A Bucs “Synergy” With Manchester United?
May 11th, 2009
NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, of ESPN.com, reports the Glazer Boys are in full support of the Bucs playing a "home" game in England.
Famed NFC South blogger Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas, named for his disdain for working while traveling, cozied up to Joe’s friend the Fabulous Sports Babe on ESPN 1040 AM this morning.
Yasinskas was fresh off a weekend at Atlanta Falcons mini-camp. He said Matt Ryan “looked even sharper” than last season and Ryan talked about how everything is much easier for him in his second season. (Hardly a fun thought for Bucs fans)
On Josh Freeman at Bucs rookie camp, Vacation Man said “Freeman certainly looks the part out there, big strong, throws the heck out of the football, but we were just looking at him throwing to receivers who were uncovered. We really won’t see anything until the whole team comes in.”
Vacation Man reports the Glazer Boys are in full support of the Bucs-Patriots game in England in October and the Bucs are interested in creating some synergy between the two franchises. Perhaps in some twisted way this explains why the Bucs seemed more focused on quality competition at kicker (Matt Bryant and Mike Nugent) versus every position on the defense.
Vacation Man went on to explain he truly believes a Super Bowl played in England is a likely happening in the next 10 years and, shockingly, he personally is in favor of a London Super Bowl.
Evidently, Vacation Man supports taking hundreds of millions out of the U.S. economy. Joe is happy Yasinskas is a football writer and not Secretary of the Treasury.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Yea but you know what Joe, an international Super Bowl would take the NFL to new heights never seen before thus making more money for the NFL and its sponsors, many of them American Corporations who employ Americans. Though a local American city’s economy may not benefit in the short term through a very profitable event like a Super Bowl, long term, the growth of our National sport to the international stage would be immeasurable. A Super Bowl in London may be the greatest hyped Super Bowl in history. The world will “Feel the Power”. Can you imagine 20 million kids in China wearing Josh Freeman jerseys 8 years from now? Neither can I.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Joe here,
Dan – Have to disagree.
Here’s the thing. NFL Europe failed miserably and NFL International didn’t meet its goals. Not even close. Yet its executives were largely considered very competent if not stellar. Don Garber, who oversaw the NFL International operation for a long time has been commissioner of Major League Soccer for about 10 years leading the league to numerous new stadium deals, a better TV contract than the NHL and other milestones.
Because there is no football infrastructure or significant youth participation in Europe or Asia. There is really litttle chance of the sport taking hold and generating some sort of international windfall for the NFL.
It’s not NBA basketball, where you have big ratings and jersey sales in China or Yugoslavia, among others. Basketball has popular leagues in many countries as well. …Football has nothing.
The NFL would be better served doing more work on growing the game in Canada, and affiliations with the CFL, before dropping the Super Bowl in London just to see what happens. Better yet, they’re probably better off investing in getting kids playing in these countries. You eventually get a Chinese wide receiver in the NFL, and you’ll sell those 20 million jerseys and more.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Joe, NFL Europe and International failed because they were a inferior product… waayyyyy inferior product than our major league NFL here. I mean we were talking about them trotting out guys that could not even make the taxi squads here in some cases. I am familiar with Don Garber, he has done a great job with the MLS but say he were to export some MLS Final to London or Madrid… do you think they would even sell out 30% of the stadium? The international audience knows what is the major league product and what is the minor league product. That’s why ticket sales to the London game in is nearly sold out after they go on sale the first few minutes and that is why pre-season Real Madrid, Man U, Chelsea games sell out here. And while you are currently correct that there is really no grass roots infrastructure internationally for American Football, there really wasn’t about 30 years ago for basketball either. That would be a work in process years in the making. I say you have to start somewhere and the perfect place would be a London Super Bowl, which by the way, looks like they will be a getting a 2nd game yearly. I just think that this great game once shared with the world will totally blow up internationally eventually pooling in more international players to compete a truly making it the best of the best in the world. You do this by giving them a taste of the real thing, not training camp tackling dummies. The world is getting smaller every day through advances in technology. NFL going international would only be the logical step financially.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Joe here,
Dan – we could argue this all day long. Fun stuff. ..But c’mon we don’t know that NFL Europe failed because it was an inferior product. We do know, however, that the interest wasn’t there to sustain a league with no payroll bankrolled in the states. That says an awful lot…And one or two games in London sold out don’t mean there is support for the NFL, just that there is enough interest for a main event once a year.
On basketball, the Euro leagues have been around much longer than 30 years, Italy especially, and the Yugos for much more than that, as well. The Russians, too. Plus you have established international competition at the Olympics for decades. ..Absolute zero for the professional football. ….
Just don’t think you drop the Super Bowl out of the country before staging many preseason games, maybe a kickoff classic, or more regular season games in London to really guage the interest beyond the novelty factor. …We don’t have the benefit of knowing jersey sales and other financial facts in the overseas markets for the NFL. …Still say Canada and Mexico are more logical steps to dive into in the near future.. …. Super Bowl is worth way to much to mess with.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:07 am
You may be right .. maybe they should tread lightly but regardless of what we may think of how soon they should have that game overseas…. i believe its going down no matter what… 7-8 years. I think this is what Goodell wants his ultimate legacy to be.. to take this thing global.