Poe’s Perspective: NFL is still struggling internationally
The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind for Los Angeles football fans, as the NFL made a startling announcement: The Rams’ Monday night game against the Chiefs, previously scheduled to take place in Mexico City, has been moved back home to the Coliseum.
The game was an important step in the NFL’s expansion program, aimed at bringing the game of football to other countries in hopes of expanding its fanbase. But less than a week before the blockbuster game, troubling pictures emerged of Estadio Azteca, the host site for the matchup. The grass was torn up, more brown than green, a foreboding expanse of lumpy turf.
From a picture, it was clear that the stadium wasn’t safe for play, and most likely wouldn’t be by Monday night. The NFL took less than 24 hours to announce its decision to move the game back to the Coliseum, prompting outcry from fans in both countries who had already booked tickets, flights and hotel rooms.
It was an odd, perplexing series of events for a variety of reasons. Estadio Azteca is one of the finest fields in Mexico, hosting the beloved Club América and the Mexican national team alike. Soccer fields are typically kept in pristine condition, even finer than American football fields, with the grass carefully manicured to allow the ball to roll smoothly.
But an unexpectedly rainy season and a packed calendar of games left the field muddy and torn up. The NFL didn’t have any other choice but to move the game back to Los Angeles; but in doing so, it lost a valuable expansion opportunity.
The NFL has been working to expand outside of the United States for a while now. The league is looking to follow the lead of the NBA, which has perfected this type of effort, especially with its focus on breaking into Asia. NBA stars tour in the off season, meeting fans and putting on exhibitions, and the league has made sure that game broadcasts are easily accessible around the world.
As a result, Stephen Curry jerseys sell out in China and Italy as well as in the U.S. The NBA is a global brand; and both casual and fervent fans are capable of following and representing their teams from anywhere.
What’s the appeal of a widespread reach? Money — plain and simple. The NBA recognized that untapped markets in places such as India and China, with large masses of potential fans existing in areas with little to no major sports industries, could supply a boon of revenue if properly marketed.
The NFL is smart to do the same, but its approach has been less successful in years past. Games played in London went over well, especially with expat fans. But the NFL hasn’t been able to find a way to crack into overseas markets in the same way that the NBA has. Monday’s game in Mexico was meant to continue remedying this issue, potentially exciting a previously undervalued Mexican market by giving it a chance to see a high-caliber L.A. team take on Kansas City in what is sure to be a thrilling shootout.
It’s important to understand, then, what the rescheduled game means for the NFL. Sure, there are American fans who took vacation days and bought plane tickets to travel and see their favorite team, and those people have plenty to be angry about as they lose money and time that they otherwise could have spent elsewhere.
But the fans who truly miss out are the ones who might not exist because of this rescheduled game. Perhaps this is a melodramatic statement, but it’s also the truth of the matter. Foreign soil football games are meant, first and foremost, to support expansion efforts for the NFL. In this, the league failed before it even kicked off the game.
The emphasis of expansion isn’t in moving teams to other countries, but in captivating fans in outside markets. Before Monday, only one game had been played in Mexico — a 2005 matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers in the league’s first year of play outside of the U.S. It was meant to light a fire in fans, to draw in new supporters and pave the way for creating a completely new fanbase for the NFL.
Instead, the league will have to measure its losses and begin to plan again. But in striking deals and making arrangements for the future, the NFL must make sure to prioritize Mexico, in the hopes of soothing whatever hurt this week’s debacle created.
Julia Poe is a senior majoring in print and digital journalism. Her column, “Poe’s Perspective,” runs Thursdays.