In spite of an initiative well over three years ago, the National Football Leage doesn’t appear to have much to indicate for its China expansion plans. So far, their business presence in one of the world’s largest markets for sports has been…well, solely business, businesses associated with producing officially licensed NFL beach towels and so forth. What’s happened?
What’s happened from those halcyon days of 2007 when a whole delegation of top NFL executives visited the country to introduce American football. Previously, a proposed pre-season exhibition game dubbed the China Bowl was to have happened between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Beijing’s National Stadium (now popularly called “The Bird’s Nest” because of its modern architecture). It had been delayed then cancelled completely. These days, the NFL’s China strategy seems limited to producing and selling…well, those NFL beach towels.
Actually, a reality show had been planned in 2009 but nothing has happened yet – most likely because a professional industry executive from outside the NFL took a look at the idea and discontinued it! The NBA’s reality show focuses on cheerleaders, however the NFL was about to revolve their show around…fan culture.
That’s right, fan culture. Tailgating parties, dressing up, what fans do around their cars prior to the game.
You heard right, that was the idea from the most lucrative sports league in the world, with some eight billion dollars in revenue annually.
Obviously, a lot of that comes in the form of corporate welfare, and it is not simply limited by tax breaks and subsidies for stadium construction.
But that’s another story.
So wither NFL China? Have they failed since American football really is, as is often claimed by those partial to soccer, plain and simple incomprehensible and boring?
Can it be that a world which could love golf and cricket – not to mention the interminable back-and-forth that is soccer – just doesn’t care for NFL beach towels?
