5 Reasons Why American Football Hasn't Caught On Abroad

[Adam White]

I play fantasy Premier League. But I'd rather "my" team have a good week over my fantasy team.

And, I don't doubt that there are many like you, Adam.  My point is, I don't see sports betting as being "good for the game" in any way.  People aren't being attracted to the game; they're being attracted to the thrill of possibly winning money.

I'm not a huge fan of gambling and its effect on sport in general - but I'm not fussed about people not being attracted to the game. Most people I know who play fantasy football (whether it's soccer or American football) seem to be fans.

[TimmyB]

I play fantasy Premier League. But I'd rather "my" team have a good week over my fantasy team.

And, I don't doubt that there are many like you, Adam.  My point is, I don't see sports betting as being "good for the game" in any way.  People aren't being attracted to the game; they're being attracted to the thrill of possibly winning money.

I'm not a huge fan of gambling and its effect on sport in general - but I'm not fussed about people not being attracted to the game. Most people I know who play fantasy football (whether it's soccer or American football) seem to be fans.

I guess one of the main reasons that this is one of my hot buttons is, I am hugely into the sport of volleyball.  Or, shall I say, I was.  I have been involved as a player, a coach, an official, a public-address announcer, a television analyst, ...  Over the past two decades, I've watched as the powers that control this sport have sold out the soul of the game, not because it made the game better, but because they thought it would make the game more "package-able" to television, and the money that comes with it.  The game looks very little like the game that it was when I was playing it, and the rally-scoring method for every point has taken all of the drama out of the game.  Once a team has a large lead, that's pretty much it.  Mathematically, it's almost impossible for them to lose.

I love the "game", be it volleyball, football, soccer, basketball, etc.  I simply hate what the lure of money does to that game.

[RattlerGator]

About volleyball: I've casually turned on a match in the last few years and wondered to myself -- what the hell is going on with the scoring? So, I hear you on that issue but television must be accounted for.

On football: it isn't about which is better or whether fantasy is good for the game TimmyB, it's just (from my vantage point) taking note of how things can rapidly change and render the conventional wisdom (on both sides of the Atlantic) obsolete. We may be in one of those periods when it comes to sports.

[Adam White]

On football: it isn't about which is better or whether fantasy is good for the game TimmyB, it's just (from my vantage point) taking note of how things can rapidly change and render the conventional wisdom (on both sides of the Atlantic) obsolete. We may be in one of those periods when it comes to sports.

I agree. I bet soccer becomes more popular in the USA (it clearly is gaining a lot of ground) and American football grows overseas.

[TimmyB]

I agree with both of you.  The world is changing at a faster and faster pace, and both sports are likely to grow into new markets that were once thought impossible.

[Tacachale]

I think the main reason American football hasn't caught on outside of America is that it was in origin just another regional "football" game. Same deal with Canadian football, rugby football, rugby league football, Gaelic football, and Australian rules football. English "association football" or soccer was just fortunate to catch on around Europe, and through colonialism it spread through Europe's sphere of influence. Even in the US, only relatively recently has football become the most popular sport (baseball was king).

Spreading American football in pretty much any region means competing with more established sports, including the various other rugby-like games that are fairly similar. If it ever happens, it'll be through concerted effort by the NFL, it won't just happen organically. The most obvious first region would be Canada, but the NFL is unlikely to do that as it would certainly mean the death of the CFL and probably Canadian football in general. Efforts in Mexico and Japan didn't get anywhere, so I guess Europe is the next logical place. clearly the NFL knows it will be very costly and time consuming. It looks like they're willing to make a serious go at it.

[TimmyB]

About volleyball: I've casually turned on a match in the last few years and wondered to myself -- what the hell is going on with the scoring? So, I hear you on that issue but television must be accounted for.

That's the thing, though, Gator: they've made that change to "accommodate" television, but it really doesn't.  You put Penn State up against Iowa, it's still going to be over in 60 minutes, and that's with a 12-minute intermission.  Penn State vs Nebraska might be a 5-setter that lasts two+ hours.  In the first, you've got another hour to kill, in the second, you're over your allotment.  In the side-out scoring method, there was excitement.  With rally scoring, once a team has a decent lead, it is yawn-time.  Very (very!) rare for a team to be able to come back from that.  Add to that the bizarre scheduling of matches, due to broadcasting issues.

Again, all for the riches of television, it hasn't helped my sport in any tangible way, while it definitely hurt it, IMO.