The Super Bowl is held in a different stadium every season. As an NFL London franchise becomes a greater possibility, the chance of a Super Bowl being played in the United Kingdom increases.
Super Bowl venues are arranged well in advance, with the next four stadia already booked in, starting with Raymond James Stadium in 2021 and taking us up to 2024 with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana.
It is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, though the Super Bowl still falls far short in Champions League comparisons. Everything about the Super Bowl is distinctly American.
The half-time show is showbusiness on steroids, the celebrations (with the cringeworthy moment the owner gets handed the trophy) are a spectacle in their own right with a cloud of tickertape.
Reluctance To Let It Go
A Super Bowl in the United Kingdom would not be popular with a lot of Americans. It might not even be popular with British fans.
Although only a small percentage of Americans will have ever attended a Super Bowl, the prospect of moving such an American event, such a major day in the calendar, thousands of miles away will be laughed off by many.
Those who meet such a suggestion with derision will likely include team owners, front office members and players, too.
Winning over those involved in the sport is easier than American fans, however. Constructing a case that playing a Super Bowl in Europe benefits the sport as a whole is easy.
A bigger supporter base, developing interest around Europe, will only increase revenue for the league. That’s a glaring advantage to present to anyone working for the teams.
Maybe convincing the teams is all that matters. With the balance of power in the NFL, perhaps what the players and front office want is irrelevant if the owners are lured in by greater income.
Playing a Super Bowl abroad will be a slow process, like the potential introduction of a London franchise. The idea will be mooted, it’ll be disregarded, and it’ll have time to settle before being pushed again.
Many fans won’t be convinced, but it will be slipped into standard NFL conversation until it is confirmed. It is worth stating, though, that is a major hypothetical.
The aforementioned scenario requires an italicised, underlined, bold ‘if’. It is all if the NFL, and Roger Goodell especially, is interested in pushing for a ground-breaking change with its most lucrative product.
UK Franchise Increases Chances
A franchise in the UK would legitimise a British claim to host the Super Bowl. It is far from a guarantee, however.
A London-based team would be an experiment in the early years and could fall flat on its face. They would, in a sense, be a guest team in the NFL.
There will be opposition to a UK franchise if the prospect becomes more realistic and it will take years of a well-supported team on this side of the ocean for it to be widely accepted.
There will be a gap between the first games played as a London franchise and the idea of a Super Bowl in England being floated.
Having one team play have their games in the UK is a big step, but exporting America’s biggest sporting occasion is a vast leap.
Moving the Super Bowl across the Atlantic will never be universally popular – it will take years before it has even a smidgen of support from Americans.
It could, of course, turn out to be a losing battle.
On the other hand, the UK has a couple of stadia equipped to host a Super Bowl. Tottenham’s new stadium was built with the NFL in mind, and matches up well with upcoming Super Bowl hosts.
The state-of-the-art venue has an NFL capacity north of 60,000, which is in the ballpark of most Super Bowl stadia. Wembley had 85,000 on average at the 2018 games.
This is dealing in speculation. A London franchise is still years away from coming to fruition, and the Super Bowl is a long way down the path from there.
The best NFL UK London games have shown how well American football can work over here, however, and the arrival of a franchise (likely the Jacksonville Jaguars) could help that cause further.
It does, of course, rely on the franchise developing a significant supporter base quickly.
Not In the Near Future
A Super Bowl outside of the United States isn’t happening any time soon. The obstacles are severe, and the risk of alienating much of the American fan base is too great at this juncture.
With the sport blossoming in the UK, a franchise at some point in the 2020s is probable, and that changes the scenario if it’s a success.
Playing an FA Cup final at Gillette Stadium or the SoFi Stadium would provoke fury among English football fans. That is probably the closest comparison we have.
The FA Cup and Super Bowl are both historic events, staples of the sporting year. They are one-off matchups with underdog tales and tradition. We have seen plenty of NFL betting upsets.
The Super Bowl is more significant in the US than the FA Cup in the UK, though. The NFL is all about the Super Bowl. Football teams have other trophies and other concerns, and as a result, so do fans.
It would be a seismic move to put the Super Bowl at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Wembley. Whether Goodell or another commissioner, it is a decision of such stature that it would make or break their legacy.
A Super Bowl in the United Kingdom isn’t happening in the near future. With years for a UK franchise to settle in, and the long-term planning required, the late 2020s or early 2030s are the earliest reasonable possibility.
Even then, it’s a longshot, but never say never.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to David J. Phillip / AP Photo*
