The NFL has conquered America as the undoubted ratings king and the #1 sport in this country. However, the game is uniquely American and the league is hoping it can next tackle the international market.
Annual games in London are a massive hit with fans from the United States and England alike, and its rights deal with Sky Sports and now the BBC have seen a massive increase in revenue from the international market.
Next up appears the billion-plus people in China, as the league is apparently set to put the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on center stage in a regular season game, per Sports Business Daily.
Sources tell SBD that the game is set to be played during the 2018 season and could serve as the Rams’ home opener as their new stadium continues to be built. It only makes sense to have two west coast teams play this game, limiting the impact of what is a long travel situation for even those teams on the coast let alone the likes of teams on the Atlantic coast of the United States.
This is a fact that New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch pointed out when the league announced it was looking at China back in March of this year.
“It’s fascinating to think about,” Tisch said. “It’s very exciting, very exotic to think about. But if we do get to a point where the NFL plays a game in China, the logistics are going to be interesting. A lot to figure out in terms of getting there, playing there, coming back from there to the States, how do you maintain the parity with the other 30 teams who don’t have to play there. So, a lot to be worked out still before that could happen.”
The Rams were rumored as the team to be playing in the game earlier this year, but their opponent was unknown.
Any official announcement of the game isn’t likely forthcoming though, as the league’s owners would have to approve the game at its October meeting.
