Sports are governed by a group of unwritten rules or traditions, which ensure fair play and enable consistent adjudication of the best winner. In most organised sports, records of past performance are kept, and for less popular sports, this data can be openly reported or announced by the organizer. However, in amateur sport, this data is often not monitored or legally accountable. Unfair play becomes commonplace, as players deliberately try their luck against each other, resulting in an unfair advantage. Sports have become a popular leisure activity, but they have also become a lucrative business opportunity.
Sportive investment opportunities include participation in national and international teams; endorsements, such as from stars such as Prince Harry and Beckham, and naming rights to professional sports facilities such as football clubs, basketball teams and ice hockey. The modern game of golf, for example, has now become an industry in its own right. Aspiring sports investors need only apply to governing bodies, or consult with a sports law specialist to explore the legal and financial options open to them.
The UK senior football association (the NFL) has become famous for its hard-partying commercialism, yet its dedication to fair play remains one of its most important aspects. Regular matches, particularly the popular Saturday afternoon games, are known to attract huge television audiences. Viewers are guaranteed not only to enjoy the sporting match itself, but also the glitz and glamour that surrounds it. Prominent figures, including football legends, entertainers and commentators command huge pay-per-view fees. The multi-million pound contracts awarded to stars ensures that their popularity is not affected by off-field conflicts of interest, leaving the fans even more excited about watching their favorite teams.
If the UK’s governing body, FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations), was to lose the upcoming World Cup tournaments, many experts believe that the popularity of football would suffer. In fact, many prominent sports analysts predict that the popularity of the sport will drop drastically, as football is one of the most popular sports in the world. This article examines whether the NFL, or any other sport for that matter, should have its own section within the British sports scene. It asks whether the game truly deserves its status as a global sport leader, or whether it simply operates within a framework that allows it to exist at different levels within the English-speaking nations. The main article concludes that the question of whether the NFL can exist without its own league should be answered with a resounding yes.
The question of whether the NFL merits its own division within the British sports scene can only be determined by looking at the way it operates. The NFL is the only professional sports organization to have its own international television station, known as the NFL international TV, that it uses to broadcast games internationally. All international games are shown exclusively on these stations, which include both the English and Spanish languages. Subsequent to the games, the network presents highlights, commentaries, scores and photographs from all matches. While the exact number of international games that are broadcast each year is unknown, it is believed that there are around twenty games being played around the world. Therefore, the NFL has a significant claim to being the first sport to have its own division within the British sports scene.
Many people argue that international competition is nothing new, with previous examples being the Football Association and the ITF. However, it must also be remembered that these games were mostly arranged and run by European-based clubs and nations, who have long been involved in running their own divisions within the sport itself. The history of sportsmanship and good sportsmanship is a very important part of our culture, so much so that it is an article of faith amongst many sports enthusiasts that competition should always be fair play. Whether the NFL has earned the right to have its own division or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure; the NFL can lay claim to being the first major sports league to have its own set of rules and regulation for competitive matches.
