NFL in London: Pros and cons of putting team across the pond

Should there be an NFL team in London? There are pros and cons of the idea. So let’s explore the potential of a team across the Atlantic.

The NFL is about to embark on a game in London for the second consecutive week as a part of their International Series of the 2018 season. It will be the second game of three to be played in London’s Wembley Stadium this year. This past Sunday in Week 6, the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks played before a new high in attendance.

According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the league believes they have everything in place structurally to get a team there.

Here’s what Mark Waller, NFL’s Executive Vice President of International, told Breer.

"The NFL doesn’t have a team in London yet. But the league’s executive vice president of international, Mark Waller, believes the UK is ready for one now."

The NFL has been playing in London since 2007, and it has seen some success. They’ve sold old both Wembley Stadium and Twickerham Stadium. At Wembley, they’ve sold over 80,000 tickets in all but one game up to this point, and the smaller Twickerham has sold near or over 74,000 tickets in the three games there.

Like everything there are pros and cons for the NFL putting a team in London. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Would a team there make sense? Let’s explore both sides of the coin of a team across the pond (as they say), because it’s worth a deep dive at all sides of the issue.