London Rams?

[Jd_UK]

Adam Rank just posted a lighthearted article on NFL.com about '6 things that should be settled by a coin toss', number four was;

"Who gets the Rams: London or Los Angeles?
Owner Stan Kroenke already has his franchise playing one game in London, where he owns the EPL's Arsenal, while bidding to own the Los Angeles Dodgers. In other words, the Rams are not long for St. Louis. Let's have a coin toss to determine which city gets the team."


While I clearly understand the article isnt meant to be taken seriously, it does make me want to ask a few questions;

1. Would a franchise moving to London contravene NFL rules & regulations?
2. What average attendance to the Rams get at home games?
3. Would players be entitled to reject moving to another country with their franchise?

[sephjnr]

1. Don't know.
2. 65k+ to start with, then decreasing steadily as the season goes. The average NFL season ticket is around 1-1.5x as expensive as a top-flight EPL team's, with half the home games and no scope at all for affordable away travel, a huge part of English sport's makeup. TV would be a necessity for road games, and Sky may not be accommodating with adding a guaranteed Rams game in addition to the rest of their package.
3. Absolutely, and that's their right considering they could be cut just as easily and have to spend even more money relocating back to the U.S..

[Fat Pang]

Whilst I'd like the NFL to be in London, I think its best if its an expansion franchise.

Some people might struggle to identify with a recycled franchise.

London got kicked in the nuts once with the Monarchs when the NFL's short-sighted parochialism retarded its international development by 20 years. The UK twice with the Claymores but I remember attending the NY Knights game at the old Wembley, and that stadium was full and that's the potential. London can support an NFL franchise but it'll need a lot of groundwork to do with tax-liabilities, revenue-sharing, salary cap as it pertains to EU competition and employment regulation, PED's and how you deal with them and that's just off the top of my head as I sit here.

That's without whatever NFL regulations you have to consider.

So:

1. Probably but if is going to happen they'll change what needs to be changed so its a non-question for me.
2. I'd expect 60K+ given the support they'd get from around the country.
3. Yes, just as Elway refused to go Indianapolis and Manning to San Diego.

[Jd_UK]

Thanks for the responses guys.

[FilthyMcNasty]

I don't want a UK franchise, a game here once a year is just fine thanks.