Roger Goodell liked what he saw from the Mexico City crowd in Monday’s game between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans. In fact, he liked it so much that he’s making a return to Mexico a “priority.”
“We’re going to get to work right away on this. …This is a priority for us,” Goodell said, via ESPN. “We see the passion that’s happening here and the fan’s interest in this game continues to explode. We want to feed that. … We want to continue that relationship and be back for more.”
The next question, of course, would be the teams that would go.
One of the potential teams is the one that’s been the NFL’s glamour franchise over the last two decades — the New England Patriots. Given New England’s schedule, that would be easy for the schedule makers.
“The Patriots are scheduled to play at Oakland in 2017, so all the NFL would have to do is move that game to Mexico, something the Raiders likely wouldn’t fight,” John Breech of CBS Sports said. “Team owner Mark Davis has shown that he’s more than willing to relocate some of the Raiders’ home games due to their tenuous stadium situation in Oakland.”
None of this is at all surprising.
The NFL has made a concentrated effort to expand the game into different countries. Since 2007, the NFL has played in London each year, adding more games onto the schedule. Given Mexico’s proximity to the United States, it’s at least as natural of a place to play.
Mexico is also a fan base that, according to Goodell, has shown a strong interest in the game.
“”We know that we have tremendous fans around the globe and we know the Hispanic fan base is particularly interested in our game. That’s why we were so focused on getting back here,” Goodell said to ESPN. “We feel it’s a great way to build the support we want within the Hispanic community.
With all of that being said, it makes complete sense that the NFL would want to return. One of Mexico’s big concerns was security. But aside from the laser pointers, the Raiders/Texans game went off virtually without a hitch. Sending the Patriots is even more logical. That will give the Mexican fans a chance to see one of the league’s best teams and in Tom Brady, one of its most iconic players.