[ritehook]

New Orleans - San Diego to Play in London on Sunday

This charade counts as a "home" game for New Orleans - that definitely affects the chances of a team viable for the playoffs. They really this year get only 7 true home games. That ain't fair.

And the Chargers must have someone Up There (like in the NFL office) who really hates them. Their away schedule gives them 4 games on the East Coast this year, and now this thing in England.

Maybe it's the football-ignorant owner, Dean Spanos (son of the real owner, Alex, who also knows little about the game).
Spanos enthusiastically went along with the trip, to try to globalize the game.

Evidently, he didn't look too close at the regular schedule. Or just didn't care. Some owners don't really care if their teams win or lose, as long as they show a nice profit. Knock the owners of the Skins and Cowboys all you wish, but they do want to win.)

NFL wants to get on the "globalization" bandwagon, doesn't matter if it skews the game and whores up the product.

Nor does it matter that the legal bookmakers in England will be booking this game. NFL won't even hold a convention in Vegas because - horror of horrors - that city has legal shops that take bets on NFL games ---- but they are going to city where I will bet there's a legal bookie right near Wembley stadium, or wherever the game will be played.

Is there any sports columnist in this land who will throw this into the hypocritical face of the NFL? (Forget the beat writers; NFL is the Big Mama with the milky treats at whose titties they all feed.)

[ritehook]

Of course, I do know that both Chargers and Saints arrived in London on Monday, to acclimate them to the time change (11 hours for San Diego). And tht they both have byes next week.

Still, in the last three weeks the Chargers will have traveled through 20 times zones to play a game. (28 with the return trip) They've lost both the games they've played thus far, on the East Coast. That has an effect, even with the early arrival.

And I know the SB winner, Giants, played a game in England last year, in a deluge with th field almost under water. An anomaly.

I'll likely take NO here. I mean, this is a home game for them === LOL.

[ritehook]

Any Brit posters here who will be going to the game?

If so, could you post a pic of your tix here (hide the seat number)?

I'd like to forward it to a few sports writers I know. Good story for them, tho with the declining dailies in the US few will want to rattle the cage of the NFL, with all those nice ads they place.

[Mudcat]

I would say it's more like an 8 hour time difference for San Diego, nevertheless this game seems like a horrible idea for league competition.

Also, more importantly, it is bad for betting for me. My betting is all based on normal patterns and home/away relationships. This game is all fubar.

There are too many unknowns so I will not even consider betting it.

They need to just keep everything normal so I can bet it normal.

[ritehook]

Originally Posted by Mudcat

I would say it's more like an 8 hour time difference for San Diego, nevertheless this game seems like a horrible idea for league competition.

Also, more importantly, it is bad for betting for me. My betting is all based on normal patterns and home/away relationships. This game is all fubar.

There are too many unknowns so I will not even consider betting it.

They need to just keep everything normal so I can bet it normal.

Right, it is an 8 hour time zone diff. I somehow added another 3 hours. Still, it's a lot, and 16 hours with the trip back.

NFL bribed the teams by paying all travel expenses, hotels, food. And asked the owners for volunteers to make the journey. SD owner volunteered, as did the NO owner.

You likely won't get Snyder or Jones doing the same, they care about winning.

[isetcap]

More importantly than all of this, it is simply bad business by the NFL. Drew Brees was unceremoniously dumped by the Chargers to make room for Phillip "I'm The Next Elway" Rivers. Now Brees is the unquestioned leader of the Saints, a franchise that may mean more to it's fans than any other team in the league, yet NFL brass decides this is the game that those savvy UK punters should see. If any game should be played in New Orleans, this is the game.

[daggerkobe]

owners care more about merchandise sales than winning anyways.