I have no idea why the NFL plays exhibition matches in England. Literally no clue. England has never cared about American football. Ever. Probably never will. It is a shit sport compared to Way More Badass rugby.
So, London had a World League/NFL Europe team for like, a decade. Not to mention that every year the NFL has this game in London, they sell out Wembley, and they sell it out rather fast for what usually ends up being two shitty teams.
Does Ryan still come around here at all? He used to play for a team in the top British league. Let him explain England's fascination with football in better detail.
How did I miss this? American football is still a pretty niche market over here, mostly due to ignorance and misconceptions concerning the sport, but I think the main reason England gets a game is because we're the English speaking connection between America and Europe. Whilst support in England itself is small, there's not a bad following of the sport through the continent, and at the games you'll find people have come from all across Europe to watch the two teams play. It's a hell of sight because there's no predominantly supported team over here, so everyone just wears the jersey of the team they support regardless of who's playing, resulting in a patchwork sea of supporters littering the crowd.
Plus the last time I went I got unlimited beer and chicken wings, which was rad.
On a related note it's always been entertaining for me arguing with people which sport is "manlier", rugby or American football, as I'm one of the minority here that's played both. Everyone here will defend rugby and pass American football off as a wuss sport until I invite them to pad up for a practice session.