Inside The Pocket #001: NFL Moonlight Flits
By Simon Carroll
Beginning in 2018 and running through 2021, the Collapsing Pocket launched a new series of podcasts looking back at the iconic characters and biggest moments in the NFL, and what makes football the most beautiful – and sometimes the ugliest – sport that we all know & love.
Known as the ‘Inside The Pocket’ series, The Touchdown will be relaunching these twenty episodes as part of the buildup to the 2023 season. The original creators Sam Akroyd, Simon Carroll and Rob Ward look back and offer their thoughts on how these legends and eras shaped the league we see today.
ITP #002: NFL Moonlight Flits
First aired 3rd July 2018
A foreign concept to us Brits, franchise relocation is a phenomena sadly all too common in the history of the NFL. Twenty times have teams upped sticks and left town, from the Decatur Staleys transforming into the Chicago Bears in 1921, all the way to the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas three years ago.
The chase for the next big revenue stream is real, and NFL owners have considerable leverage. Despite amassing obscene wealth as a member of this privileged fraternity, they aren’t afraid to look for a better opportunity when it suits them – be that a bigger market with more potential fans, or a more willing partner when it comes to sharing stadium renovation costs. And with all the riches and cachet that being the home of an NFL franchise brings, there are usually no end of suitors.
But the annals of NFL history shares more interesting tales than just a classic case of chasing the American dream. From an owner moving because his wife wanted to live by the beach, to a team leaving town under the cover of darkness, nothing is off the table. Whatever the motive, forgotten in this pursuit are the fans left behind, or the plethora of municipalities that have lost the heartbeat of their cities, with just a derelict stadium left as memory of what once was.
The spectre of relocation never truly fades away. And with the NFL growing internationally, the UK could one day benefit from this startling lack of compassion, romance and history that pervades America’s greatest sport.
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