auf Wiedersehen, NFL Europa
Joining the Huddles mascots and Plan B free agency, the idea of a European football league has been consigned to the NFL scrapheap.
The NFL announced today the anticipated shutdown of NFL Europa, the spring developmental league, less than a week after quarterback Casey Bramlet (right) led the Hamburg Sea Devils over the Frankfurt Galaxy, 37-28, for the World Bowl title.
This was actually the second incarnation of a European football experiment under the aegis of the NFL. The first was in the early 1990s with a mix of 10 American and European teams, but that fizzled. The overseas experiment was revived in the mid-'90s with teams in Britain and on the continent, but eventually five of the six franchises were concentrated in Germany. At the end, the only non-German team was the Amsterdam Admirals, which famously was a stop for NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner.
The NFL now plans to market its real product by playing up to two regular-season games a year abroad. The first will be Oct. 28 in London between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.
Photo credit: Lars Baron/Bongarts-Getty Images
Comments
I know I'd be pretty (upset) if I had to miss a home game because my team was playing a game in another country that couldn't give a (hoot) about it ! Is this how the NFL repay's the loyal fans?
Posted by: jon dey | July 1, 2007 8:18 AM