NFL bullish on Mexico despite stadium debacle
Unsafe field does not dampen ambitions
MEXICO CITY — For years the NFL has looked at Mexico as more than just a neighbour. It’s also been a growth opportunity, a place where, the league says, one in six people already consider themselves fans of the game.
So when the NFL decided this week to pick up its ball and go home, relocating Monday’s Rams-Kansas City Chiefs game from Mexico City to the Coliseum because of an unplayable field at the iconic Estadio Azteca, the league was quick to promise the decision wouldn’t alter its longterm plans in the country.
“It’s not a day-to-day, week-toweek proposition,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vicepresident of international. “I’d be comfortable to assume that in the next 20 years the Mexican economy is going to grow. So it’s important for us that we’re part of that long-term future.”
The NFL isn’t the only U.S. sports league with an interest in Mexico. Major League Baseball and the NBA combined to play seven regular-season games there in the last two years and have more scheduled for next year.
Neither intends to change those plans.
“There’s a reason why Mexico has hosted more NBA games than any country outside the U.S. and Canada,” said Raul Zarraga, vice-president and managing director of NBA Mexico. “It is a market we value and will always be in consideration when deciding where international games will be held.”
Mexico’s population has increased more than 30 per cent, to 131 million, since 2000, a growth rate twice that of the U.S. and nearly three times greater than China. That has made it the 10th most-populous country in the world and, given its proximity to the U.S. and its affinity for American culture, a market ripe for professional sports.
The NFL called the relocation of Monday’s game “an unfortunate occurrence” while saying it “remains committed to the market and the millions of NFL fans in Mexico.”