The NFL Needs To Be Brave & Bold When Talking Expansion
It should not be a secret that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has an eye on a future where the league expands to as many as 40 teams. Does the current number of 32 teams work? Yes, but in a business world where bigger is better, adding teams is not expressed as “maybe”, but when and where.
In 2021, Goodell dropped a bombshell of wanting to examine adding not one or two teams in Europe, but a mind-numbing four. Currently, the working thesis is two in the U.K. and two in Germany. Already, the NFL has a series of games in Europe, so it is inevitable expansion happens overseas first.
If the commissioner is going to go big, he should go all-out and expand in his own backyard too, perhaps first. Additionally, he should borrow a page from history, and note the events of 1959 before he goes one step further.
Birth Of An NFL Rivalry.
In 1958, billionaire oilman Lamar Hunt was turned down by the NFL for an expansion team he wanted to place in Texas. In being rebuffed by the established league, he decided in 1959 to found the American Football League.
In Chicago on August 14, 1959, the franchises that initially joined Hunt’s Dallas Texans were: Bud Adams’ Houston Oilers, Harry Wismer’s New York Titans, Bob Howsam’s Denver Broncos, Barron Hilton’s Los Angeles Chargers, and Max Winter and Bill Boyer’s Minnesota franchise. By November they had been joined by Ralph Wilson’s Buffalo Bills and Billy Sullivan’s Boston Patriots.
Worth noting, the Minnesota franchise would be lured away, and subsequently replaced by four Bay Area businessmen who would bring the Oakland Raiders to the new league.
The first game in AFL history was played Sept. 9, 1960, a Friday night in Boston between the Patriots and the Denver Broncos. The inaugural event was held before 21,597 fans and no TV audience at Boston University’s Nickerson Field for $5.00.
The maverick league brought a new brand of professional football into the living rooms of millions of fans. From names on the back of jerseys, to a wide open passing attack, the AFL stocked its league with what was considered lesser talent from HBCU schools. The deep pockets of the owners also allowed them to sign the likes of the league’s first bona-fide star: Joe Namath from Alabama.
A recap of the 1965 AFL Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers.https://t.co/L3uBOftx2l pic.twitter.com/nozPNxFoE5 — Football Learning Academy (Ken Crippen) (@FootballLearn1) February 23, 2023
Namath would play in New York for the Jets. It was “Broadway Joe” who forced the breakout of the AFL and smoothed the way for a merger. It is in that very idea, that the current version of the NFL looks at two new professional football leagues for a merger, better use of technology, and new fanbases in new cities.
European Vacation.
Going from 32 teams to 36 teams and no team is in the United States. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium have proven hotspots for the league. Munich and Frankfurt make the best sense for Germany.
The future's bright for football in Europe! #NFLUK pic.twitter.com/S4nfXRMKgI — NFL UK (@NFLUK) October 8, 2022
The big question for the NFL is not whether they can sell the league in Europe, but how it plays to an American audience that travels well domestically. The league could see a disconnect from the European teams as the audience in North America is used to what they have seen from professional football going back to 1960.
From 36 To 40 NFL Franchises.
If 36 teams, including the four going to be in Europe, then why not go all in with 40 teams, and add another very logical four franchises in North America? Teams also make sense in Mexico City, St. Louis, San Diego, and Oklahoma City. These cities make sense, have a long history on the American sports scene, and recognize a need to grow West of the Mississippi.
NFL Expanded 🗺 Los Aztecas de Ciudad de México (5/12) In collaboration with @GonzoDidThis Named for the rich tradition of Mexico, the uniform and colors pay homage to modern day Mexico with their national colors and to the ancient Aztec civilization with the patterns pic.twitter.com/CME5iiRnW9 — Dubya Design (@DubyaGFX) August 11, 2022
If the XFL and the USFL can maintain steady growth, including stability in the cities they are in, expansion becomes more viable.
An NFL franchise in Memphis, TN. which currently hosts the USFL Showboats could be a major addition to the league. They have hosted a draft, and is a vibrant city in a football rich state.
As for teams in the new XFL, St. Louis is the best to be taken “as is” given the league has had two successful NFL franchises with the Cardinals (now in Arizona) and the Rams (back in Los Angeles).
San Antonio and Orlando are interesting destinations, but both Texas and Florida already have multiple teams. Texas has the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. Florida has the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The NFL’s New Look With Expansion.
If the NFL were to take a serious look at what expansion in Europe and North America could look like, it is an intriguing league that suddenly becomes a template for the NBA and MLB.
Franchises in Frankfurt and Munich, and two in the U.K., especially with London being the premier city, provides the NFL the European footprint Goodell envisions. Additionally, adding teams in Memphis, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Mexico City round out a league for the next generation of fans.
You're going to want to be there for our historic return to Memphis 🔥 Get your tickets now, Showboats fans ➡️ https://t.co/2Rd8Ox0xJM pic.twitter.com/kJET81jPnM — Memphis Showboats (@USFLShowboats) February 19, 2023
With expansion only lives in the legacy-building plan of Roger Goodell, there is a certain inevitability to it. Owners who are not “all in” on Europe having four teams, the profit to be made by fees to become part of the NFL will always make it a palatable trade off.
Potential For A Watered Down Experience.
The big question is playing talent. Currently, the best of the best are on NFL rosters. Consequently, fans AND owners know to compete at the highest level a franchise type quarterback is required.
The draft is the only vehicle where front line players are found. You would likely have to expand the draft, and roster numbers to compete. The number of games played would also increase, so every team would need to carry a third quarterback.
🚨 IT'S MOCK DRAFT SEASON 🚨 See who @MoveTheSticks has your team picking in the 2023 @NFLDraft! ⬇️ — NFL (@NFL) February 22, 2023
It would have to be studied whether either the remaining teams who were not absorbed by the league would be taken and managed by the NFL as a “minor league” where players would be allocated to certain teams.
Lastly, a longer season would be in the plan as well. The only way you could keep the current number of games is to do what the current PAC-12 does in football, and simply have a schedule where not everyone plays each other. Most simply put, games against the European teams would be more occasional league wise.
2:00 Minute Warning.
To expand or not to expand, that is the question. Most important to understand is that nothing is imminent. For now, teams in the U.K. and Germany as well as any North American expansion is talk only in the realm of possibility. That said, being the top dog in all sports globally has its responsibilities.
Lastly, a few important things to consider. The Dallas Cowboys have the highest value of any sports franchise in the world. Every season, the NFL is able to play regular season games on European soil and sell out those stadiums. Lastly, is the signature event on the NFL schedule.
Las Vegas here we come ✨ https://t.co/mIC8iKnkyE — Super Bowl (@SuperBowl) December 15, 2021
The Super Bowl is not just America’s game, it’s an event that had 113.1 million viewers in the US and an additional 40 million watched around the globe. It is a holiday, a day for friends, fans, and family. It is a game homegrown with players from the collegiate ranks that everyone sees during the Saturday college football season.
To say the NFL is “America’s Game” is short selling what it means every Sunday, Monday night and Thursday night. It is a slice of Americana second to none and left MLB, the NBA, and NHL.
If the NFL never makes that expansion leap, nothing is lost. The 32 teams that make up the league are still completely viable.
So, to expand or not to expand? It is a question that will not be answered soon if for no other reason that it is not a requirement for continued success. But, if there is money to be made, and the right pathway is established, the windfall the league and owners will receive could sway even the most stubborn of owners.
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