Bucs Are All Wrong For England
October 13th, 2011
Racism, style of play, and fan apathy make the Buccaneers the wrong choice to play annually in England.
As national buzz grows about the Bucs possibly playing a “home” game every year in England so crumpet-munching fans there can build loyalty to a particular NFL club, Joe is riddled with stomach pains.
Aside from being a lousy idea for Bucs fans and the Tampa Bay economy, it seems if the NFL were to choose a team for such a move, the Bucs are a terrible fit.
First, Joe comes back to one of Raheem Morris’ favorite lines when referring to himself and his players. “We’re entertainers,” Raheem says.
Well, to be frank, the Bucs are hardly one of the more “entertaining” teams in the NFL. They’re not sporting a high-octane offense that has the greatest potential to excite a fledgling fanbase overseas. And they’re also devoid of players with big-time name recognition that might attract the most interest internationally. Surely, Euros would be far more interested in Tom Brady’s fashion and flowing locks, for example.
Second, wouldn’t the NFL want England to have a team that’s going to travel the most U.S. fans to a London game — to help build more excitement in the stadium and around the city? That seems like a no-brainer. And Joe’s going to go out on a not-so-wild limb and claim that Bucs fans have to be one of the worst traveling fan bases in the league. Why? Joe would guess the answer is one part apathy and two parts economy.
Third, and Joe’s inevitably going to take heat for going here, England has a loads of overt racism flowing through its sports world unlike in the United States. Just last week, two top-flight LONDON soccer teams pleaded with fans to stop racist and other hateful chanting. Other examples inlclude the ongoing effort there to stop anti-Jewish chants at soccer games, and there’s been escalated discussions this year of instituting measures to stimulate hiring of black coaches throughout English soccer, where black players make up about 25 percent of the leagues but very few coaches.
Is this the best place for Raheem Morris and Josh Freeman to be the face of the home team? Why should the Bucs potentially have to deal with the kind of racist garbage that could come with that?
As Joe has written before, the NFL trying to slam its product down the throat of a largely disinterested kickball-loving nation is annoying at best. And the Bucs possibly getting caught up in the mess annually is very troubling.
The Bucs’ catchy marketing slogan this year is “Climb Aboard.” If next year’s is “Climb Abroad,” Joe’s going to be seriously pissed off.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Agreed. The Bucs are a bad fit for an absolutely terrible idea. I can’t remember in recent memory one Goodell decision that I agreed with. This clown needs to get the boot ASAP.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Joe, I’m an diehard English Bucs fan, but happen to agree with you that it’s not a good idea for the Bucs to play one game a year over here. But it seems to me the arguments you’ve put here are nonsense. You’re judging the English fanbase on American criteria.
1. Your point that the Bucs aren’t exciting enough.
I’d disagree here. Yes we’re not a flashy team in terms of a gaudy offense, but that doesn’t mean the Bucs aren’t exciting. A young team, lead by a mouthy young upstart of a head coach, battling adversity and being the underdogs is very exciting.
Furthermore, the English are hardwired to root for the underdog, firstly because historically speaking, we’re a tiny nation that overachieved, and secondly because our national sports teams are so terrible that we’re forced to root for the underdog anyway.
Most of all, I think attempting to make a team that isn’t “big time” yet the English fans’ team will work because they can connect with that. Import a team that’s already successful and has a massive fanbase, and it won’t feel “ours”. Let us get in at the ground floor with a team that’s still building itself, and the English fans can grow up with it and feel it’s “our team”.
2. Your point that the NFL would want a team with the most US fans travelling over.
What’s the point of having an overseas game if the stadium’s going to be filled with US fans anyway? And secondly, how are UK fans supposed to see the games and grow to love the team and the sport as a whole, if they can’t go to the games?
And 3. Your point about incidents of racist abuse at soccer matches.
First of all, I have to state that ANY instance of racist abuse is completely unacceptable, and I do feel ashamed that these things happen on our shores. However, the rare and isolated occasions that these occur in England are NOTHING compared to those in Europe. You’ll find that particularly in Eastern Europe, racism in football is a huge, huge problem. The incidents in the UK get so much more media attention because they are the exception, not the rule.
Furthermore, there are wider circumstances around the example you’ve offered – that of Emmanuel Adebayor and the Arsenal/Tottenham fans. Arsenal and Tottenham are huge rival clubs. Arsenal made Adebayor a star; his ego grew with it and he thought he was better than Arsenal, and then turned his back on the club and the fans. A few seasons later he then joined Tottenham.
The comments directed at Adebayor by the Arsenal fans were an expression of feelings of betrayal by a player they once loved, and of the intense rivalry between the two clubs. Admittedly, the way they chose to express these sentiments was crass, offensive and bigoted – but this was not a simple case of mindless, shameless racism. You also seem to have taken these isolated incidents and made a sweeping generalisation about our whole nation’s attitude towards race – this is not only uninformed but offensive.
As previously mentioned, I happen also to be wholly against the idea of the Bucs playing one game a year in England. Having the team making the gruelling trip over, lose out on practice time, potentially be distracted, have to deal with jet lag, play in unfamiliar surroundings and conditions, lose a home game, and deal with the distraction of amplified media attention and engagements would give our Bucs a big disadvantage, year in, year out. THESE are the RELEVANT and the RIGHT reasons to oppose the idea. The concerns you raise are, to my eyes, secondary and ill-informed.
Joe, I mention all this solely because I love your Bucs coverage, find your insight interesting, visit your site more than several times a day, and view you as my primary source for Bucs news. But I feel you are wrong here, and wanted to voice my opinion.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:52 am
While I agree with you Joe that it’d suck to lose a home game as well as the Buccaneers’ style of play doesn’t exactly make one want to buy tickets, especially to a potentially lackluster fanbase, there is one fact you’re missing and the league may be looking at. The Buccaneers have already HAD a fanbase in England for almost 20 years now. When I was stationed over in England in the mid-90’s, there were plenty of British people who rooted for the Bucs in American football. I forget exactly how we became the root of their football pasttime, but it’s there and it appears the league is trying to use those roots to establish a greater fanbase and more money.
Personally, I agree they’re trying to shove our game down their throats, with ticket sales as one proof. One group of Buc fans there does not a large fanbase make, but like I said it looks like they’re trying to enlarge an already existing fanbase.
October 13th, 2011 at 10:28 am
If the bucs do have a fan base in England (which i think is totally BS), who the hell cares?
The Bucs are either gonna be tied for the Division Lead or two games behind the Saints after this week. Either way the Bears game is critical.
How can we afford to sacrifice our home field advantage? How come we never do this as the road team?
Heres what I wanna know, how much money are the Glazer Boys making out of this fiasco? What exactly is in it for them? jersey sales in England?………………….please. They should worry about merchandise and ticket sales in TAMPA.
October 13th, 2011 at 10:33 am
@Baz — I’m in England a lot for work in the fall and the Bucs aren’t even regularly on television here with the NFL games of the week. If they had any significant following they’d be on all the time. It’s just not the case. The few hundred fan club members are trivial at the very best.
@Jimmy — If the Patriots were the team and 5,000 or so Pats fans were swirling around and the streets every year and talking about the games, that would create more interest in the NFL here. The NFL should want those fans mingling with the Brits on gameday. It’s like when the Man U. fans come over to watch summer friendlies here and sing songs and show the Yanks how its done.
October 13th, 2011 at 11:51 am
@Jimmy – spot on with your post sir, agree on all point
@Joe – you seem to have quite an axe to grind with the British? Every time the London game is mentioned, you seem intent on stepping past the concept of a Bucs game being taken abroad, and littering your editorial with patronizing phrases like “crumpet munchers”, and insinuations that those with a British accent couldn’t possibly understand or love the NFL as much as someone from her States. For the main, i am happy to ignore your drivel, but the sweeping insinuation that all British sports fans are racist is unacceptable.
October 13th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Joe here,
@UK_Buc — No axe to grind with the British. Joe enjoys a good crumpet himself. Never insinuated that British couldn’t understand the NFL or enjoy it — supporting a team is a whole different animal though. Never once insinuated that all British sports fans are racist. Just enlightening fellow U.S. fans on what exists there and could potentially become a situation for our beloved Bucs over time. Fans here shouldn’t be in the dark.
October 13th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@ Joe
“England has a loads of overt racism flowing through its sports world unlike in the United States” certainly does suggest to me such an insinuation that racism is commonplace, is done openly, and occurs across more sports than just soccer.
I guess I will just try, being Welsh, to take comfort from the hope that you are in the 1.5% of Americans who, when they say England, actually mean England, and are not referring to Great Britain!
October 13th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
It would be kind of funny for a team named after the American Revolutionists to be the home team for great Brittan.
I have yet to hear or read a source from the Bucs or the NFL say that the Bucs will be playing the next five games, in fact I have not heard anyone of any official status even hint at the idea. Now, bring on the Saints!
Joe, I would have rather read your thoughts on the TBO article claiming TJax may play on Sunday, at least a Bucs coach is the reference. I am not saying no one is saying the Bucs to Brittan thing, but you know it is just propaganda.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Joe here,
@McBuc – Not much to say at this point on TJax more than what’s already been said. Let’s see what the final call is for Sunday. If they play him Sunday, it’s pretty darn scary and a referendum on Corey Lynch and the value, or lack thereof, of training camp.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Agreed Admin Joe. It is pretty scary to put him in against Drew and Co. I am just tired of the Brit talk, and there has not even been much of it!
October 13th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
For what its worth, a good percentage of the Buc’s fans here in Grand Cayman are British.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I don’t know what the big deal is here. Playing in England in front of a bunch of racist fans hasn’t hurt the Patriots.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I am all for a Bucs game in Gran Cayman!
October 13th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
I’m all for games in London as it would help to bring less black outs in Tampa via cheaper season tickets and it would guarantee the Bucs remain in Tampa Bay by helping it draw in revenue. Why not love it?
October 13th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Hey Joe, can you drop a reminder post everyday so I can remember to vote for Sarah T? I can vote 40 times a day.
October 13th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Not a bad idea Mauha Deeb.
By all means send the link to your friends with the (ahem) advice on who to vote for.
A woman just ahead of Sarah in the voting can’t even get the name of the venue right where the game will be held. “Tropicana Stadium?” UGH! Go back to cosmetology class, honey.
October 13th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
It’s as plain as the nose on your face. the Bucs will move to England!
October 13th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Thank you, Joe. She is by far the only one with any legitimate speaking skills.
October 13th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
About the Patriots being the team that travels to London every year…
I am pretty sure that sending a team to England that overflows with symbolism of the butt-kicking the Americans laid to the the British 230 years ago is a poor idea, even if Tom Brady seems European now.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Honestly, if this happens, even after 26 years of eason tickets, I’m done with them. I have a limited amount of disosable income and it can be spent waaaaaaay bette than that.