Like NFL International Series games? Hope so, there will be many more
The NFL is determined to expand internationally, even though the game is wildly popular in the United States and there are precious few home games for each team every year.
But the NFL is doubling down on the International Series, for a long time and in more locations other than London. The league announced Wednesday it approved a resolution at its league meeting that extends the ability to play international regular-season games through 2025, and it won’t just be London games. The league can also play in other countries, via the resolution.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it a top priority to expand the game beyond the United States and this is another big step toward that.
“This marks an important step in our long-term international growth,” Goodell said, in a statement. “Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007. They have demanded more NFL games, and we have worked to accommodate them. We think it’s time to expand our International Series to other countries and respond to the growing interest in our game not only in the UK, but elsewhere around the world.”
Mexico and Germany stand out as possible locations for future regular-season games. Brazil might be in the mix too; there have long been rumors that the NFL discussed a possible Pro Bowl there. Who knows how the NFL might decide to expand, via these regular-season contests in the International Series.
It might help grow the league but there should be legitimate concerns about how it creates an imbalance in the schedule. When teams play in London, or in the future when they play in Mexico or Germany or wherever, someone is giving up a home game. The Miami Dolphins last week were technically the home team, but they got beat by the New York Jets at London in what was a neutral-site game. The Jets’ win in a neutral-site game instead of a road game, and the Dolphins’ loss, could affect the playoff picture. Not to mention that a team’s home fans lose one of their eight home games every time a game is played internationally.
But the NFL has a vision of the game growing internationally. There can’t be much more room for growth in the United States, because the league is amazingly popular already. So get ready for more games in other countries. That’s not going away, for at least another decade.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
