NFL looks to bring Super Bowl experience to overseas fans
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Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts runs through with the ball during the NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles at the Neo Quimica Arena stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – The National Football League (NFL) is hoping its international slate of games this season can act as “mini Super Bowls” for American football fans outside the United States as it continues to expand its overseas footprint, a league official said.
After playing a sold-out game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in September in its first foray into South America, the league returns to London on Oct 6, when Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets take on Sam Darnold and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In addition to beefed up pre-game and half-time shows, the clubs are engaging with fans through pub takeovers and flag football events, NFL executive vice-president Peter O’Reilly told Reuters.
“For us, it’s really about creating mini Super Bowls,” he said of the league’s championship game.
“We’re thinking through everything we do surrounding the game – the exterior of the stadium, creating big pre-game moments, like the playing of the national anthems of the two countries and having sizeable half-time performances.”
The Oct 6 game will be London’s 37th NFL game and will honour London-born, two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora and five-time Pro Bowler Jared Allen. “It never gets old because there’s just such energy around these games,” O’Reilly added.
Despite security concerns leading up to the game and a slick playing surface, the contest at Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers in September was a success and O’Reilly said the NFL hopes to make it a regular stop on the schedule.
“It’s too soon to announce anything in terms of a return but based on the response to this game, we’ll be back there,” he said.
The moving rendition of the Brazilian national anthem by Luisa Sonza and a high-energy half-time performance by pop star Anitta were both worthy of the “Big Game” in a country the league says is home to 36 million NFL fans.
After the Jets-Vikings game, the Chicago Bears will play the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct 13, before the action shifts to Wembley, where the Jaguars will take on the New England Patriots on Oct 20.
The Carolina Panthers face the New York Giants in Munich, Germany, at Allianz Arena on Nov 10.
The NFL is poised to ramp up its international presence further in 2025 with its first-ever regular season game in Spain at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu. REUTERS
