Cardinals to play 49ers in Mexico, Oct. 2nd 2005

[Lenny_Biscuit]

The ticket office said they haven't sent out invoices yet because they may play a PRESEASON game elsewhere. Unless they are lying it looks like we may loose a preseason, not a regular season game.

 

[MrY]

estos pájaros serán muy competitivos en 2005....translation....'These birds will be very competitive in '05'.....me likey

 

[Big Deal]

I wouldn't bitch about the NFL doing this, I gaurantee that the Bidwill's were bangning down the door when this was brought up at their anual meetings. Think about it, the home teams gets 60% of the ticket sales. 60% of peanuts is some serious peanuts. 60% of a sold out game in Mexico with national tv, this isn't even up for debate, this is a business and a failing business in Arizona, the only reason the cardinals are still alive is because the NFL is such a well-oiled machine and the profit sharing keeps them all fat. I'm surprised they don't petition the NFL to do a couple of games in Spain, Canada, Greenland, etc. If you want to blame anyone, the blame goes directly to the city of phx and their fair weather fan attitude. We've had less than a handfull of sellout games since 1987. I don't blame them for wanting to do this at all. If it were my business I know I would.

 

[Brevity]

The Cardinals of Dennis Green and the 49ers of Mike Nolan are two franchises that wager him al young talent, as some time they did it with so much success you Mow them Cowboys.

I love it when the Cowboys get mowed.

 

[blindseyed]

Does this mean they'll finally lift the black out?

 

[blindseyed]

I wouldn't bitch about the NFL doing this, I gaurantee that the Bidwill's were bangning down the door when this was brought up at their anual meetings. Think about it, the home teams gets 60% of the ticket sales. 60% of peanuts is some serious peanuts. 60% of a sold out game in Mexico with national tv, this isn't even up for debate, this is a business and a failing business in Arizona, the only reason the cardinals are still alive is because the NFL is such a well-oiled machine and the profit sharing keeps them all fat. I'm surprised they don't petition the NFL to do a couple of games in Spain, Canada, Greenland, etc. If you want to blame anyone, the blame goes directly to the city of phx and their fair weather fan attitude. We've had less than a handfull of sellout games since 1987. I don't blame them for wanting to do this at all. If it were my business I know I would.

I always hear people say fair weather but with one post season appearnace since moving here youcan hardly blame people for not wanting to shell out a good $75 (beer is a must) to see your team get mowed down. I go to at least 3-4 games a year, if they start weinning more, I'll be going to 3-4 games a year. It's expensive and that $$ goes to the owners and players. Ya want more people, start winning, period. All this talk about it being a business, the only ones not acting like it's a business and going on emotion and love of the game is us, the fan. Not the players and not the ownsers. So no it doesn't fall on the fans, if this is business, put a winning team in the field and people will show up. Period! Which is what they arew doing this year I believe.
Another reason places like Green Bay and Cleveland sell out is cuz most people grew up there and lived there all their lives. Phoenix is mainly made up of people from somewhere else. It's give and take, it doesn't solely lie on the shoulders of the fan.

 

[Renz]

Well, I like to look at it this way. If we lose a regular season game it might as well be to SF. We couldn't beat them in Frisco or Tempe last season, so maybe we can beat them in Old Mexico.

 

[daytripper]

It'd be great if it were scheduled at the bull ring in Hermisillo. What a road trip!!
Hasta Luego
GBR 40

 

[CorporalCardinal]

It's perfect! THink about it guys, we could switch the bottled water that the niners would bring with fresh from the tap Mexican water and watch the fun begin......talk about bringing new meaning to a RUNNING game!

 

[Jim O]

Ok. I can't resist taking this opportunity to post a Gabriel Trujillo Spanish call from 2003. One of my favorites!

Touch...Touch...Touchdown AhhhhReeeZona!!!!

You must be registered for see images

Gabriel Trujillo: Cardinals Spanish Play by Play Voice

 

[Jim O]

Another one of my favorites! Gabe went off the charts on this one...the 49'ers made him shut the door and windows to his booth! Sweet!

"Touchdown!!! Marcel Cheeeep!"

 

[azdad1978]

Cardinals in line to play south of border

David Vest and Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 15, 2005 12:00 AM

The NFL isn't the first of the four major professional sports leagues to stage a regular-season game beyond United States and Canadian borders.

Although all indications are that the Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers will play the first NFL regular-season game outside the United States on Oct. 2, the league is, in fact, lagging.

The NBA blazed the international trail when it staged a two-game regular-season series between the Suns and Utah Jazz in Japan to start the 1990-91 season.



Major League Baseball followed suit in 1996 when the Mets and Padres played a three-game series in August in Monterrey, Mexico.

The NHL has never played a regular-season game outside North America, but its history is dotted with numerous international tours since the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings played a series of exhibition games in Europe in 1938.

For years, the NFL has sought to grow its popularity. It has played numerous preseason games internationally, and it subsidizes NFL Europe, a developmental league.

The decision to stage a regular-season game in Mexico City appears to be another step toward joining other leagues in establishing an international franchise at some point.

"I said it before and I still feel this way," NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said during the Super Bowl week last month. "I think it could be very likely that the next franchises in the NFL beyond 32 are outside the United States."

Mexico City has hosted six preseason NFL games, including three in the past seven seasons, and appears to be a leading candidate for an international franchise.

"Every sports property realizes growth and expansion is reaching its saturation point in domestic markets," said Paul Swangard, the managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. "The next logical step is to begin planting the seed for growth in foreign markets." . . .

The NFL is the only major U.S. sports property that isn't international in its competition. In some senses, they are a step behind."

The Cardinals, then based in St. Louis, were involved in the first NFL game played outside North America, beating the San Diego Chargers 20-10 on Aug. 16, 1976, in Japan.

Michael Bidwill, Cardinals vice president and general counsel, is excited about the possibility of playing in Mexico City.

"About 27 percent of our fans are Hispanic," he said. "We think playing a game in Mexico City would be a great opportunity for us continue to cultivate our Hispanic fan base as well as develop new fans."

Bidwill said he didn't think an international game would alienate Valley-based Cardinals fans, some of whom may not be happy with one less home game.

"The idea would be if we take away an early game, one of the hotter games, that it would be an ideal situation," he said.

Jim Kahler, the executive director of the MBA Sports Business Program at Arizona State's W.P. Carey School of Business, applauded the Cardinals.

"The precedent they're setting is an interesting one," Kahler said. "Kudos to the Bidwills. It's a financial windfall for the Cardinals. At least it should be."

Bidwill declined to talk about the financial boon the game would create for the Cardinals, and referred all such questions to the league.


http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/0315cardsglobal0315.html

 

[Snakester]

Here's the deal. We win at home 5-3 last year and lose on the road 1-7. Let the 49ers give up their home game and we give up a road game. I like that idea much better. Really though I don't like the idea of the Cardinals playing in another country for a regular season game. If they want to play down there let them do it during the pre-season.

 

[Scott MS]

Based on the article above, looks like the Cards will be giving up a home game. Maybe the El Paso game is off now too because I can't image only having 6 home games. WTF is going on here?

Cards play much better at home, they are signing free agent, why take a home game away? Doesn't make sense to me when you trying to make the playoffs this season.

At least it would be on Sunday Night Football because the game they're talking about is on Sunday night -- at least it was stated in the ESPN Deportes press release.




.

 

[maddogkf]

wtf. I am pissed. This is total BS.

Way to alienate the fans here

 

[blindseyed]

wtf. I am pissed. This is total BS.

Way to alienate the fans here

I'm wirth you Maddog, we get a Sun nite game and they might play in Mexico??
I hope this is just a rumor or wishful thinking by one of thier reporters

 

[Scott MS]

After reading the article from the Republic with quotes from Bidwill, I am thinking that they were going to play a game in El Paso and then maybe the NFL got them excited on moving a regular season game to Mexico City. I know SDS sucks and crowds are small, but if you want to win, you need to play at home. I have to assume that they will have 9 games, but only 7 home regular season games.

Hope this falls through . . .

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Bidwill said he didn't think an international game would alienate Valley-based Cardinals fans, some of whom may not be happy with one less home game.

"The idea would be if we take away an early game, one of the hotter games, that it would be an ideal situation," he said.

Totally out of touch with the fans.

Someone show them this board. Sheesh.

 

[azdad1978]

Cardinals to play in Mexico?

By Darren Urban, Tribune

The NFL wants to play a regular season game outside the United States. The Cardinals see a halfempty Sun Devil Stadium on many game days. The two may make for a perfect match.

Barring any last-second problems, the Cardinals are expected to meet the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City in a meeting that would serve as one of Arizona’s eight regular season home games. The game would be played at Azteca Stadium with a tentative date of Oct. 2.

Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill emphasized Monday that no plans had been finalized. But he reiterated the NFL’s stand on wanting to take a regular season game outside the U.S. and said the Cardinals had lobbied to be included in such discussions.

"The possibility of the Cardinals on a national and international stage would be very intriguing," Bidwill said.

At his annual Super Bowl press conference, commissioner Paul Tagliabue was specifically asked about a regular season game in Mexico. He indicated the NFL did want to move a game that counted in the standings out of the country.

"Obviously, if that became possible in terms of taking a game away from the fans of a team in its home city, one of the places that would get serious consideration would be Mexico City," Tagliabue said.

Pete Abitante, the NFL’s senior director of international public affairs, echoed Tagliabue’s sentiments Monday, although he declined to get into specifics.

"It’s still along the lines of what the commissioner said at the Super Bowl," Abitante said. "We are still committed to playing a game outside the United States."

Abitante said Mexico City and London were the only cities under consideration.

"It will be something that would have to be ironed out quickly," Abitante added.

The NFL schedule is usually released sometime during the first two weeks in April. If the Cardinals are involved in a game in Mexico, it would explain why the Cardinals still have not released their ticket prices for 2005, because the organization would be waiting to see whether it will be charging fans for nine or 10 home games (including two preseason home games).

The Cardinals usually release ticket pricing information in January.

Arizona would have to be guaranteed a certain amount of money to give up a home game, but moving the game to Azteca Stadium could be a boon to the Cardinals. Azteca Stadium has hosted five preseason NFL games, three of which had crowds of more than 104,000 — including 112,376 to watch Dallas play Houston in 1994.

The attendance was lower the past two games there — Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in 2000, Dallas and Oakland in 2001 — but still averaged 87,727 fans.

By comparison, the Cardinals sold 35,069 tickets for their game against the 49ers at Sun Devil Stadium Dec. 12.

A game in Mexico would also allow the Cardinals to reach out to a Hispanic fan base, Bidwill said.

"Obviously the biggest thing in fan development is winning games," Bidwill said. "But the idea of playing a game in Mexico City would be a shot in the arm."

The NFL has held 39 preseason games outside the United States since Chicago and Dallas met in London in 1986, but the league has never taken a game that counts out of a team’s home stadium.

The Cardinals have never played a game outside the United States. The 49ers have played in eight "American Bowls."

Tokyo is already scheduled to host an American Bowl this year on Aug. 6 between Indianapolis and Atlanta.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=37986

 

[clif]

I have to say this is the dumbest crap I have heard in a long time. I guess the NFL wanted the cards to be the laughing stock of the NFL one more time!I could see a preseason game , but regular season division game?


if they actually gave a damn about the heat how about a sunday or monday night game!

 

[red desert]

The least they could do is hold the thing in Mazatlan or Cabo. I've heard Monterrey and Mexico City are both dumps.

You've heard wrong.

 

[bratwurst]

Arthur needs to start a poll on how many people would be willing to travel to Mexico to watch the game.

Its hard enough for me to get to Phoenix each year to see a game.

 

[ajcardfan]

Urban pointed out something today that I had not heard. That is, ABC and ESPN could be switching Sunday and Monday nights this season. So, that means this game would get Michaels-Madden and all the national hoopla.

Yes, this kind of sucks as a season ticket holder, but this is good for the franchise.

 

[clif]

I wonder what kind of say ASU has in all this? I mean don't they get some money from cardinal games of liquor sales? I am sure they will get some payoff.

 

[ajcardfan]

I wonder what kind of say ASU has in all this? I mean don't they get some money from cardinal games of liquor sales? I am sure they will get some payoff.

None.

As the settlement for the lawsuit, they forfeited all SDS revenues this year and last.