Sure, a few NFL teams located in the United States of America struggle to retain a stout fan base year after year. However, the idea that these less than appealing teams should bolt to London is asinine.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made countless efforts to move the game into England, but the rate of success is rather low. Not to mention, teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars should take precedence over Goodell’s fantasy of cementing his legacy via bringing football to London. I have backed Goodell throughout his hasty fines and mission to make the game safer, but his eagerness in regards to playing football overseas is frighteningly selfish.
As an expansion team, the Jaguars rarely put an even halfway-decent team on the field and their strikingly-low attendance rate is troubling. Moreover, the problem will not be solved by picking up the Jags and moving them across the Atlantic Ocean. Moving the club to a place where the game has not even taken off will only make the Jaguars an even bigger mockery than they already are.
I understand that Goodell can not step right in and make the Jacksonville sports fans more active, but instead of taking the easy and more expensive route, Goodell should intervene and make reviving Jacksonville a bigger priority. At this point, having a professional squad in London is a pipe dream and is something that shouldn’t even be a factor when deciding what to do with the scuffling Jaguars franchise.
The jokes may sting and the thought of moving to London may be even more excruciating, but hang tight, Jacksonville because the NFL has shown time and time again that it’s a league full of unpredictability.
