NFL To Play First Regular-season Game Outside U.S.

MadCardDisease

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For the first time in its 86-year history, the NFL will play a regular-season game outside the United States on October 2 when the Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, Mexico, the NFL announced today.

The Sunday night game at Estadio Azteca will be televised live at 8:30 PM ET in the U.S. on ESPN. Televisa will provide live television coverage throughout Mexico.

“Mexico is the country with the most NFL fans outside of the United States,” said NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE. “Our fans in Mexico are knowledgeable and passionate and they are ready for this next step. They have supported our American Bowl games in record numbers and NFL programming has been part of television in Mexico for many decades. The Cardinals and 49ers play in markets with large Hispanic communities, including many people of Mexican decent. This game will generate new excitement both in Mexico and in Hispanic communities throughout the United States, and it promises to become a milestone in the NFL’s history as a global sport.”


The Cardinals will be the home team. The club will shift one of its eight regular-season home games from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to Estadio Azteca – site of the largest crowd in NFL history. On August 15, 1994, 112,376 fans filled the stadium for an American Bowl game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers.

Arizona has an in-state Hispanic population of more than 25 percent, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The Cardinals have a rapidly growing fan base south of the border, fuelled by the club’s aggressive outreach to the Hispanic community. Approximately 67 percent of U.S. Hispanics trace their origin to Mexico.

Cardinals ties to Mexico include offensive lineman ROLANDO CANTU, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and former NFL kicker LUIS ZENDEJAS -- a native of Mexico City – who is the club’s director of community relations.

"The Cardinals are honored to have been selected for this historic and unprecedented game," said MICHAEL BIDWILL, the team's vice president and general counsel. "When we learned of the league's interest in staging an international regular-season game we felt the Cardinals would be a natural fit this season for a number of reasons. Cultivating the Hispanic fan base has been a long-standing priority, and our final season at Sun Devil Stadium certainly provides the optimal timing to host the game this season. We couldn't be more excited about the direction in which our organization is headed. This game will provide a phenomenal opportunity to showcase the Cardinals to a national and international audience."

The 49ers have been one of the NFL’s most popular franchises worldwide.

San Francisco has played in eight international games as part of the NFL’s American Bowl series of preseason games, the second most of any franchise (Dallas, 9).

The Cardinals took part in an NFL international milestone in 1976. On August 16 of that year, they played in the league’s first game outside North America -- a 20-10 preseason victory over San Diego in Tokyo, Japan.

The American Bowl series of preseason games, instituted in 1986 in response to growing worldwide interest in the NFL, has averaged 58,345 fans in 39 games with more than 2.2 million people worldwide experiencing the excitement of the NFL in person. The Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons will play in the 40th American Bowl on August 6 in Tokyo.
 

Cheesebeef

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noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're guaranteed a losing season. :rolleyes:
 

Card Trader

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cheesebeef said:
noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're guaranteed a losing season. :rolleyes:

Yep, that's the exact argument everyone that opposed this made. No reason to exaggerate. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 

Cheesebeef

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Card Trader said:
Yep, that's the exact argument everyone that opposed this made. No reason to exaggerate. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ! Top that!
 

RedViper

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I'm ready to stop obsessing on this but apparently you guys aren't. Therefore just so no one confuses my points on this issue:

We have lost 20 of our last 21 road games. We are 9-7 at home in the past two years. Our one road victory in that time, was a pathetic affair in which we needed a hail mary and two questionable calls to win the game against a horrible dolphins team. Based on this evidence I asserted; "an additional road game for us amounts to a guaranteed loss."

I'll admit calling an additional road game a guaranteed loss is overstating my case. My bad. That said, Does anyone wish to argue with the assertion that the evidence I've cited above, establishes that we are currently the worst road team in the NFL? Feel free to make that argument, because I would love to see it.

My additional argument, after establishing through evidence, we are currently the worst road team in the NFL, is that it is a bad idea to take on an additional road game. I stand by that.
 

kerouac9

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RedViper said:
I'm ready to stop obsessing on this but apparently you guys aren't. Therefore just so no one confuses my points on this issue:

We have lost 20 of our last 21 road games. We are 9-7 at home in the past two years. Our one road victory in that time, was a pathetic affair in which we needed a hail mary and two questionable calls to win the game against a horrible dolphins team. Based on this evidence I asserted; "an additional road game for us amounts to a guaranteed loss."

I'll admit calling an additional road game a guaranteed loss is overstating my case. My bad. That said, Does anyone wish to argue with the assertion that the evidence I've cited above, establishes that we are currently the worst road team in the NFL? Feel free to make that argument, because I would love to see it.

My additional argument, after establishing through evidence, we are currently the worst road team in the NFL, is that it is a bad idea to take on an additional road game. I stand by that.


I think you're missing the point that we have ROLANDO CANTU! This GUARANTEES that ALL OF THE MEXICANS are going to be behind the Cardinals at the game, and that makes it a HOME GAME.

Because we have CANTU the landfills of Mexico are all filled with discarded Cowboys and Raiders jerseys. Isn't that right, MCD?
 

SouthNZoneFan

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I am just upset I have one less game to tailgate at...

ANyone else joining me??

:shrug:
 

Scott MS

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cheesebeef said:
noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're guaranteed a losing season. :rolleyes:

Sound like we're guaranteed 7 home games and 9 away games, which really puts the Cards in the driver's seat in their division!!
 

Scott MS

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Actually, since each team in the division plays almost the same schedule (except for playing the NFC South and NFC North teams that finished in the same spot at last year's results) here's the schedule difficulty.

1. San Francisco: 8 Home Games, 7 Road Games, 1 Neutral Site Game, 4th Place Conference Opponents
2. St. Louis: 8 Home Games, 8 Road Games, 2nd Place Conference Opponents
3. Seattle: 8 Home Games, 8 Road Games, 1st Place Conference Opponents
4. Arizona: 7 Home Games, 8 Road Games, 1 Neutral Site GAme, 3rd Place Conference Opponents


49ers have the easiest schedule in the Division, by far.



.
 
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black

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RVD's post I forgot to quote

I have been trying to stay off this topic since I've never been to a Cards game. EVER. Some of you probably don't know this but its true.


RVD has some good points, but I disagree. Green's first year was last year, and combining the last 2 seasons shouldn't happen. We've had alot of roster changes and this year more will fall off the "pre Denny" years. Yes we won one road game last year but could have easily won another 3. St. Louis, Atlanta, and the 9er debacle. 4-4 on the road isn't bad when you're us.


This isn't the "same 'ol Cardinals", I know you didn't say this directly RVD, but that's the impression a got when I read your post.


Going to Mexico is a giant step for the NFL, I understand why the diehards don't want to lose a home game though. Football season comes but once a year and seven is less than 8.
 
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