Enhancing the NFL’s Global Presence with Tactical Investments
The NFL has been craving overseas cash for the better part of a decade. A strategic approach to playing games beyond the US has certainly helped in recent years. League games in the UK, Mexico, and Germany have proved a big hit, but there’s still the sense of them being one or two-off events each year.
The MLB, for a sport that isn’t played in the UK and is barely registered on TV, manages to sell out the 62,000-capacity Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park when it comes to London. So, selling out Wembley Stadium for a lesser-seen event isn’t a huge deal. The NFL has done this multiple times over, but seeks a more entrenched fandom in overseas markets.
To do this, the NFL needs to penetrate markets in a more authentic way, so to speak. Increasing brand awareness in major markets and integrating enhanced fandom is the way forward. Both take a lot of effort and investment but can be achieved in the long run.
Invest more in the International Player Pathway
The International Player Pathway is a superb method of garnering interest from overseas territory. Offering a route for young and existing professional athletes to play in the NFL makes headlines and, potentially, garners home support for whatever teams those players end up wearing the jersey for.
Particularly in Europe, where soccer rules all, you can’t underestimate the draw of a home-grown player. This year, sports news channels across the UK were all over Louis Rees-Zammit getting picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs. A Welsh rugby international player, he was a high-profile coup in the eyes of the UK.
Now, there are plenty of incentives in place for teams to go all-in on international prospects. Those who come through the Pathway are all but exempt from roster rules, making high-quality athletes – regardless of how well-versed they are in the sport – coveted and valuable additions.
Still, the number of players who make it through the program to play regularly in the NFL is rather low. From the 2016 class to 2020 classes of a total of 19 players who made it through, three remained active last season. This year offered a record class of 20 selectees, but it will ultimately come down to how many play that manages to coax in overseas fans.
Become a popular brand beyond sports
American football, as it’s known beyond North America, will always struggle to compete with soccer – the world’s most popular sport. Still, it can take a few notes from its playbook. For one, soccer has expanded across entertainment. Football probably matches soccer in viewable content, in terms of quality and drama, but not elsewhere.
Just look at the prevalence of soccer-themed games in online casino gaming (a $19 billion-a-year industry in the UK alone) even on US gambling sites. When UK players try this website, they see BetMGM Casino as one of the top-rated sites. Here, there are soccer-based slots and live soccer games. “American football” isn’t on the agenda.
It’s certainly a detached part of sports fandom to actually turn up at games, but having an official NFL studio live roulette game, for example, would greatly help to enhance the league’s footprint. Another move that may help would be increasing the accessibility of the EA Sports Madden games over EA Sports FC, perhaps by maneuvering a way to make them cheaper than the soccer game in select markets. It all increases engagement.
The NFL is gradually making gains in overseas markets, but there are plenty more avenues to explore and emphasize.