London, REALLY? Why not neighboring Mexico City (Part 2)

  Carolyn's Corner

Para este artículo, en español, da clic aquí.

Jenny Vrentas/ The MMQB

     

Not only London had hosted NFL pre-season games in the initial phases of the “International Series.”  Mexico City did, too, with over 100,000 in attendance on each occasion.  So let’s consider just what the strong case is for considering Mexico City for a new NFL franchise:

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     1. According to data collected, about 7.5% of the 20,000,000 population of Mexico City say they are fans of NFL, predominantly the Dallas Cowboys (“America’s Team”), Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos, many for several decades.  This is 1.5 million fans already, more than London.

     

     2. Mexico has a population of about 126,000,000, almost twice as many potential fans as Great Britain.  Moreover, while Mexico is seen as an emerging nation where many do not have much disposable income, Mexico City itself has a GDP of about $30,000 US, which could support a local franchise.

     

     3. The Mexicans themselves see the word “spectacle” as almost their “middle name.”  The NFL fanfare seems ready-made for the Mexican culture.  Proximity to the US also favors familiarity.

    

     4. Travel back and forth across the border is, in some instances, a shorter distance than cross-country travel inside the US.  It would seem to impact teams less.

     

     5. As all international travelers know, traveling even long distances north or south does not produce jet-lag.  That is only a phenomenon of east-west travel.  And Mexico is our neighbor to the south.

      

     6. Costs involved with deploying a team to a stadium in Mexico City seem most likely not to be nearly as expensive as with London.

    

     7. Again, shipping logistics have a higher probability of success with going only to Mexico City.

Why, then, if Mexico City seems to have a clear advantage over London, has there apparently been no genuinely serious consideration given to Mexico?

At this point, it appears clear that a tremendous number of questions remain.  Indeed, could the biggest question of all possibly be that three NFL owners, who just happen to also be owners of football (soccer) teams in England*, have already decided?  Hmmm...

*Jacksonville’s Khan (Fulham), Tampa Bay’s Joel Glazer (Manchester United) and St. Louis’ Stan Kroenke (Arsenal). 

 

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Categories: De todo un poco , NFL