The NFL looks at the world and sees money not yet in his pocket. So, at various times over the past 17 years, the league has sent its teams across the Atlantic in search of the insecure pound and euro the way Queen Isabella sent Columbus in search of pepper.
It’s working, slowly but surely, to the point where the NFL is now issuing media rights to its teams in other countries.
The Vikings, one of the 20 NFL teams to bid on international media rights last year, was awarded five years of rights in Canada and Britain last December. They’re playing their third game in London on Sunday – an 8:30 am kickoff here in the Midwest – at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It appears that there are Viking fans in England, some of whom have bought jerseys, some of whom will also pay to fill the 63,000 seats at the Hotspur Stadium. For them, no matter how little or how much, it is a great opportunity. For fans here in Minnesota, the whole rigmarole is a hassle.
The New Orleans Saints arrived in London on Monday, determined to adjust to the six-hour time difference and be at their best on Sunday morning. The Vikings, after an extensive investigation by the executive director of health and performance, chose to leave Thursday afternoon and the effect of some kind of practical joke on the team’s circadian rhythm – an effort to convince the players’ bodies to believe they should eat dinner at 11 a.m.
It seems that many pass for a game against a team of 1-2 Saints without their starting quarterback, and jet lag seems like a terrible reason to lose a game you should win. But the Vikings find themselves in London, pretending to be six hours early and aiming to improve to 3-0 abroad.
Vikings cheerleaders, less critical and expensive employees – and perhaps not expected to be at their best on Sunday – sent early to clear the beach and kick up the spirit. In Minnesota, fans have been sucked dry from the commercial trinkets available to get nothing but a change in their weekend schedule. It’s not what you’d call hardship but, you know, why?
The NFL isn’t going to put a team in London or Frankfurt, Germany, and probably not in Mexico City. What is needed is the windfall that the Premier League received from NBC / Comcast, which last year coughed up $2.7 billion to televise all 380 league matches until 2028.
That would leave NFL fans around … well, it wouldn’t. Not unless you find yourself in Europe in a few years and desperate to watch your team on broadcast television. Even if it raises the salary cap ceiling or floor, it’s all relative.
Why anyone in England will choose the Vikings as their team – one of 12 in the NFL to never win a Super Bowl (and has not won there since 1977) – is a mystery. But how do US fans vote for their favorite Premier League teams. Sports fandom is regional. The Premier League has some of the best footballers in the entire world, but why would anyone here choose to support Manchester United over, say, Arsenal?
There are Minnesotans who on Saturday morning filled Twitter sports with joy and sadness over wins and losses by West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham Spurs.
Spurs beat AC Milan at the US Bank Stadium in 2018, and Chelsea beat the same opponent there in 2016. So, maybe the outreach helps. Maybe it’s just a chosen idiosyncrasy, a way to be different. Maybe it’s just a comfortable niche among like-minded people who look good in a scarf. Maybe it’s just fun and everyone else should just shut up already.
As for the Vikings taking more overseas fans, who cares? All it will do is make the NFL, and especially its 32 owners, richer. Whether you’re watching or playing for it, having your team choose to play a regular season game in Europe isn’t an honor, it just stinks.
If it’s any consolation to Vikings fans, the Packers quarterback will get his first taste of the week starting Sunday when his team plays the Giants at Tottenham Stadium. For another week, Green Bay remains the only NFL team not to play an International Series game. They are lucky.
US Bank Stadium gates will open at 5 p.m.
What channel is Vikings London game on?
How to watch Vikings vs Saints in London. On the same subject : Game of the Week: Cheerleader Trivia | wusa9.com. Vikings-Saints will air on NFL Network.
What radio station is the Vikings game on?
The Minnesota Vikings’ flagship radio station is KFXN-FM. Read also : Campsites: day 6. The game is also heard on the “KFAN Radio Network” in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, as well as many other outlets.
