Scrappy games have been the standard at Wembley, but British fans continue to pack the stands in enormous numbers...
The NFL is struggling.
America’s game is suddenly, improbably, losing the interest of fans in the United States.
Sub-standard play, an excessive number of televised games and the presidential race have all contributed to a fall in ratings.
And the poor handling of various controversies – from the treatment of concussions to the punishment of players involved in domestic violence cases – have damaged the image of the league, perhaps irreparably.
In London, though, enthusiasm for American football is only growing.
The NFL’s latest batch of fixtures in the English capital – including the first game ever held at Twickenham – again attracted huge crowds.
After 17 games in nine years, British supporters continue to pack the stands to watch the sport in person. Only once in that period has a match failed to sell out.
Sunday’s fixture between the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals saw a record 84,448 people fill Wembley, and ended in a rare tie – a concept British sports fans are certainly more acquainted with than their American counterparts.
While the game was close, it was hardly a classic.
Miscues and mental errors kept it tight, while the Redskins would have won before overtime had kicker Dustin Hopkins not missed a 34-yard field goal with less than three minutes remaining.
Scrappy games between relatively poor teams have been the standard in London for the past few years. Wembley is still yet to host a high-profile game between two genuine Super Bowl contenders.
And yet British fans continue to turn up in enormous numbers.
That is an encouraging sign for league commissioner Roger Goodell, who has been one of the most vocal and influential advocates of growing the sport’s profile in the UK.
He has repeatedly stated his ambition to move an NFL team to London, and the local fanbase has proven itself both large and dedicated enough to support one.
Crucially, too, teams now appear willing to play overseas.
Despite an initial reluctance to forfeit home games on American soil, 23 of the league’s sides have now competed in London.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars – who are owned by Fulham chairman Shahid Khan – committing to at least one game in England every year until 2020, the groundwork has already been laid for a permanent London team.
And in Tottenham’s new expanded stadium, they may even have a home.
The ground is, after all, being built with the purpose of hosting not just the Premier League outfit, but also an NFL team.
Now, then, a London-based side is beginning to seem like an inevitability.
The Jaguars have been forced to cut the capacity of their stadium in order to guarantee sell-outs, as NFL teams with empty seats in their grounds are not permitted to have their games shown on local television.
They could now have the chance to secure a lucrative British television deal by moving to one of the world’s biggest cities, with a fanbase desperate for a team.
It seems an unmissable opportunity, particularly for a league that has historically had no reservations about moving teams to more profitable markets.
Just this summer, for example, the Rams left St Louis for Los Angeles.
After Sunday’s game, Bengals receiver A.J. Green stated his belief that London would be ready to host a permanent NFL team in two years.
The logistics of setting up any new team, let alone one in a foreign country, mean that his prediction may be slightly premature.
But the manoeuvres of Goodell, Khan and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy suggest that British fans’ continued, unwavering support will eventually be rewarded.
