Why American Football Lost

Summary

The NFL, being the wealthiest sports league, sought to expand into new markets like Europe. Despite initial struggles with the World League of American Football, which failed due to poor TV ratings and high costs, the NFL learned valuable marketing lessons. They pivoted to hosting regular season games abroad, starting with London and eventually Munich, where a strong American military presence post-WWII had already cultivated an interest in American football. The NFL also focuses on promoting flag football and the International Player Pathway Program to grow the game globally, setting the stage for a potential rivalry with association football for fan loyalty and revenue.

Takeaways

• 🏈 The NFL is the wealthiest sports league globally, surpassing the NBA, NHL, and the Premier League in revenue.
• 🌐 NFL is actively seeking to expand into new markets, leveraging its substantial marketing resources to sell out stadiums abroad.
• 🎉 In November 2022, the NFL game in Munich attracted 70,000 fans, highlighting the successful fusion of fan cultures.
• 🎤 The viral moment of the German crowd singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' at the NFL Munich game was praised by Tom Brady as one of his greatest football moments.
• 🚀 The NFL's initial attempt to enter Europe faced challenges, including a seven-month break between seasons and the need for a new talent development strategy.
• 🤝 The World League of American Football was launched in 1991 with high initial attendance but failed due to poor TV ratings and financial losses.
• 🐘 In an attempt to gain traction, the NFL tried unconventional marketing strategies, such as using an elephant to present the league's trophy.
• 🏟️ The NFL eventually shifted its strategy from promoting a minor league to hosting regular season matches abroad, starting with London and expanding to other cities.
• 🇩🇪 The success of American football in Germany can be traced back to post-WWII cultural exchanges and the establishment of American military bases.
• 📈 The NFL's Munich game in 2022 was a significant event, with over three million ticket requests, indicating a strong fan base.
• 🏆 The NFL is focusing on sustainable growth and fan engagement, promoting flag football and the International Player Pathway Program to increase global talent and popularity.

Q & A

Why is the NFL considered the richest sports league in the world?

The NFL is considered the richest sports league in the world because it generates more revenue than the NBA, NHL, and the Premier League combined.

What was the NFL's strategy for entering new markets?

The NFL's strategy for entering new markets involved expanding to Europe, aiming to attract new fans and generate additional revenue.

How did the NFL's Munich game in November 2022 showcase the success of its international outreach?

The NFL's Munich game in November 2022 showcased the success of its international outreach by drawing 70,000 fans and going viral with a video of the German crowd singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', indicating a successful fusion of fan cultures.

Why did the NFL consider hosting more games in the spring?

The NFL considered hosting more games in the spring to fill the seven-month break between the Super Bowl and the next season, which is the longest gap without matches in US sports.

What challenges did the NFL face when trying to establish a presence in Europe in the late 80s?

The NFL faced challenges such as finding a suitable name for the league, competition from already established sports, and the need to develop a fan base in a region where American football was not traditionally popular.

Why did the 'World League of American Football' fail to sustain its initial success?

The 'World League of American Football' failed to sustain its initial success due to poor TV ratings, significant financial losses, and a lack of quality that did not match the NFL's standards.

What was the NFL's approach to rebranding after the failure of the 'World League of American Football'?

After the failure of the 'World League of American Football', the NFL rebranded and refocused on Europe, trying different strategies such as involving cheerleaders and unique promotional events to gain traction.

How did the NFL's strategy evolve after the closure of NFL Europa?

After the closure of NFL Europa, the NFL shifted its strategy to selling the real NFL experience by hosting regular season matches abroad, starting with London and expanding to other cities like Toronto, Mexico City, and Munich.

What historical factors contributed to the popularity of American football in Germany?

The presence of American military bases in Germany post-World War II, which introduced American culture and sports, including football, contributed to the popularity of American football in the country.

What is the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) and how does it aim to help the NFL?

The International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) is an NFL initiative to increase the pool of talented international players and enhance the global popularity of American football by providing opportunities for international athletes to join NFL practice squads and potentially earn a spot on active rosters.

How does the NFL plan to address the challenge of a lack of international stars?

The NFL plans to address the challenge of a lack of international stars by promoting the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), which aims to develop and integrate more international talent into the league, and by growing the sport through initiatives like flag football.

Outlines

00:00

🏈 NFL's European Expansion and Challenges

The NFL, being the wealthiest sports league globally, sought to expand into new markets like Europe to increase its fan base and revenue. Despite initial success with a game in Munich attracting 70,000 fans and a viral moment of the crowd singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', the NFL faced difficulties in establishing a lasting presence. Attempts to create a farm league in Europe during the off-season in the late 80s and 90s, named the 'World League of American Football', were fraught with challenges. The league struggled with low TV ratings, high losses, and a lack of a coherent vision, leading to its eventual closure. The NFL's efforts included peculiar strategies such as using an elephant to present the league's trophy and focusing more on cheerleaders than the game itself. The failure to develop a minor league with the sport's biggest stars and the subpar quality of games compared to the main NFL were key reasons for the European venture's downfall.

05:00

🌍 NFL's Revamped Strategy and International Growth

After the failure of the NFL Europa, the NFL shifted its strategy to focus on promoting the real NFL experience abroad. The Munich game in 2022 was a testament to this, with over three million ticket requests, highlighting the growing popularity of American football in Germany. The NFL learned from its past and started promoting flag football as an accessible entry point for new fans. The International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) was also established to increase the talent pool and global appeal of American football. The NFL's new approach includes playing regular season matches in international locations and considering moving a franchise to London, a city with a rich football heritage. The narrative suggests a potential future competition between American football and association football for the loyalty and spending of fans worldwide, emphasizing the importance of sustainable sports growth and fan engagement.

Keywords

💡NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is the highest level of professional American football in the United States. It is the richest sports league globally, which is a central theme in the video. The NFL's attempt to expand to Europe and its various strategies to gain a foothold in the market are discussed, including the establishment of NFL Europa and the later decision to hold regular season matches abroad.

💡Market Expansion

Market expansion refers to the strategy of a company or organization to enter new geographic markets. In the context of the video, the NFL's efforts to expand into Europe, particularly Germany, are highlighted. This includes the challenges and successes of introducing American football to European audiences and the cultural exchange that has occurred as a result.

💡World League of American Football

The World League of American Football was an attempt by the NFL to establish a European league in the early 1990s. It was initially funded by NFL franchises and TV broadcasters, aiming to capitalize on the growing interest in American football. However, it faced challenges such as low TV ratings and financial losses, leading to its eventual closure, as discussed in the video.

💡NFL Europa

NFL Europa was the rebranded version of the World League of American Football, focusing specifically on Europe. Despite rebranding and various marketing efforts, including using an elephant to present the league's trophy, it struggled to gain traction and was eventually discontinued. The video discusses how the NFL's lack of vision and the league's lower quality compared to the main NFL contributed to its failure.

💡Cultural Exchange

Cultural exchange is the process of sharing ideas, knowledge, and practices between different cultures. The video mentions how American football was introduced to Germany through American military bases post-World War II, leading to a cultural exchange where German citizens learned about American sports. This laid the groundwork for the later success of American football in Germany.

💡Flag Football

Flag football is a version of American football that is less physically demanding and more accessible, often used as an introductory game for younger players or those new to the sport. The NFL has been promoting flag football as a way to grow the sport globally, as mentioned in the video. This approach is seen as a more sustainable way to introduce and grow the sport compared to previous strategies.

💡International Player Pathway Program (IPPP)

The International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) is an initiative by the NFL to increase the number of international players in the league. The program aims to identify and develop talent from around the world, thereby increasing the global appeal of American football. The video discusses this program as part of the NFL's strategy to overcome the challenge of a lack of international stars in the league.

💡Association Football

Association football, commonly known as soccer, is the most popular sport globally and has a massive following in Europe. The video contrasts the NFL's efforts to grow American football with the already established popularity of association football, suggesting a potential competition for fans' attention and support between the two sports.

💡Tailgate Parties

Tailgate parties are social gatherings where fans congregate in the parking lots outside of stadiums before games to eat, drink, and socialize. The video mentions that these parties attracted more people than the actual games in the NFL Europa, indicating a disconnect between the fan experience and the on-field product.

💡Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders are performers who entertain the crowd during breaks in the game with choreographed routines. The video notes that cheerleaders were 'bigger stars than the players' in the NFL Europa, highlighting a misplacement of focus that may have detracted from the development and promotion of the sport itself.

💡Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the NFL, often considered one of the biggest sporting events in the United States. The video references the Super Bowl as a pinnacle of achievement in American football, with players like Tom Brady achieving great success and fame through their performances in this event.

Highlights

The NFL is the richest sports league in the world, making more money than the NBA, NHL, and Premier League combined.

In November 2022, 70,000 fans celebrated the NFL game in Munich, with the German crowd singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' a clip that went viral.

The NFL has tried to expand into new markets, including Europe, but faced challenges with the World League of American Football, which ultimately failed.

The World League of American Football faced challenges such as low TV ratings and high financial losses, leading to its closure after two seasons.

Despite the failure of NFL Europa, the NFL learned from its mistakes and began hosting regular season games abroad, starting with London, then expanding to Toronto, Mexico City, and Munich.

Germany has a unique connection to American football due to the presence of American military bases after World War II, where American sports, including football, were introduced to Germans.

The German Football League was formed over 40 years ago, setting the groundwork for the successful NFL Munich game in 2022.

The NFL Munich game received three million ticket requests, enough to fill the Allianz Arena more than 40 times, highlighting the sport's popularity in Germany.

American Football is now the second-most watched sport in Germany, thanks to dedicated TV shows and expert analysis that help explain the game to new audiences.

The NFL's shift in strategy focused on explaining the game to new viewers, rather than relying on gimmicks like elephants and cheerleaders.

Flag football is being promoted by the NFL as an easy and approachable version of the game, with hopes of it becoming an Olympic sport by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The NFL established the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2017 to increase the pool of talented international players and grow the sport's global popularity.

There are already more NFL games confirmed to take place in Germany, with discussions about moving a franchise permanently to London.

The potential battle between American football and Association football for global fanbases and revenue is highlighted as a major issue in today's globalized world.

The NFL's strategy now focuses on sustainable growth and international expansion, with an understanding that fan engagement and education are crucial to long-term success.

Transcripts

The NFL is the richest sports league in the world.

They make more money than the NBA, NHL and the Premier League combined.

But they still can't get enough.

So they are trying to enter new markets.

And with such deep marketing pockets, it is no wonder they are able to sell out a stadium

abroad.

In November 2022, 70 thousand fans celebrated the NFL game in Munich.

NFL Munich crowd sings "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

The clip of the German crowd singing country roads went viral because it showcased the

successful melting of two very passionate fan cultures.

Even Tom Brady said it was one of his greatest football moments ever.

And the guy has won pretty much everything there is to win in his sport.

But as successful as all of this sounds, there is another, slightly weird part to the story.

One about a bizarre league that involves Donald Trump, an elephant, and how they accidentally

helped association footballsome very valuable marketing lessons.

Welcome to Athletic Interest and how the NFL failed in Europe.

American Football has one big problem.

There’s a seven month break between the Super Bowl and the beginning of the next season.

It’s the biggest gap without any matches in all of the US sports.

So the NFL and TV broadcasters saw an opportunity: to host more games in the spring.

In the late 80s, they agreed on expanding - to Europe.

By bringing their product to a new market, the NFL hoped for a lot of new fans - and

cash.

It was a very lucrative time to enter the market.

European football was nowhere near as big as it is today, and a huge market was up for

grabs.

They were also hoping to create a farm league to develop talents.

But the project got off to a rough start: it was even difficult to find a name.

And the NFL can blame Donald Trump.

He had acquired rights to the name “International Football League”, the preferred choice of

the NFL.

Trump was not willing to sell, so the NFL went for the ‘World League of American Football’.

In 1991, the league started to tackle Europe.

Funded by the NFL franchises which invested 50 thousand dollars each to get the World

League running.

TV broadcasters paid more than 25 million dollars for the first season.

And probably none of them ever saw their money again.

Although the World League had a promising start.

An average of 25 thousand people attended the first games.

But the hype didn’t last long - the TV ratings were miserable, the league made a huge loss

and after the second season, the NFL decided to close it.

But giving up was not an option.

After two years of brainstorming and re-branding, the World League came back - with a narrower

focus on Europe.

The NFL then tried some really weird things to gain traction.

For example, they decided to let an elephant, an animal neither native in the US nor in

Europe, present the league’s trophy.

Tailgate parties attracted more people than the actual games.

And the cheerleaders were bigger stars than the players.

Rebranding the league again, first as NFL Europe League, later as NFL Europa didn’t

do much besides proving the lack of vision by the NFL.

The project was burning 30 million dollars a year - almost half a billion in total.

So eventually, the NFL pulled the plug.

The two reasons why the league was originally founded, backfired in the long run.

Yes, there are good examples of NFL players who started their careers in Europe before

successfully returning to the US and eventually winning the Super Bowl.

But overall, it wasn’t easy to sell a minor league without the sport’s biggest stars.

Besides the lack of vision, there was simply a lack of quality.

The games were never near the quality of the NFL - and viewers quickly realised that and

shifted their focus to watching the real NFL instead of the less exciting European sister

league.

It’s like trying to convince your friend to watch an MLS game instead of El Clásico.

But the NFL learned its lesson.

Instead of trying to sell a cheap copy, they started selling the real thing.

The same year that the NFL Europa folded forever, their big sister NFL started to play regular

season matches abroad.

First in London, then in Toronto, Mexico City and in 2022 in Munich.

While England, Canada and Mexico are logical fits in terms of language and geography, Germany

is no obvious choice at first sight.

It’s neither a direct neighbour nor does it share the language.

So, why Germany?

After the second world war, Germany was divided into four sectors - including one American.

In the following years, more than 200 American military bases were established in Germany.

The larger bases especially, looked like tiny American cities.

With American stores, American schools - and American sports.

Which attracted curious Germans.

People would go over to the bases, looking through the fences and the American soldiers

would bring them in and teach them how to play football.

It was a cultural exchange that paid off.

Over 40 years ago, the German Football League was formed as the first of its kind in Europe.

When NFL Europa folded in 2007, five of the six competing teams were based in Germany.

All this set the groundwork for the biggest American football spectacle so far on German

soil: The NFL's Munich-Game in 2022.

The organisers received three million ticket requests.

Enough to fill the Allianz Arena more than 40 times.

A recent study revealed American Football as the second-most watched sport in Germany

- only behind reigning king football.

Also thanks to these three guys and their TV show.

They popularised American football in Germany.

Providing expert analysis on TV and online, but also by never getting tired of explaining

the game to new audiences.

It is a great example of what the NFL got wrong in the first place.

American Football can be very confusing.

Sebastian Vollmer won the Super Bowl but was quoted that even after 2 years of playing

the game, he didn’t know all the rules…

So instead of trying to make the game more interesting with elephants and cheerleaders,

it’s better to focus on explaining the beauty of it to new viewers.

Takes more time, but has a higher reward.

The NFL certainly understood that point and started promoting flag football as an easy

and more approachable version for kids and fans to get in touch with the game.

With the Olympics in LA in 2028 and the NFL pushing hard for flag football to become an

Olympic sport, this strategy could turn out to be a masterstroke.

The second challenge that the NFL faces in its competition with other sports: a lack

of international stars.

Just think of what Yao Ming did for the popularity of the NBA in China.

But the NFL also has a masterplan for that problem: The International Player Pathway

Program (IPPP).

The main objective of this program is to increase the pool of talented international players

and to ultimately increase the global popularity of American football.

It was established in 2017 and has seen success in placing international athletes in NFL practice

squads, with several players earning promotions to active rosters.

It looks like the NFL has learned its lesson.

There are already more games confirmed to take place in Germany and there is even talk

about moving one franchise permanently to London.

Arguably a huge market, but also a city with plenty of very established football clubs

already.

Which brings up a major question.

In today’s globalized world, it might ultimately come to a battle between American and Association

Football for the hearts - and cash - of the fans.

Both would be well advised to pay attention not only to the money, but also to how to

sustainably grow the sports entrusted to them.

In the end, the fans will make the vote.