Submitted by Simon Garrett, Feb 24, 2007 10:14

Dear Expat,

I'm afraid your views are somewhat out of date. Perhaps you have been away too long. American Football is almost extinct in Britain and the number of clubs participating in Germany has fallen by thirty per cent in the last five years. Basketball no longer even appears regularly on British TV - not even on any of the satellite sports channels which would rather bank on decent viewing figures from beach volleyball or stock car racing. I'm sorry you seem to have taken such umbrage at my remarks but three billion people can't all be wrong. Look at the sectors of American society which are the fastest growing demographically. Hispanic, Far and Middle Eastern - for all of whom there is only one number one sport. Yes, football has failed in the United States several times before. No, I am not claiming that its success is a foregone conclusion. What I am saying is that that is where the real market potential lies for the Glazers and Hicks of this world as the sale of what are regarded as less interesting minority sports in Europe (basketball, American Football, Ice Hockey - another signal failure in Europe) has little chance of success.

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