I want both (London and L.A.), but it doesn’t matter which one is first.
Those were the words echoed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when speaking to a forum of European NFL fans on the topic of having a franchise in both London and Los Angeles.
According to Bill Williamson of ESPN, Goodell feel short of mentioning whether or not establishing a team once again in Los Angeles or across the pond in the United Kingdom was a top priority but Goodell all but seemed somewhat determined on making sure it happens.
It doesn’t matter.
I’d love to be back in Los Angeles. But it has to be done the right way, we have to do it successfully.
I want both (London and L.A.), but it doesn’t matter which one is first.
But when it comes to a Super Bowl in London, Goodell emphasized that it would be unlikely to happen without an established franchise already in the city. This according to Goodell is due to the apparent notion that players prefer to play the biggest game of the season within a metropolitan area that already is home to an NFL team.
However it looks as though there’s a growing distaste amongst some player on the idea of having to travel or actually play for a team based in Europe. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark even went as far to say he’d rather retire than play for the London franchise.
"I'd retire before going to London" – Steelers Ryan Clark if an NFL team was brought to London, England
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 25, 2013
With that said it also seems reasonable to think that Clark isn’t alone on his opinions. And because he’s probably not alone you’d think that Los Angeles has a distinctive advantage in obtaining another franchise before London.
Nonetheless if one of the four major sports leagues here in the United States can have a team based across the Atlantic you’d think it would be the NFL. It also may be pretty safe to assume at this point that fans in either city can probably start to get a little excited about the thought of having their own NFL franchise.
