Until I read this article on the Redskins I had no idea it even existed.
Hog Of Flanders!
It began as the World League of American Football, changed its name to NFL Europe after all of the American franchises folded, and the way it’s going, I wouldn’t be surprised if it changed its name again in a few years to NFL Germany. Most of the franchises are already there.
It’s a good little minor-league system for the NFL. It’s particularly valuable for quarterbacks, who otherwise would have practically no chance to build up some experience in real games.
I may be wrong but I think the WLAF originally had nothing to do with the NFL. When they got into financial troubles the NFL bought them out. The NFL figured it would be a good investment because they could use it as a minor league for players who didn’t mature enough in college and to try to make the game popular outside of North America.
Doesn’t NFL stand for National Football League? Seems a bit odd having a National Football League of Europe.
Why? It doesn’t state which nation.
no more unusual than the NHL.
I’ve always assumed that the NHL was just another Canadian attempt at world domination.
Europe isn’t a nation though, it’s a continent. Tha national league of France I could understand, but the national league of a continent is a bit strange to me.
North America happens to be a continent too, so Loach and Northern Piper have a legitemate point.
True, we have more teams in their hockey league than they do, but it just worked out that way. It wasn’t planned.
The WLAF was basically intended as a tool by the NFL to broaden the market for American Football. It was never independent of the NFL
Changing the name to NFL Europe is merely an attempt to market it as an expansion of an existing successful brand.