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NFL’s Mark Waller is its Mr. International

By WTOP Staff

BARRY WILNER
AP Pro Football Writer

Mark Waller has a passion for football. Tottenham Hotspur is his team.

As for that other kind of football, he’s trying to work up a similar fervor for the American game around the world as the NFL’s executive vice president of international.

Waller is back in his native England this week for the first of three league games at Wembley Stadium, Miami against Oakland. If he sneaks off to see Spurs take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday, it’s understandable.

“I do fundamentally believe the deep-rooted divisive passion of U.K. soccer is unlike almost any other sports passion I’ve seen,” Waller says. “It’s a very different passion in the U.K.; passion for soccer is actually passion for a team. I love Tottenham and I hate Arsenal.

“That’s not really nearly as much the case in the U.S. Sport generally in the U.S. is unified. It’s a binding power. It’s different, for me, the passion I feel is very different (from soccer).”

Waller, who recently returned to his role as director of the league’s international interests, came to the United States in 1996 with less than a working knowledge of the NFL game. He knew almost immediately he needed to master American football to have something to discuss with his co-workers.

“I think the hardest thing is if you’ve never played it, you have no concept of the level of specialty and expertise required to play it,” Waller says. “Again, if you look at soccer, there’s only one specialist role and that’s the goalkeeper. The others are variations on a theme, but most people could play reasonably well in most positions. A slight overstatement, but generally true.

“In football if you took one of those quarterbacks and asked them to play wide receiver, it would be a train wreck.”

Waller also was fascinated early on — and still is — by the way American football is relatively scripted.

“Plays are written, right? So there’s a playbook,” he says. “If you’re educated in the game you know what to look for. So the running play sets up the pass. If you don’t know the game you have no idea what to look for. So actually the biggest issue for me the first year was I did not know where to look for the ball.”

He must have learned well enough, because a decade later, he was working for the NFL.

By 2009, Waller was chief marketing officer. And now, as the NFL adds to its plate internationally, Waller is its overseer.

This weekend’s match — Dolphins-Raiders, not Spurs-Gunners — will be followed by Lions-Falcons on Oct. 26. That one has a morning kickoff in the United States for the first time.

On Nov. 9, Jacksonville plays the second game of its four-year commitment to the United Kingdom against Dallas.

Waller emphasizes that the appetite for the NFL in England, specifically for games at Wembley, is growing, as evidenced by ticket sales and media requests.

“I think the fact that we have demand to sell out three games is just fantastic,” Waller says. “So I’d start with, if the challenges are around the execution of that, then that’s a great set of challenges to have. I’d be worried if it was the other way around and we were going backwards.”

The NFL image has taken steps back recently after domestic violence cases several players. Waller has seen enhanced media coverage of the issues in England.

“In the last days or so it has become more about the league and how we’ve handled it and what are we going to do about it. So we are definitely seeing the impact,” he said.

No sponsors or officials in London have been expressing concern about staging the games there, however.

While Waller is watching intently on Sunday — hoping his Spurs have satisfied his soccer zeal the previous day — he recognizes it’s just the beginning of a six-week American football journey. And perhaps it will lead to a longer one in the U.K. in subsequent years.

“But what we’re really trying to accomplish is build the popularity and the fan base of the sport on an ongoing basis,” he says. “And so the approach that we’ve taken is a focus on ‘Let’s build out this, let’s see how many people love the game, see how much love they have.’

“So we’ve been very deliberate in not going to other markets to focus the resource against proving out how much can we grow the game in the U.K.”

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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