London wants the Super Bowl

No, really. And the bloody wankers think they've got a commitment from the NFL.<blockquote>In a remarkable sign of the burgeoning British market for American football, Frank Sopovitz, the NFL's events vice-president, said "substantive talks" had been held with representatives in London.

Speaking at the annual NFL draft in New York, he said: "We have spoken on what it would take to host and for us to bring it over. The city has all the facilities needed, and in great quantity." </blockquote>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/americanfootball/5216893/London-hoping-to-lure-Super-Bowl-in-2013-as-NFL-admit-to-talks.html

Looks like the 'Graph doesn't put all of its story content online, so here's more from ESPN:<blockquote>London has launched an audacious bid to stage the Super Bowl within the next eight years, a move that would see the United States' biggest sporting event played overseas for the first time, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.

According to the newspaper, representatives from the Mayor of London's office and Visit London, the city's official visitor organization, have received assurances from the National Football League of a commitment to hold the event in London.

The NFL has already staged two sellout regular-season games at Wembley Stadium, with a third scheduled for this October.

"We are looking at 2014, 2015 or 2017," David Hornby, the commercial director for Visit London was quoted as saying.

Talks have been ongoing with the NFL, which has identified London as the outstanding candidate city to host the event outside of the United States, according to the report.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the league is not considering playing its championship game in London. He shot down a BBC Sport report that "'substantive talks" were under way between the NFL and London officials.

"We have never looked at London or Mexico City as a site," he said.

The NFL again issued a denial Sunday that a Super Bowl outside the United States was being considered, this time via Twitter. </blockquote>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4130864&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

 

This will absolutely happen, and it will happen within 10 years. The weather will be horrible, but the novelty will more than make up for it.

 

After some digging, I found the Telegraph's full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/americanfootball/5264026/NFL-Super-Bowl-show-heads-to-London.html<blockquote>Representatives from the Mayor of London's office and Visit London, the city's official visitor organisation, has received assurances from the NFL that, after two sell-out regular-season games at Wembley Stadium and a third scheduled for Oct 25, there is a commitment to bring the championship game to the capital in 2014.

The NFL's special events team, headed by Frank Sopowitz, has looked at Canada, Mexico, Germany and the UK as potential destinations outside the United States but identified London as the outstanding candidate. It is expected to announce officially within the next 12 months that a Super Bowl will be staged across the Atlantic, with London standing to gain up to £350 million from hosting the event.</blockquote>

 

Good. Take it.

 

So the NFL won't play the Super Bowl outdoors outside of SoCal, Arizona or Florida. But they're going to ship it to London!?!

 

No it won't.

When are you going to make kickoff? 11 p.m. London time?

Or 6 p.m. London, 10 a.m. Los Angeles?

 

9 p.m. London? 8:30?

When did that Champions League final in Moscow kick off? 11 p.m. or something ridiculous? It's not as though there's no precedent for that sort of thing.

Besides, no one in L.A. gives a damn about the NFL.

 

Give us the F.A. Cup Final first.

 

No way any of the NFL's television partners will allow it to happen. How are you going to have a 6-hour pregame when it's going to be scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on the east coast under a 9 p.m. kickoff in London.

It'll kill the advertising revenue, and the networks will kill the idea.

 

Let's see. On Super Bowl Sunday this year, temperatures were in the 20s in London and the city was shut down by snow.

You want to play in those conditions, might as well play it in Montana.

 

Sportschick has no idea why she wants to marry you.