Projecting the 5 Biggest Drawbacks of Relocating an NFL Franchise to London

With the New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams playing in London this week, the conversation about relocating an NFL franchise to Europe is once again a hot topic around the league. 

While moving an NFL team to a different continent would make sense for the NFL financially, there are a few drawbacks to the plan that could hinder it entirely. There is an assumed untapped market overseas, and the NFL has likely reached the peak of its popularity in America.

The thought of the NFL turning into an international sport is an exciting one, but it's not a necessarily realistic one. Starting in Europe may not be the best course of action for the NFL in its international pursuits. 

Let's examine five drawbacks of relocating an NFL franchise to London. 

Travel Issues for All Teams

An NFL team in London is an issue not only for the team itself, but for the 31 other teams in the NFL as well.

As it stands now, teams that travel to play in London receive a bye week the week after. This means that technically whenever the London team would have to travel to the United States to play a road game, the team would need a bye the following week. 

The same goes for teams that have to travel to London to play. Competitively, there are not many scenarios that would be fair to all parties if one team was located in London. 

For example, a west coast team such as the Oakland Raiders would have to travel across eight time zones to play in London, and then travel immediately back to prepare for the next week of games. The same applies for the London team that would have to play on the West Coast. 

A team in London would have a negative impact on every team and bring up some issues about competitive balance. For a London team to work out, this is the biggest kink that needs to be addressed. 

Ability for London Team to Recruit Free Agents

A London franchise is going to be at a serious disadvantage when it comes to recruiting free agents. All 31 teams could potentially have a leg up on the London teams simply because they are located within the United States. 

Selling a free agent on relocating his family outside of the country so that he can play for the London team simply would not work. Significantly more money would likely be the only way to convince a free agent to travel across the ocean.

Working with the assumption that most NFL players have never lived abroad, asking a player to adapt to a new continent and team is a bit much. The same would apply to college players who would happen to be drafted by the London team. 

It's not clear what the work-around for this issue could be, but it's likely one holding back a London franchise.

Potential Divisional Re-Alignments

With the relocation of an NFL team to Europe, a divisional realignment will likely be necessary for the league to still make sense in terms of distribution. 

There is not one perfect way to change the divisions up, and depending on which team is relocated, the NFL could simply keep the divisions the same. Taking a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars and moving it to London while still keeping the team in the AFC South sounds strange, but it may be the only option. 

Changing the divisions up to accommodate a London team is something the NFL is likely preparing for, but what the solution would be remains to be seen. 

Fan Attendance

The NFL games in London have been tremendously successful, as fans from around Europe have flocked to London to witness the games. However, we quickly forget about the failed NFL Europe League. 

European fans love to see NFL action once a year, but actually having an official team and attending eight games over the course of the season is asking a lot for a continent dominated by the world's most popular sport—soccer. 

The NFL is having serious issues with attendance in the United States as it is; introducing a newer sport to another country or more is a risk. People in Europe likely already have favorite NFL teams, so relocating one won't change their views. 

Attendance looks great for a once-a-year event, but everything changes when you ask fans to pay eight times a year. 

Postseason Play

If a team is relocated to London, it will bring up the issues of competitive balance in the postseason. It's not fair for a team such as the Oakland Raiders to have to travel through eight time zones to win a game in London, then have to turn around and travel home and have less than a week to prepare for its next matchup while jet-lagged. 

Conversely, if the London team found itself in the opposite scenario it wouldn't be fair either. 

Resolving a postseason issue such as this has no simple answer. NFL teams facing an elimination game should all be exposed to the same hurdles to ensure competitive balance. That won't happen in the NFL playoffs with one team residing in London. 

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