Saw this and it made me think. I get that if they increase interest abroad the NFL will make more money in TV contracts, but does anyone think this could potentially end up the same way NASCAR did when they tried to expand out of the SE?? Every one of these games played overseas is taking away an opportunity for the American fan to attend a game. 8 international games in 2025??
International NFL Games
- Thread starter Deleted11512
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Wake me up with when the European countries start holding cricket matches in America.
Unless they already have.
Unless they already have.
The NFL seems almost too big to fail, at least anytime soon. It's the most watched TV programming in the country and it's not close.
But I agree, these types of moves just alienate the NFL's actual base in this country. It's chasing the almighty dollar without regard for anything else.
EPL teams play games here, so I guess it's not out of the realm. I don't think they're league games though. The appear to be preseason tournaments.
Soccer is far and away the most popular in the sport in the world, and there isn't even a distant second. Nevertheless, other countries have, for the most part, not been concerned with growing the popularity of soccer here. Wonder why that is? Is it because their fans would riot (have you ever seen the crowds at those games?) if they took some of their games away so they could played in front a crowd of people who didn't really care all that much aside from the novelty of it?
Usually, it's American entities who are concerned with trying to get foreign soccer teams to play here to try making it more popular here.
The NFL recently went from 16 to 17 regular season games so i think the fans are able see their eight home games like in the past. That extra game is like a game for them to play overseas or in Mexico.
I think the Europeans are still trying to grow. The heavy weights (FC Bayern, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Juventus) usually do a US tour or an Asian tour in late July and early August. The game has now really expended in the USA. Last Saturday ABC televised Dortmund and Leipzig. You can watch any Bundesliga or Bundesliga Two game on ESPN Plus. You watch any of the Champions League or Europa matches on CBS Paramount. This is significant progress for the US in the last 15 years or so.
I think those efforts are mostly US-driven, though. For some reason, as if we don't have enough popular sports, some folks are obsessed with trying to make us like soccer. I don't think Europe gives a flip if we like soccer or not.
That's true, but aren't the NFL TV ratings kind of a chicken-egg question? The genius in the NFL's TV contracts is that everybody has a piece of the pie. All of the networks and ESPN all have an interest in making sure the NFL TV ratings are always #1. None of them will ever run any major sports programming against it.