Let's Argue: Expansion Should Be Realistic

[YoungTB]

I posted this comment today on AdamS' post on the results of his expansion survey (which I thought was a great idea by the way). I expressed my distaste in odd locations for branding in the current expansion period we’re in. By odd locations, I mean expansion locations that simply don’t make any sense for a football league to expand to. Bavaria, Havana, and Shanghai are some examples out of the current bidding for expansion. I thought that the comment could warrant an entire article to explain my positioning as to why I don’t like these locations so much and why I believe they make no sense for expansion.

My main point is this; odd locations ruin realism in this league.

Realism in my opinion, is the single most important element for a sim league to have. It’s what makes sim leagues fun, and it’s also what attracts people to the league in the first place. The recruitment team pushes hard to relate the NSFL to the NFL as best as it can, and this is evident in their recruitment posts. Often, they bring up current NFL superstars in their posts as a hook to the league, and it obviously works since we just saw the largest recruitment class in history with S22. Why don’t we keep this same energy with expansion? Whether you want to admit it or not, realism is a big part of this league and it should continue to be pushed to the forefront.

Let’s say we expand to Bavaria, a state in Germany. There are many things that simply don’t make sense with an expansion to Bavaria, distance, drawing fans, etc., even though I appreciate the work put in with the bid. Havana also doesn’t make sense because it’s in Cuba, a government that has essentially banned American football. I’d also argue that Honolulu doesn’t make much sense, since a stadium there logistically would be impossible.

Now you might be thinking, why am I preaching about realism in a league that lets robot dogs and characters from Futurama be renders? That’s because player renders are entirely up to player creativity. They don’t affect branding, the sim, or the stream. The league can still be realistic and foster creativity.

I don’t have much else to say, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on my stance.