That Thing Called Football

#3
That is minus the cost escalation to the stadium build that was budgeted for 400 million and final cost is reported to be 1.3 billion pounds, though the Spurs chairman insists it is only double of the budgeted cost in 2017 and not triple as media outlets report it. Whatever the cost, the insistence on making the stadium NFL quality will take a London NFL franchise and TV money from the NFL plus merchandising for the franchise before this trip into the unknown proves to be a financial masterstroke or a very costly bet. Reply

#1
Money talks - when you look at how many billionaires would consider buying an NFL franchise and there is little opportunity currently to buy a franchise, that is the actual genius of Daniel Levy. Yes Tottenham Hotspur have a fabulous stadium that is shared, but so is the San Siro in Italy where AC Milan share that stadium with Inter Milan. The difference at Tottenham is that soccer shares it with grid iron. If London is given an NFL team, Sunday's NFL debut at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium was an awe-inspiring success - even the losing manager of the Chicago Bears was gob-smacked at the level of detail afforded to playing an NFL game. Yes, the price of the stadium sky rocketed because Daniel Levy insisted on making the stadium multipurpose. if anything with Harry Kane watching the spectacle and being involved in the coin toss, Spurs players now have something to live up-to because they do not want to be second fiddle to another sport. Note also that Harry Kane who is loved by Tottenham fans as "one of their own" was booed by the NFL fans that came to this sell out game. The atmosphere was electric and even though it was strange to see the stadium decked out in Black to make it a "home game" for the Oakland Raiders - at least some Spurs players will have seen the bigger picture of the club. I credit Daniel Levy for having the vision to see that the demand for American Football is huge in England and he has stole a march on other teams who did not see the money angle and just how much the longer term deals are worth. It is NFL that can make the owners of Tottenham hold a sports asset that can become more valuable than Manchester United. The frustration with Daniel Levy is that he spent millions to make NLF a reality at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium but will he be as generous to the soccer team that calls that stadium their home. Reply