FTSIS 08: Premier League should not follow NFL- 4 Nov 2008 00:00:00
Those who play for the National Football League do it only for the money, Mike Miller, CEO and secretary general of IRB, told those gathered for The FT Sport Industry Summit 2008 in association with the Honda Racing F1 Team's earthdreams programme.
When it was suggested that the Premier League might be more effective as a private entity, such as the National Football League in the US, Miller responded, “Do you want something that is just a product or do you want something that can have a real impact?”
He added: “The NFL have their teams at the top. It’s business.” The secretary general went on to comment that the NFL draws its players from colleges and those colleges get their players from high school, however the sport is lacking at a grass-roots level.
“People go into [American football] because they want to make money,” he said. “People go into other sports because they love the sport.”
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