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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sees a day when the Super Bowl is played in another country. Goodell specifically sees the opportunity for America's biggest game to be played in London.
“It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before,” Goodell told a fan forum in London last week, per ESPN.
The NFL is playing several games this season across the pond. On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans face off in a London game. Raven Odell Beckham Jr. made comments that seeing football expand internationally was a good thing.
“I think that is not out of the question. But at the end of the day, I think right now our formula will stay the same about playing [Super Bowls] in cities that have franchises,” Goodell said, per ESPN.
NFL's international efforts
The league has made strong efforts to expand American football internationally. Mexico, Brazil, Australia and even South Korea have been named as places that could host future games. Many teams have made the trip to play in England, including New England, Jacksonville and Buffalo. Games are also going to be played in Germany.
There would, however, be some drawbacks to this plan. One is the time difference. London time is five hours ahead of New York and the Eastern time zone and eight hours ahead of the Pacific time zone. It remains to be seen if fans would be willing to watch the game at a different time than usual, and how that would impact marketing and other necessities.
Baltimore and Tennessee kicked off at 9:30 am Eastern on Sunday. In November, there are two more NFL games to be played in Europe. It's clear Roger Goodell's NFL is focusing on expanding the brand worldwide, so it will be interesting to see if a Super Bowl ever does happen across the pond.
