The NFL released its 2015 London schedule earlier this week, and Kansas City Chiefs fans were not happy about it.
The Chiefs, who ranked seventh in attendance last year, opted to “host” a game at Wembley Stadium next year against the Detroit Lions. Fans took to Twitter quickly, expressing their disapproval.
Words like stupid, ridiculous, and unbelievable quickly filled Twitter timelines, as both fans and media members reacted to the news. The Chiefs will get to showcase their talents on the international stage, but that’s not something fans really prioritize.
What they do prioritize, however, is spending a Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, which just underwent a $250 million dollar renovation from 2007-2010. The raucous Midwest fans pride themselves on their “12^th man” ability, and they have one less game to showcase it next year.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke to ESPN’s Adam Teicher about the decision, saying, “We think it’s a great opportunity … It puts us on a global stage. Our players, our fans and the whole region should benefit.”
What Donovan fails to understand though, is that fans don’t care about the international stage. The NFL playing games in London is an asinine idea, and is merely an attempt by the NFL to shove American sports down the throats of Europeans yet again.
Since it’s inception in 2007, teams to host a game in London have been Miami, New Orleans, Tampa Bay (twice), San Francisco, St. Louis, Minnesota, Jacksonville (twice), Oakland and Atlanta. All of these teams have had troubles with their stadium or attendance, so the decision by the Chiefs to host a game next year makes even less sense.
NFL owners voted earlier this year to require teams to host an international game if they wish to host a Super Bowl, but because of the lack of hotels in Kansas City, that doesn’t seem plausible anyway. Fans who think otherwise are naïve, and it seems as though Clark Hunt and his staff are being naïve, as well.
Going to the international stage offers no benefits at all, especially for the fans. The NFL, with it’s “international stage” continues to show that it has no regard for the fans’ needs, and keeps sucking in the money any way they can. The Chiefs, for some reason, are following suit.
Instead of focusing on their needs overseas, the NFL and the Chiefs need to focus on their domestic needs, where their entire fan base is. The international games are yet another example of the NFL prioritizing money over their fan base, which just ends up biting them in the back.