When it comes to the NFL’s ongoing obsession with globalizing football, it’s fair to ask whether it’s truly good for the game.
Some would say expanding the influence of America’s new pastime to other countries helps make the game better, by making it bigger. Others would call it nothing more than a cash grab, the logical next step in getting people around the world interested in consuming existing inventory.
Regardless, exporting games to other countries has a competitive impact. The teams that get the annual short straw make a long trip that disrupts the routine of a 17-game regular season. And that’ll be the case until the NFL plays 16 international games, with each and every team playing one and only one game on foreign soil.
From the perspective of the domestic NFL fan, it adds nothing to the enjoyment of the sport or the quality of the games. On that note, future Hall of Famer — and current CBS analyst — J.J. Watt has made this observation on Twitter: “International game slate is nearing the [realm of traveling circus](https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/jj-watt-calls-out-expanded-international-slate-circus.html) as opposed \[to\] occasional showcase.”
He’s right. But they want it to be more than a traveling circus. They want it to become a fixture, possibly with one or more teams eventually relocated to (or founded in) another nation.
The entire project is fundamentally about the American ideal of capitalism. More is good. Bigger is better. Extra fans lead to extra money.
There’s nothing wrong with the relentless pursuit of _more_. Unless it undermines the existing product from the perspective of its primary audience. And let’s be realistic. The overwhelming majority of fans in the U.S. don’t care about the international games.
But the NFL is at all times a business. Remember, they only say “football is family” because it’s good for business to say “football is family.”
Yes, the players will share in the extra money that comes from an expanded global footprint. The incremental value for them is far less than it is for the owners of the teams. And it’s the players who have to travel and play in faraway places, enhancing the ever-present risk of injury with the non-zero-percent chance that they’ll need emergency medical care in another country, and possibly surgery.
Still, it’s part of what all NFL players now sign up for. It’s the life they’ve chosen. For now, the phenomenon only includes visits. One of these days, entering the NFL draft could include the possibility of being picked by a team in Europe — or traded there at any time, without notice or an opportunity to say no.
For now, the NFL Players Association has the ability to say no to expanding the maximum permissible international games from 10 per year to 16. If, however, the league wants it badly enough, the owners will lock out the players until they say “oui” to 16 per year.
Our guess? Expanding the international slate to 16 games per year is every bit as inevitable as growing the regular season to 18 games per team.