Today I’m going to see the Miami Dolphins play the Oakland Raiders at Wembley. It’s the first of three NFL matches in the UK this year. All sold out months ago. That’s 250,000 tickets sold, six months in advance, to watch two average teams with a small English fanbase play in stadium that’s pretty poorly located and quite hard to get to. In my opinion, that’s quite an achievement.
This is the eighth year that one or more regular season NFL games have taken place at Wembley, so the novelty factor is no longer relevant. American football is growing in popularity in our country, is being marketed cleverly, and there’s even talk of London boasting its very own NFL franchise (the London Bulldogs would be my suggestion) in the not so distant future.
All this has got me thinking. Would the England cricket team sell out Wembley, three times over, at the current time? I have to admit I have my doubts. While the NFL is growing at a rapid pace on these shores, cricket is in decline. Cook’s boys couldn’t sell out Headingley or the Ageas Bowl earlier this summer, so selling out a stadium five times bigger seems hard to imagine.
My agenda here is not to put down cricket. I love the NFL – like cricket it’s a stop-start affair and only true aficionados really appreciate its intricacies – but cricket is, and always has been, my one true sporting love. Basically I’m worried.
I realise the parallels here aren’t exact. Cricket is played over five days, not three hours, and England play lots of matches rather than just three; fatigue is therefore something of an issue. English cricket is also at something of a low ebb at the moment: the fan base is divided and the team is in transition. However, I still think conclusions (albeit not firm ones) can be drawn.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this one. What is the NFL doing right that cricket is doing wrong? Or perhaps you think cricket isn’t doing anything wrong, the crowds will return, and I’m making a crisis out of a drama.
I’ll leave you with just two further thoughts. I have attended every NFL match at Wembley since they started in 2007. Every time I go it feels like a real occasion. There is a festival atmosphere and real camaraderie and community amongst fans. I no longer get this feeling when I go to the cricket.
I’d also like to point out that my ticket for the first day against India at Lord’s cost me £100. My season ticket for all three NFL games at Wembley this year cost £108 (just £36 per game).
Interesting, isn’t it.
James Morgan
The answer is simple. Sky. In 2005 when the Tests were on ordinary TV and availa le to all, the whole country was buzzing. I have only takenSky in the last year and that is purely so I can watch cricket,and dmy other love,tennis. If the BBC or any of the other cha nels. Made an effort to show more cricket then the fan base will increase. But we know it is not going to happen
Seems to me that the NFL has something England Cricket totally lacks. Administrators that are insightful, purposeful, and dedicated to the full enjoyment of the game by it’s fans!……How hard can it be eh?
Before we all point out how amazing the NFL administrators are, I’d like to point out that Roger Goodell, the current NFL Commissioner is essentially an America Paul Downton – his failure to deal with the recent domestic violence scandals has been nothing short of appalling.
Having said all that, I think NFL is selling out at Wembley because, for those of us who grew up in the 80’s 90s when Channel 4 first started screening it evokes a sense of nostalgia and we now have the money to afford to indulge that nostalgia and don’t have to fly to the states to do so. I’m off to the Falcons Lions game next month, I can’t wait to see Megatron and Julio Jones…
Speaking for myself, I love watching the NFL precisely because it offers me a spectacle in which I’m not horribly emotionally invested in, watching the England cricket team or my football team, West Ham is actually pretty painful at times and I find it difficult ot enjoy at times because I get so tense.
What can cricket learn from the NFL? Well they could learn from the coverage. Whilst the NFL benefits in the main massiviely compliant media with the likes of Peter King, Adam Schefter etc as bad as any of our embedded media with the ECB. But, there are also sites like Grantland (owned by ESPN) and the Deadspin (owned by Gawker) which offer genuine criticism. And as distasteful as the rampant product placement can be (the Verizon half time report anyone?) they involve the viewer through fantasy football.
Cricket has never really bothered to court mass popularity, the one time it was on the cusp of it in my adulthood, it was then promptly sold off to Sky and is barely visible. You speak to those who don’t follow cricket, one of the impressions they all convey is a) its boring and b) its a game run by stuffy old farts.
I doubt the England team could sell out 90,000 for 3 days against anyone other than Australia in a close series or a World Cup final, because unlike the ECB, we all want to see England win a trophy, in anything.
Ramble over
Judging by the number of American drama series, comedy shows, movies (films), sports programmes, propaganda programmes and wars the brits join in we are all becoming Americans by default and without permission so i don’t think cricket has that long a timespan left anyway
A few comments on a decent old piece from James.
NFL has a brilliant mix in its competition, There are traditional powerhouses, who build up and get good teams year-in, year-out, but they also have have a key need for competition and to give everyone a relatively equal chance. Hence you start the season knowing there will be regular winners, but they don’t always win it all. In fact, the Patriots, Cowboys etc. haven’t won the title in 10 years or so. Imagine Chelsea, Man City etc. giving up a dominant financial position to give others a chance.
That said, I haven’t been to the NFL game the last three years. I am a Dolphins fan, and have been for 30 years, and I’m not in the slightest bit bothered I’m missing today. I was in Korea the day tickets went on sale, so I missed out. Secondly, as James alludes to, Wembley is an arse-ache to get to and even worse to get away from. Thirdly, I think the NFL, like golf, is a better sport to watch on the TV. Fourth, it’s Ryder Cup singles Sunday and fifthly, the novelty is wearing off. That said, we have a lot to learn from the NFL.
Ticket prices in the US are eye-wateringly expensive for an NFL game (in my limited experience), so if London gets a franchise, watch for the prices to be £100 a game rather than for three. Secondly if we take over a team in terminal decline, and we don’t provide a tax regime like those the US players get, then we’ll get cast offs and people dying to get out of their contracts. If that team is dull, the crowds won’t pay £100. I genuinely think a London franchise will flop, but then I’m a doom-merchant. Have we moved on from the London Monarchs?
I’m not sure there’s much of a read across to cricket. Mark likens Goodell to Downton, and there’s a point there, except Goodell won’t be allowed to get away with shooing the press away, even with embedded journos like King and Berman knocking about. I love the work of Awful Announcing (another site to look at in addition to Grantland and Deadspin) and feel a site like that would work well in the UK. They get under the skin of the journalists, get the access, get the decision-makers to speak, and then bury them when they fail.
All the problems with how cricket is marketed, its place in the UK sports world, and the short-sightedness have been done all summer. It lacks freshness, it lacks a vision, it lacks excitement. The NFL smashes all other sports in the States, but baseball still exists, so does the NBA. They get their markets and expose their sport to it in the best way they can. They embrace technology, they are opening up to access (the MLB’s ludicrous youtube policy is being relaxed) and they try to grow the game, not protect their commercial partners through total restriction.
The ECB have many faults. They can learn some stuff. Clearly, though, they know best.
The right occasion in cricket could fill Wembley. How many applications do Lords or the Oval get for tests with Australia? Probably enough to fill it however this would be a rare event.
I have really started to enjoy NFL over the last five years and have considered going but I haven’t wanted to pay the prices as I also find that some Wembley seats are so far from the action.
Have you read Pommies by William Buckland? If not I highly recommend it. The section comparing the MCG to Lords is worth it alone in relation to this post.
I have to agree with emasl – following years in the Sky ghetto, the mass audience for cricket has shrunk. It’s hard to see how England could fill an MCG size stadium at this time. And yet, it would be worth a try, as a way to get more people into the game…
I’m not sure how many fans would flock to Wembley to watch cricket, but Geoff Boycott probably wouldn’t stop talking about the drop-in pitch.
Actually, that isn’t true. If the tickets were £100, it would be half full. If they were less than £50, you’d sell out the first four days.
I’m assuming the match would be Australia-South Africa though.
If England ever play at Wembley the media will be able to make endless comparisons between Capatin Cook and Bobby Moore. It will be even worse than it is now.
NFL…shudder. A ghastly slow paced stop, start game with the momentum of a car in London’s rush hour, a slave to advertisers and television time outs.
I’d rather watch T20…and I’d rather push hot needles into my eyes than to do that.
Couldn’t agree more Ian. Idiotic game. And by the way spare me all the stuff about how well it is run. The number of current scandals regarding the behaviour of players is shocking.
Also the number of long term life time injuries is appalling. And getting worse as the hits get ever harder. Many American parents are increasingly encouraging their kids to play another sport.
American football is a game created for advertising and Svengali like coaches who pretend they can micro manage every play. Peter Moores would be an ideal American football coach. The bullsh*t is strong.
I know, I know, I’ll get my coat……………
No, no leave your coat on the peg. Your assessment is spot on.
Obviously I disagree entirely :-)
People who slag off nfl are usually people who don’t inderstand it. Very similar to the way yanks slag off cricket in fact!
The nfl has issues with player behaviour at the moment, and the commissioner is under fire, but its enduring popularity and marketing success cannot be faulted. The league is competitive and operates a level playing field. One thing football could learn a lot from IMHO. The rules are also changing to prevent the kind of injuries you’re referring to. There are similar / worse horrific injuries (paralysis etc) in rugby.
In terms of the sport itself, the more I learn the more intriguing it becomes. It’s by far the most strategic / tactical sport I know, and being a cricket fan I have no issues with its stop-start nature. The timeouts for commercial breaks are very frustrating though.
I think I understand it James. Which is why I hate it. If I didn’t understand it I would not bother commenting about it.
It appeals to 2 very different types of fan. First type is your typical red neck sports fan who would have paid big money in Victorian times to attend freak shows. For these people the idea of trying to make the game “safer” is counterproductive. The threat of physical injury to the players appeals to to them. The harder the hits, the better they like it.
The second type of fan is your typical stato, or train spotter. The game encourages, as I said above the notion of micro management of various plays. The myth of the all powerful coach who can ‘ control’ every aspect of the game. And the stato fan who believes all the twaddle. It’s cobblers.
Finally I can’t think of a worse sport to play and enjoy. Because each position is so specialised you do nothing else. Imagine being a kicker. You kick 4 or 5 field goals in a match. That’s is it. You don’t even get to run about. They cover less ground than a snooker player. No wonder the quarter back and the receiver are viewed as the stars. They are the only positions that get the freedom do more than one thing at a time. Run around and throw, or run around and catch. WOW!
Ludicrous sport. But very good at selling advertisements. Which is its prime function.
Oh Mark. We’ll have to agree to disagree. It’s the ultimate team sport, which is why top US universities employ retired coaches to teach leadership / management etc. Which bracket of fan (above) do I fall into in your model? By the way, I hate statistics and can’t tolerate cricket scoring, so I suppose I’m a red neck ;-)
Well I would have had you down as the stats guy. So I guess you would have been attending Victorian freak shows ;-)
Oi!
I’ve followed the game since the 80s, but recently gave up on it when it became clear that a significant number of its participants probably suffer long term brain damage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy
The recent rule changes do little to address this, IMO.
As the science becomes better understood, I expect the known problems to increase rather than otherwise.
I lived in the states for ten years and of course a large number of my friends were aficionados and delighted in introducing me to the intricacies of the game. I also tailgated at several Penn State games and a friend of mine is the manager (logistics) of the Denver Broncos and I have often had BBQ meals with many of the then team including John Elway.
But I could never develop a real interest in the game particularly a game that is supposed to be 90mins that can last for up to four hours due to TV advertising and time outs.
I also found baseball intensely tedious.
Sorry that was me, posting from a tablet.
That sounds great Ian. John Elway is like the Clive Lloyd of NFL in a way. The appeal of the game for me is its aesthetics (as well as tactics). I’m not too fussed about the macho stuff. There’s something extremely graceful about a perfectly spiralling deep pass being plucked out of the air at its highest point by a leaping receiver, who performs acrobatics to stay inbounds as the ball melts into his hands. The athleticism is astonishing sometimes, and I can’t think of a comparison in any other team sport. There is both grunt and beauty. I think it was the great Lisa Simpson who described NFL as a ‘cruel balet’
I’m not sure I’m in either of Mark’s two camps, so I’ll leave that to one side. (All right, I do like stats, but what attracted me to the sport was Dan Marino’s cannon arm, and the rest of the rubbish he had around him in terms of a running game and defence).
What I will say about the International Series at Wembley, is that there are a fair number of turkeys in terms of games, and they can’t keep hoping people will turn up for blow-outs. There really needs, next year, to be a marquee match up of two teams who have historical big followings, and are prepared to come here, and have top prospects of success. I’m thinking Denver v New England, Chicago v Green Bay. Any NFC East rivalry. But you won’t have divisional games because one team will be giving up home advantage and the divisional record is the first tie-breaker. It’s why inter-league games have been played most of all, as that’s the last tie-breaker.
As for the head injuries and all sorts of other stuff, that’s sadly a case of the fans turning a blind eye, and this macho bullshit of toughness etc. I will say this, there is a bit of a furore over a college coach who clearly allowed a concussed QB to play on for Michigan on Sunday. Those control freaks are the ones who do the damage. But, where there is a call for people to be tough, that’s going to happen. Hard to change a culture overnight.
Blowouts are an issue. One of the perils of having the Jaguars for 3 years running! However, I think the upcoming Falcons v Lions game is a mouthwatering prospect and should be a very good contest. It’s a very appealing match up. 3 of the top 5 receivers in the game going head to head, plus two good QBs with good arms.
Returning to the cricket parallels, I just can’t see a cricket match between two average neutral teams filling Wembley three games running.
Very interesting question.
I believe the answer would be No on a regular basis, but maybe yes for a one-off.
I have been left scratching by head as to how the NFL have managed to sell all these tickets and on what has now become a regular and increasing occurence. Cost is one crucial element. £108 for 3 games seems like decent value, but is it. It’s roughly 9 hours so that’s £108 for a day and a half of test cricket. Edgbaston is selling Ashes tickets at £80 – so that would be £120 for a day and a half (i.e) not much more.
It is something that is truly baffling.
As for cricket and it’s popularity decline. All of us who love the game know the reasons why.
But nothing ever seems to get done.
Really the sport you should be comparing cricket to is baseball. Both are summer sports with a relaxed, easy pace and a lot of tradition and history. Both are also often derided as “boring” by their detractors.
But the marketing of the mlb is lightyears ahead of the ecb. They go out of their way to make video affordable and available to fans – their yearly mlb.tv package costs less than a month of sky sports, and for that you get access to live or archived footage of every single game played. They know that the lifeblood of any sport is to make the sport as available and ubiquitous as possible, then even casual fans can’t help but get interested in it. Get it streamed free to every tv in every house and bar in the nation and people will watch it, talk about it, get excited by it. Hiding it away on pay tv deprives it of the oxygen of public awareness. No amount of sky blood money could ever make up for killing the sport off in the public consciousness. With the advent of T20 and the 2005 ashes, cricket was just turning the corner into becoming a major spectator sport when the rug was pulled away by the greed and avarice of Clarke and Murdoch.
The extended playoffs are also a brilliant invention. If your city is involved for that month, its simply impossible not to notice. Imagine that happening in county cricket – everyone in Birmingham stopping for the entire month of September to support the bears.