The NFL recently wrapped up another year of playing football in Europe. According to The Independent, a British online newspaper, a record crowd of 85,870 fans watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-18.
The NFL confirmed that this was the most in-demand regular-season game at Wembley Stadium. Not long ago, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan attempted to buy Wembley Stadium before pulling out of the bid due to the backlash of him possibly moving the Jaguars to London.
The Jaguars have been linked to moving to London for the last ten years. With the success of American football in Europe, there’s only one question to ask. Should the NFL bring back the Europe league?
NFL Europe, formerly known as the World League of American Football was founded in 1989 by former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The NFL owners unanimously voted for a European spring league as a way to get their brand outside the borders of the United States and a possible new venue for making money. The league launched in 1991 with ten teams.
Six teams from the United States, one from Canada, and three from Europe made up the league. They were divided into three divisions. Four teams would make it to their playoffs before the final two would play for the ultimate title in the World Bowl.
The league started in 1991 but then suddenly stopped in 1992 when play was suspended for two years. One of the main reasons for the suspension was money, the hopes of expanding their brand and bringing in new revenue had initially failed.
Americans were not going to the games as the players on these teams were considered to be “roster cut leftovers” from the NFL. Those in Canada and Europe were initially not interested in the American game.
Ultimately, the league relaunched in 1995 and rebranded with teams based only in Europe. After the 1997 season, the league was renamed to become NFL Europe. The NFL Europe league would go on to last nine more seasons until NFL officials decided to cease operations. The NFL was reportedly still losing 30 million dollars a season, not the gold mine they had envisioned.
Beginning in 2008, the NFL decided to launch the International Series where each year they would play regular-season games at Wembley Stadium in England. This re-launch of American football on foreign soil has brought in fans and has seen American fans travel over to England to cheer on their teams and also gives England a chance to see the stars of the NFL play in their backyard. Could this be the time to reconsider bringing back the NFL European league?
In the past ten years since the NFL launched it’s International Series, its popularity has grown. Changes seen are the sell-outs of the stadium, and the viewership of the games has increased developing a fan base from all over the world. Now may be the time to capitalize on the popularity of the sport by bringing back NFL Europe. Beginning in 2019 the NFL will be expanding its International Series with two games at Wembley Stadium and two at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which is also in England.
Each year the NFL owners gather to discuss new possibilities for the game why not consider the possibility of resurrecting the defunct European League? The teams could still be owned and governed by the NFL, and they may encourage new ownership and expansion.
Additionally, there would be more opportunities for players. The European teams would be included in free agency and the draft. They could also hold a separate draft for any undrafted players. Having this league play in the fall during the NFL season would allow fans to watch more games.
The NFL Europe World Bowl game could be played the night before the Super Bowl. The NFL Europe league was an exciting league to watch during its existence and it would be interesting to watch under this new premise. It is time to consider bringing back NFL Europe.
Would you like the see NFL Europe to return? Comment below
