In a world surrounded by globalization on so many fronts from business to sports, it only seems fitting the National Football League continues to grow its brand internationally. Having an official team housed overseas seems unlikely, but it isn’t necessarily a poor idea to host games in large markets such as London. London has been a host for games since 2007 and will continue to in future years.
The #Chiefs are headed to London to play the #Lions in 2015. More Information: http://t.co/je9dilBdMa pic.twitter.com/Bie3Q0CDif
— Kansas City Chiefs (@KCChiefs) November 6, 2014
Early on November 6th, the Kansas Chiefs officially announced they would be one of the NFL teams taking part in this international expansion. It will be the first time they will have played a game overseas in franchise history when they meet the Detroit Lions in London for Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season. Chiefs President Mark Donovan described this opportunity as something that could not only raise awareness of the NFL internationally, but at the same time it creates a unique opportunity for Chiefs’ fans, Kansas Citians and growing the team’s brand.
With the Chiefs joining the lineup for international games, there are positives and negatives associated with the move. The positives are glaring; it provides them an opportunity to possibly grow their fanbase into a market, such as London, where the interest in American sports seems to be on the rise. If previous results hold true, they should play in front of at least 80,000 fans.
Just as the positives can easily serve as something to bring money in, the negatives are what have really got fans riled up since the news broke. The move to play at Wembley Stadium in London will cost the Chiefs both one of their home games, along with another chance for fans to see their team. For a team like the Chiefs, this is particularly disheartening because of the rambunctious crowd that fills Arrowhead Stadium each Sunday. Without a doubt, this always gives them a home-field advantage whenever they play hosts. Having just recently completed renovations to Arrowhead, its not the most respectful move to fans who helped pay for the improvements through taxes. On a side note, the manager of England’s national soccer team, Roy Hodgson, has not been particularly enthused with the NFL playing games at Wembley Stadium, which is the primary field used for England’s matches. Matters have been worse when NFL games have been played days before England would take the field. If you understand the history of England soccer, it is easy to see why this would be the case.
In the end, the move makes sense for the NFL and Chiefs’ owner, Clark Hunt, who has been one of the main men behind the expansion of the NFL overseas. Yes, it hurts the Chiefs next year, but it is truly a smart business move allowing for the expansion of the NFL name and the Chiefs’ brand in general.
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