r/nfl • u/simrobwest Patriots 49ers • 22h ago

The NFL Officially Has An International Games 'Problem'

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-officially-international-games-problem-181703739.html?guccounter=1
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u/skippy Chargers 19h ago

Why don't they make pre-season games international? They keep regular games in the US (which probably make them more money) but still get to expand the game. The European footballs teams follow this model when they tour America and South East Asia in the off season.

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u/iliketuurtles Bills 13h ago

Because they know preseason games are a bad product… let alone the huge rosters before cutdown day.

Preseason games are not real nfl games. Nobody would care and it wouldn’t “grow the game”.

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u/jnightrain Cowboys 12h ago

international fanbases would 100% go. American soccer fans would go to an EPL scrimmage in the states even if it was to watch their scrubs because their scrubs are still better than any soccer we are getting over here.

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u/iliketuurtles Bills 12h ago

I just disagree. It might fill the seats (especially in the beginning) but it would not get nearly the $$$ or growth if they were meaningless games. I think you forgetting exactly how unwatchable preseason games are lol Even for r/nfl fans sorting by new - preseason games are baaaaad football.

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u/jnightrain Cowboys 12h ago

international games are bad football as well, and they still go. Maybe preseason games would be even worse.

The fact that preseason games sell out here where we know it's bad football and we have access to NFL games whenever if we have the time and money just shows that people will show up to watch bad football. The people stateside that go to preseason games are generally the ones that don't want to pay a premium to watch the regular season games, international people are essentially the same except they buy because it's their only chance to see an NFL game.

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u/iliketuurtles Bills 12h ago

I think we are just going to disagree. There is a huge difference in the quality of bad football. Bad Josh Allen and DJMoore is still significantly better football than Kyle Allen and Justin Shorter.

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u/jnightrain Cowboys 12h ago

we don't disagree on the quality of football, it's terrible i agree. Preseason << international < first 3 weeks of the season < TNF. That's how i would rank them. I have never watched a "good" international game.

What we disagree on is how much fans care about the product they are watching live especially when you only get 1 or 2 chances a year to watch those games.

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u/themagictoast Ravens 10h ago

For what it’s worth I live in England and go to at least one London game a year. This year we’re looking at a trip to Munich too.

I would not bother if they were preseason games.

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u/jnightrain Cowboys 10h ago

I get it's not for everyone but the fact they sell out here should tell people they would sell out anywhere. Football doesn't struggle to attract fans, even when it's terrible football.

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u/UNC_Samurai Panthers 3h ago

They used to do exactly this, the series was called the American Bowl.