Thousands of Brazilian fans who admire American football were able to fulfill their dream last Friday (6) and see playing some of the biggest stars of the sport’s main professional league in its first game held in South America.
Brazil, where soccer is king, hosted the first regular-season NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at the Corinthians Arena in São Paulo.
An estimated 45,000 people attended the game in Latin America’s largest city, marking another step by the NFL to continue expanding its global presence after holding games in Great Britain, Mexico and Germany in recent years.
The NFL has said Brazil is establishing itself as a key market for the most popular professional sports league in the United States.
In June, fans quickly bought every available ticket. On Friday, they packed the stadium, proudly wearing jerseys of their favorite NFL teams, not necessarily the Eagles or Packers.
The game ended with the Eagles overcoming a disastrous first quarter to beat the Green Bay Packers, 34-29.
Trying to make a name for itself in the land of soccer
The NFL has a relationship with Brazil that has lasted for more than 50 years. It all started in 1969, When TV Tupi broadcast an American football match for the first time. The Brazilian TV network received for 18 months football game transmissions from the American network CBS in the hope that a fan base would be developed during this time.
In 1988, TV Bandeirantes broadcasted the Super Bowl live for the first time, and other TV networks later acquired the rights to broadcast the league’s finals. These broadcasts inspired the first “boom” of American football in Brazil, with the formation of teams in Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina.
From then on, the sport only grew. The NFL recognizes approximately 36 million NFL fans in Brazil.
After the success of Friday’s game, the NFL is considering evaluating future opportunities to hold more games in Brazil.
Source: Reuters and Globo.com