I am prepared to admit I never envisioned this before or immediately the first International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, and I didn't see it coming as recently as the not-so sold out game between Tampa Bay and Chicago. However this international venture ends up, 2013 is a landmark year in the growth of the NFL in the UK.
As usual, there was a lot to digest, so here's the three areas I thought were worth bringing up at the water cooler this week (people still do that, right?):
Fan Experience
Slowly evolving over time, the International Series fan experience has gone from being an exclusive, overcrowded and underwhelming 'tailgate party' outside Wembley, to an expansive, interactive and - most importantly - free fan event surrounding the stadium. Sure, it won't beat the tailgates in Green Bay, Buffalo and Kansas, but it is fun and creates a great buzz before the game.
It was apparent that more effort had gone into keeping the tailgate, and the fan rally in central London the day before, fresh. Moving the event to Regents Street, and expanding the tailgate area outside the stadium were smart moves that, I feel, led to a better atmosphere before the Minnesota and Pittsburgh game. Maybe it was just the warm weather?
The Jacksonville Jaguars
It is hard to criticise the Jacksonville Jaguars' commitment to the International Series. They unveiled the entire team at the fan rally in Trafalgar square the day before the game, held fan conferences with ex-Jaguars such as Tony Boselli and Mark Brunell, and brought new features to the game day experience such as a bell for servicemen and women currently posted to Afghanistan. Oh, and their mascot bungee jumped off the roof of Wembley stadium.
There is, however, reason to doubt fans' commitment to the Jaguars. Of course, UK fans - with such die hard allegiances to the other 31 NFL teams - were never going to immediately and fully support them, but I expected them to get a warmer, more enthusiastic reaction than they did. Save for a drastic, Kansas City-esque turnaround in on-field performance I don't think fans will ever respond in the way the league hopes.
Of course, it is important to consider the pre-Kaepernick, pre-bandwagon, San Francisco 49ers of 2010. 1-6 heading into their Wembley game, with Troy Smith (remember him?) starting at Quarterback. Based on the number of Kaepernick jerseys on show at the weekend, maybe we'll see greater support for the Jaguars - and a whole load of Teddy Bridgewater jerseys - next year.
There is, however, reason to doubt fans' commitment to the Jaguars. Of course, UK fans - with such die hard allegiances to the other 31 NFL teams - were never going to immediately and fully support them, but I expected them to get a warmer, more enthusiastic reaction than they did. Save for a drastic, Kansas City-esque turnaround in on-field performance I don't think fans will ever respond in the way the league hopes.
Of course, it is important to consider the pre-Kaepernick, pre-bandwagon, San Francisco 49ers of 2010. 1-6 heading into their Wembley game, with Troy Smith (remember him?) starting at Quarterback. Based on the number of Kaepernick jerseys on show at the weekend, maybe we'll see greater support for the Jaguars - and a whole load of Teddy Bridgewater jerseys - next year.
The Future
It's clear that Commissioner Roger Goodell is absolutely heading towards establishing a permanent franchise in the UK. It's tough to blame him - the international series has been a resounding success, but despite this I still don't think it is feasible.
NFL franchises are centred around cities but of course, the market in question is not London but the UK as a whole; anyone who has attended the game will attest to the wide range of regional, and even European, accents that can be heard. Sure, football fans travel the length and breadth of the country most weekends to watch their teams play, but football is the national sport. Would they be willing to fork out for travel, game tickets, and Wembley prices for eight weekends? I am not sure they would..
The Jaguars experiment is flawed in that the NFL continue to book marquee opponents for them. San Francisco have a large following in the UK after their success in the 1980's, and since the debut of Colin Kaepernick last season. Dallas, their opponents next season, have - and always will be - hugely popular. With no disrespect to their fanbases, the real challenge is to sell out a Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns game.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments section or on Twitter: @TomMacFootball
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