Fat American goons in motorcycle helmets ruin Wembley pitch

[Uncle Buck]

Personally, I think cricket is shit, and worldwide it is probably played in way less places than American football (albeit some very populus areas) but I don't try and undermine its position as a sport.

Going to question that statement, simply on the basis that cricket is played on the sub continent in a major way, and countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have huge popultations.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Going to question that statement, simply on the basis that cricket is played on the sub continent in a major way, and countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have huge popultations.

400,000,000 tuned in for the India v Pakistan Twenty20 final.

Cricket played less than American football worldwide? I very much doubt that.

Edit: From Wikipedia/ICC

"Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world. More than 120 cricket-playing nations are recognised by the International Cricket Council"

 

[Tooting Gull]

Some people might not like it but there is a massive American football community in Britain, and yesterday was a fantastic event for us. I couldn't go 10 minutes without bumping into former teammates, coaches and supporters from uni or senior league, ex-Monarchs fans or old opponents wearing our team shirts and it was great, and the majority of us were experiencing live NFL for the first time, something that was exciting beyond belief. The tailgate party next door set up an NFL themes bar which was brilliant for pre-match socialising. There WERE 1 million applications, I can personally vouch for upto 100 unsuccessful applicants. Of course there was an element of NFL marketeering, but that in no way negates from the enormity of the event.

Forget people like yourselves who aren't convinced by the NFL and are unlikely to be, but accept that there are a huge amount of people in this country that are. This is my sport, has been for years as a fan and player, and it was a fantastic moment to have this opportunity. Personally, I think cricket is shit, and worldwide it is probably played in way less places than American football (albeit some very populus areas) but I don't try and undermine its position as a sport. I wish people here could just accept that the NFL has its place.

You are wrong to use the attendance as any sort evidence as to the scale of the event. The attendance last night was just over 81,000 in a 90,000 capacity. There were 2 reasons for this:

1. Much like the Champions League, the NFL has rules about distance from the pitch fans must be (or I believe it may actually be height even). For this reason, rightly or wrongly, the first 10 or so rows around the entire stadium were netted over like in Champs League games. This accounted for a lot.

2. The ludicrous system whereby a huge amount of Wembley seats are owned by businesses or individuals for all events. A large amount of them, presumably owned by people with the same narrow mindset as yourself, went unused, and were pointlessly empty.

As regarding the journalism, unfortunately American football IS a reasonably big spectator sport over here, and thus such a large-scale match is going to be covered. For what its worth, I thought a lot of the newspaper coverage was actually quite sceptical and derrogotary about the sport, certainly the papers I read on the way to Hartlepool.

I'm sorry that you factlessly need to take down a perfectly enjoyable sport on a big night for its fans, but you are talking CRAP.

With respect, that's chippy nonsense. Obviously I'm talking crap, because I don't agree with you. There are many minority sports in this country that have far more followers and players than NFL.

The fact that you met so many people you knew merely demonstrates how small-time it is here.

And, oddly, your main beef seems to be taking issue with my view that the 'ten-times sold out' hype was a crock of shite. Are you seriously saying they could have done that? You've been suckered on that one.

Don't mistake 'no facts' for 'disliking your beloved sport'. I accept the NFL has it's place. It's just that it's below dressage in the pecking order.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Going to question that statement, simply on the basis that cricket is played on the sub continent in a major way, and countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have huge popultations.

Well hence the statement more "places" and not more people, and the fact that I said that cricket is played in very populus regions.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Well hence the statement more "places" and not more people, and the fact that I said that cricket is played in very populus regions.

Would say cricket is played in more places, a throw back to the British Empire and all that.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

And, oddly, your main beef seems to be taking issue with my view that the 'ten-times sold out' hype was a crock of shite. Are you seriously saying they could have done that? You've been suckered on that one.

Don't mistake 'no facts' for 'disliking your beloved sport'. I accept the NFL has it's place. It's just that it's below dressage in the pecking order.

Show me some facts to prove its not true? I never actually said it could have sold out 10 times over, I said that there were 1 million applicants. Of course in reality this doesn't equate to 1 million tickets wanted. But I will say that it was full to effective capacity last night and there were thousands of NFL fans unable to get tickets.

The fact that I met so many people I know I think demonstrates that, with such an akward procedure to get tickets, it was mainly active fans that got them, and so we're not accounting for the several hundred thousand that take a passing interest in the game on Sunday nights on sky etc.

A huge amount of applications and supporters on the night also came from Germany where they did regularly sell out 50k stadiums for second-rate NFL Europe. Whilst this isn't indicative of the popularity in the UK, I think we should be proud to have hosted a game that was significant for across Europe.

I genuinely believe that the NFL's aim was not to spread the game, but to consolidate its position amongst the fans it already has (which of course means make them spend more money). I'm not saying that everyone has to like the sport in any way, but this WAS a massive occasion and I can't see why people feel such a need to talk it down.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Would say cricket is played in more places, a throw back to the British Empire and all that.

Yeah well after reading BoF's stat about 120 official playing nations (although not sure what the criteria is for that) I might take my point back there, but I think in a lot of ways they're both marginalised sports on the world stage, its just that we happen to live in one of the epicentres for one of them.

I would say a good number of countries (certainly every European country) has a representative national team at American footy.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yeah well after reading BoF's stat about 120 official playing nations (although not sure what the criteria is for that) I might take my point back there, but I think in a lot of ways they're both marginalised sports on the world stage, its just that we happen to live in one of the epicentres for one of them.

I would say a good number of countries (certainly every European country) has a representative national team at American footy.

Is cricket a marginalised sport?

It has 2 World Cups and the test series lead to world rankings. Within gridiron there is non of that due to the fact only the USA really play it at a professional level.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Would say cricket is played in more places, a throw back to the British Empire and all that.

A throw back?? From what's regularly seen on NSC I thought we'd still got one!

 

[Scarface]

Is cricket a marginalised sport?

It has 2 World Cups and the test series lead to world rankings. Within gridiron there is non of that due to the fact only the USA really play it at a professional level.

American Football has a World Championships too, its called the NFL

 

[chez]

And, oddly, your main beef seems to be taking issue with my view that the 'ten-times sold out' hype was a crock of shite. Are you seriously saying they could have done that? You've been suckered on that one.

Don't mistake 'no facts' for 'disliking your beloved sport'. I accept the NFL has it's place. It's just that it's below dressage in the pecking order.

I think the FACT that there were nearly a million applications for tickets is a fair indication that it could of sold at least 10 times over.

The facts are above, but as far as opinion is concerned mine is that American Football is the 2nd best team game there is behind English Football. I'm well aware that others have different opinions - I dont agree or understand them but I do respect them.

 

[Tooting Gull]

People should do whatever lights their candle, if it's NFL, then great. I'm sure if you're a big fan, it was a great evening, but you must expect others to have a view on what was actually being achieved.

What is slightly odd is having a clearly American sport rammed down out throats over here, with little discernible long-term benefit apart from a few people making a lot of money out of it.

I'm not anti-American sport, and really like baseball. But for me watching top-level baseball wouldn't be at the Oval or Lords. It would be at Wrigley or Fenway. I might have to wait five years to do it, but that's where it belongs and that's where I'd want to see it, where the history and tradition is.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Let's see Manchester United v Liverpool or Chelsea v Arsenal played in America. After all, this Dolphins v Giants game was part of their regular season!

 

[Pavilionaire]

That match singlehandedly WRECKED the Wembley turf.

Other than giving the ex-pat Yanks and the UK gridiron fans a day out, what was the POINT of the match? Massive attendances in the early 1990s for Monarchs games and NFL exhibition matches thereafter prove that the game is popular enough to sustain a team. However, I'm sure there will be Giants and Dolphins season ticket holders that will not be too impressed with losing a match; they only have 8 in a regular season to start with.

As my grandmother used to say: "Either shit or get off the pot!" i.e. either expand the existing NFL to include a World division or keep things as they are.

Personally, I think a World division with, say, teams from London, Frankfurt, Toronto, Vancouver and Tokyo would add some interest. The NFL has a great product and I enjoy the sport, but some of the franchise movements are confusing, i.e. teams in Carolina, Jacksonville and St Louis but no team in Los Angeles or sited in New York??

 

[ATFC Seagull]

People should do whatever lights their candle, if it's NFL, then great. I'm sure if you're a big fan, it was a great evening, but you must expect others to have a view on what was actually being achieved.

What is slightly odd is having a clearly American sport rammed down out throats over here, with little discernible long-term benefit apart from a few people making a lot of money out of it.

I'm not anti-American sport, and really like baseball. But for me watching top-level baseball wouldn't be at the Oval or Lords. It would be at Wrigley or Fenway. I might have to wait five years to do it, but that's where it belongs and that's where I'd want to see it, where the history and tradition is.

More or less agree with everything there mate. I respect people's right to hate American football, but I think they need to also respect it as a sport that a lot of people do love. Unfortunately so many on this thread seem unable to do that, and we get the normal digs at it that really could go unsaid.

My issue is that last night was quite inoffensive really to everyone who dislikes the NFL, so there really is no need to complain about it. Some of us obviously disagree about the significance of last night, but no-one was forced to watch it, and those of us lucky enough to be able to had a great time. I'm sorry if people felt it was rammed down their throats, I'm completely biased but I only felt it got appropriate coverage for an event its size; it got 3 hours in Sky Sports 2 and a few double page spreads about 10 pages from the back in newspapers. But like I said, I really don't see the problem, you don't like the NFL then don't pay it attention.

I do agree about the venue issue, but thats the way its done (to an extent) in America. I'd much prefer to see my beloved Bills in the states than over here. Also agree with the post that says a world division would be way more appropriate, but when something is offered the fans are going to take it.

By the way, we COMPLETELY outsold Rugby League at Wembley, which also gets a lot of overstated press-coverage for a reasonably small sport...

 

[Grendel]

Some people might not like it but there is a massive American football community in Britain.

If there is such a massive community, why did the solitary professional team in this country have such piss-poor attendances and go out of existence?

 

[B.M.F]

Yep they have f***ed up the pitch BUT it was an enjoyable game and still the best team sport other than our own football.

Only gutting thing is that I only found out yesterday that I was entitled to VIP tickets in the Giants area. Too late by then weren't it!!

I would rather shoot myself than sit in the Giants area though bud. Still looks like my boys are going to make the superbowl along with those darn patriots

 

[Starry]

who do you support bmf?

 

[ATFC Seagull]

If there is such a massive community, why did the solitary professional team in this country have such piss-poor attendances and go out of existence?

Because of mismanagement:

Failing to find a permanent home, failing to do any decent community activities to actually reach out to the country, huge turnover of players, consistently (in the later years) being incredibly poor. Generally not doing a great job of representing the American football community here. Paying 30 quid to go to Crystal Palace (the Athletics stadium, not even Selhurst) to watch Americans who were unlikely to make it in the states and often not that much better than some we have playing in the British leagues here, play largely uncompetitive games for a team they had no commitment to and saw as an inconvenience, was not seen as a great deal.

In reality its regrettable, but the last few years German attendances started dropping as well, which is why they pulled the plug. The NFL would probably have been better developing semi-pro European leagues in the mould of hockey and basketball. Also, the university game, which is a MASSIVE source of recruitment into the game in this country (as I know for a fact one or 2 posters on here can vouch for) has only really developed since the Monarchs went, and sky have definitely done a great job developing the NFL, after the dark years following the demise of the c4 coverage.

 

[Pavilionaire]

In a nutshell the reason NFL Europe failed was because spectators were being served up a 2nd rate product and being asked to pay high prices for the privelege.

There is no doubt that there are cities outside the USA that could support a fully-fledged NFL team, but those teams will always be entirely stocked with US players because the homegrown non-US talent could never hope to compete with US talent because of the disparity in infrastructure.

And I don't think there is the will in US sport to "go global" - it's perceived as too risky. Imagine if London won 3 Superbowls in a row while the USA reached the soccer World Cup Final! The gravy train could very easily grind to a halt.