International NFL Games: NO!

Wow, this is my 100th post on this blog. Didn't think I made that many posts...

Anyway, the NFL has just announced that 2 regular season games next year will be played outside the United States. I have heard that the countries in thinking are England, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. They are doing this for more revenue as well as a larger fan base across the world, in case they ever decide to expand to make American football a world wide sport.

Personally, I think that this is an awful idea. As Woody Paige said on Cold Pizza this morning, this is taking away 1 game, out of 8, for season ticket holders as well as casual fans to go to at their respected team's stadium. Do these people realize how passionate many NFL fans are? To me, going to an NFL game is probably my favorite activity, and hopefully I will get to go to one this year. Taking away one of these games is terrible for the fans, and though the team might get compensation for lost revenue through tickets, concessions and merchandise, the fans will get nothing in return, except watching their team play at awkward times due to time zone differences.

The NFL also needs to realize that the rest of the world doesn't really care about this league. This league is definitely the most popular in America, and it should stay that way. By moving internationally, I know that fans may lose interest in the game. Diehards will stay NFL fans, but those casual fans may not enjoy the game if they cannot attend. People in other countries love soccer, and will have to adjust to football, and many may not want to. They also need to think of certain things such as terrorism, in these countries that are not as secure as ours. I understand they have larger soccer stadiums in some of these places, but they are not Americans playing the sport, who these people seem to hate more than anything.

I really disagree with this decision, and I hope it is really thought out before its execution.

I may send the NFL an online petition if I can get enough signatures, and if I can find out where to do so. If you want to help me get that started, please let me know.