# What the.. NFL Europe! What's this all about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 14, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754 "2004-11-14T20:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/1 "2004-11-14T20:28:28Z")
Until I read [this article on the Redskins](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48098-2004Nov13.html) I had no idea it even existed. [NFL Europe!](http://www.nfleurope.com/) Hog Of Flanders! ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/2 "2004-11-14T21:01:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/3 "2004-11-15T13:39:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/4 "2004-11-15T19:23:00Z")
Doesn’t NFL stand for National Football League? Seems a bit odd having a National Football League of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/5 "2004-11-15T20:08:51Z")
> [@Tuco](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/6 "2004-11-15T20:12:01Z")
no more unusual than the NHL. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/7 "2004-11-15T20:42:50Z")
I’ve always assumed that the NHL was just another Canadian attempt at world domination. ---
**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/8 "2004-11-17T16:40:39Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Why? It doesn’t state which nation. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/9 "2004-11-17T17:00:47Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-nfl-europe-whats-this-all-about/274754/10 "2004-11-17T18:07:28Z")
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.