London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

The real incentive for the NFL to expand operations outside the US is increased revenue. The market in London provides opportunities through TV rights and merchandise profits. London is an international city that has always had faithful fans and the NFL feels like they can take advantage of these circumstances. London already has the stadiums to use for football, but filling out the seats will be a challenge. That being said, it will be difficult to have a London based team, due to their heavy roots in traditional soccer. The consequences of expanding to London could be a huge loss if the attempt was unsuccessful. The capital needed for expansion is enormous and the NFL definitely weights out the potential loss. Additionally, it’s unknown how well the people of London will accept the new sport in its culture. The attempt at spreading soccer in the US provides evidence of the difficulty of integrating a new sport in culture. The MLS has never seen much success in promoting professional soccer in the US.