[skinsfan_nn]

Source, PFT.com:

POSTED 9:27 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:05 a.m. EDT, July 4, 2007

17th GAME DROVE DEATH OF EUROPA

The same source who gave us a one-day head's up regarding the imminent demise of NFL Europa tells us that the deciding factor in the move was the developing plan to add an extra regular-season game for the purposes of sending 16 total games per year to other countries.

Though nothing in this regard has been finalized -- and can't be until the NFLPA signs off on it -- the source says that the momentum is building toward the expansion of the season for the purposes of exporting more of the NFL's product.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell floated a public trial balloon on this issue earlier in the year, and the reaction was generally positive (or, more importantly, not negative).

We love the idea. But we also think that not all 16 games should be shipped to other countries, especially in light of the seemingly greater potential for a terrorist attack in countries like England. Why not drop eight of the extra games in a brand-new L.A. stadium, thereby rendering the relocation of an existing team there unnecessary?

We also like the fact that each franchise will still have eight home games every season. Apart from the strategic benefits of playing the full slate of home games, we're very troubled by the loss of 1/8th of the annual revenue that drives the local economy -- especially since so many of the NFL stadiums were funded in whole or in part by public money, based on their expected impact on the surrounding hotels, restaurants, parking facilities, not to mention the increased tax revenues.

Over the long-term, we think that the best way to globalize the sport will be to expand, with new teams headquartered in L.A. (which many on the East Coast already regard as foreign soil), Mexico City, Canada, London, Germany, Hong Kong, China, and Japan. Though it would raise incredibly complex logistical issues, the potential explosion in revenue makes such a possibility worth exploring.