The Silver Fern

nzzp

@hydro11 there's one more stat: each team turns over aroudn $500M USD each season.

That pays for an awful lot of travel and accommodation.

Cyclops

@hydro11 said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

@shark said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

Watching how the MLB season has started. Games already postponed due to players testing positive for Covid. US media questioning how long it can go on for whilst also praising the NBA bubble. Podcast hosts mentioning New Zealand as a safe place to host major league sports. And thinking NFL is only six weeks away and wondering more and more often why we shouldn't as a country make a push to host the entire season here. At the highest level.

The Labour-lead Govt should be all over it. We're a relatively safe haven, we have numerous stadiums capable of hosting games, the season is only 4 and a half months long so it's not as extreme as hosting an NBA season would be, and the financial injection would be enormous. The NFL gets it's TV content to fulfill it's obligations - albeit with some odd kick off and viewing times - and New Zealand gets to host the National Fucking Football League.

Check out
. NFL logistics are insane. Some examples of why it wouldn't work:

Each team takes 56 players and over 100 support staff to every away game. They will need to take more for a full season. That's at least 5000 people who need to be quarantined.

It can cost up to a million dollars to fly a team to London for one game.

Wellington's airport cannot accommodate the size of the aircraft required.

Air NZ do not have the planes to fly people over.

It would not be economic for American air carriers to fly people over.

It would presumably be at least one and at most 3 flights per team (that's the number of planes that the US president needs for travel and security). Assuming that they were based in NZ for the full season. That's about 72 flights in total. Given that the pandemic is massively reducing the number of international travellers it wouldn't be too hard to get 72 charter flights.

The bigger issue would be nz grounds - are our facilities big enough to hold both teams and all their support staff?

But actually, it's not logistics that's stopping this (the nfl is rich enough to do anything that money can pay for). It's politics. Fans would be outraged by their teams moving, and covid in the US is so deeply politicised at the moment, it would be seen as a massive statement of opposition to Trump, which goes against the natural inclinations of the nfl owners (who are the real decision makers) and the desire of the nfl to avoid political controversy.

The only way that I could see it is if the nfl starts, has massive covid issues and is forced to stop and then has an abbreviated 10 week or so mini competition.

shark

I agree that funding the travel and accommodation wouldn't be an issue. Nor finding flights / aircraft. Nor flying into Wgtn which is totally and utterly irrelevant. I'm sure our grounds could facilitate the amount of staff required, even if it meant reduced capacities to create areas for staff and players. All this stuff can be worked with and/or around.

If players keep bailing which reduces the level of the comp, and assuming the same players would travel to NZ, and in light of the issues MLB is already having to start their season, I think the stakeholders inc owners and fans could get behind the idea. I think there is a legitimate chance the season may not otherwise take place.

If they start as planned and games are called off due to positive tests, I don't see how or when they'd make this up. I'd also suggest the Superbowl could still be held as normal in the US as its a one-off event. The world's largest single annual sporting occasion would be in no danger whatsoever of not taking place if everyone involved in it was able to travel from Covid-free NZ.

hydro11

@shark said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

I agree that funding the travel and accommodation wouldn't be an issue. Nor finding flights / aircraft. Nor flying into Wgtn which is totally and utterly irrelevant. I'm sure our grounds could facilitate the amount of staff required, even if it meant reduced capacities to create areas for staff and players. All this stuff can be worked with and/or around.

If players keep bailing which reduces the level of the comp, and assuming the same players would travel to NZ, and in light of the issues MLB is already having to start their season, I think the stakeholders inc owners and fans could get behind the idea. I think there is a legitimate chance the season may not otherwise take place.

If they start as planned and games are called off due to positive tests, I don't see how or when they'd make this up. I'd also suggest the Superbowl could still be held as normal in the US as its a one-off event. The world's largest single annual sporting occasion would be in no danger whatsoever of not taking place if everyone involved in it was able to travel from Covid-free NZ.

I think you are underestimating logistics. Do you think an NFL team is going to train at Rugby League Park in Wellington (where the Hurricanes normally train)? It's getting all the equipment and supplies as well. There would be 100s of things we can't even comprehend.

Not to mention quarantine is basically full already. So you would be letting a sports league into the country while saying that citizens have to wait. It's unpalatable.

barbarian

@hydro11 said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

@shark said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

I agree that funding the travel and accommodation wouldn't be an issue. Nor finding flights / aircraft. Nor flying into Wgtn which is totally and utterly irrelevant. I'm sure our grounds could facilitate the amount of staff required, even if it meant reduced capacities to create areas for staff and players. All this stuff can be worked with and/or around.

If players keep bailing which reduces the level of the comp, and assuming the same players would travel to NZ, and in light of the issues MLB is already having to start their season, I think the stakeholders inc owners and fans could get behind the idea. I think there is a legitimate chance the season may not otherwise take place.

If they start as planned and games are called off due to positive tests, I don't see how or when they'd make this up. I'd also suggest the Superbowl could still be held as normal in the US as its a one-off event. The world's largest single annual sporting occasion would be in no danger whatsoever of not taking place if everyone involved in it was able to travel from Covid-free NZ.

I think you are underestimating logistics. Do you think an NFL team is going to train at Rugby League Park in Wellington (where the Hurricanes normally train)? It's getting all the equipment and supplies as well. There would be 100s of things we can't even comprehend.

Not to mention quarantine is basically full already. So you would be letting a sports league into the country while saying that citizens have to wait. It's unpalatable.

And for what? Not like the NZ Government will make any money out of it. You'd get some tourism when borders open, but that could still be 18 months away.

You might create a few jobs but not enough to offset the logistical nightmares such an operation would present.

shark

You guys seem to be missing the point which is that drastic measures might be required to make the season happen. If the NFL was being realistic or prescient right now they'd have to be pondering the very real possibility that they need to play in a bubble. And the options for a bubble are either an NBA style bubble or to play somewhere safe offshore. If the former is problematic, the latter may be less problematic.

nzzp

@shark said in NFL Season 2020/21 - Bubble NZ:

You guys seem to be missing the point which is that drastic measures might be required to make the season happen. If the NFL was being realistic or prescient right now they'd have to be pondering the very real possibility that they need to play in a bubble. And the options for a bubble are either an NBA style bubble or to play somewhere safe offshore. If the former is problematic, the latter may be less problematic.

couldn't they just relocate to College stadia in the flyover states? Fence off the teams and see what happens? I mean, it'd be lord of the flies on ~~steroids~~ creatine, but goddamn coudl be fun to watch

sparky

I think a NFL bubble or bubbles within the US is much more likely to happen. Washington State, Missouri or Maryland have been mentioned.

shark

I think someone in this country should put our hand up for it, be it the sports minister, NZR or whomever. There is no harm in saying we're keen, we'll enable, these are the benefits, and this is what it'll cost you.