Football is a uniquely American sport, and unlike basketball, baseball or hockey, no other country is on the radar as far as it is concerned.
In recent years, the NFL has been trying to change that by looking to expand the sport outside of the borders of the United States by holding games in foreign countries.
Now, commissioner Roger Goodell said he forsees a significant increase in that effort.
“NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell thinks it’s ‘realistic’ for [the] league to eventually play 16 international games per season,” Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports wrote on X.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell think its 'realistic' for league to eventually play 16 International games per season.
Media rights to Intl. package could be sold to a current or a new partner. He pointed to NFL's success with Netflix, which streamed two games on Christmas Day.
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) February 3, 2025
This season, the NFL held games in the United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil, and additional games reportedly have been scheduled for the 2025 season.
There are significant numbers of NFL fans in other countries now, and there are a handful of foreign-born players in the league, which does seem to suggest there is an impetus for holding more games in other countries.
There are some concerns about NFL games outside of the United States, such as the travel demands on players, but the opportunity to capture new fans and markets could be immense.
The NBA has done that over the past couple of decades, and it has resulted not only in many fans but also players from foreign countries, and baseball is a sport that has long been a major draw in certain countries and regions.
Football is America’s passion, but perhaps in a decade or two, it could become a passion on other continents as well.
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