaches for years.