Thousands of Brazilian fans who admire American football were able to fulfill their dream last Friday (6) and see some of the biggest stars of the sport’s premier professional league in action during its first game held in South America.
The Brazil, where football is king, hosted the first regular season NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo.
It is estimated that 45,000 people attended the game in the largest city in Latin America, marking another step for the NFL to continue expanding its global presence after holding games in Great Britain, Mexico, and Germany in recent years.
The NFL stated that Brazil is establishing itself as a key market for the most popular professional sports league in the United States.
In June, fans quickly sold out all available tickets. On Friday, they packed the stadium, proudly wearing the jerseys of their favorite NFL teams, not necessarily the Eagles or Packers.
The game ended with the Eagles overcoming a disastrous first quarter to defeat the Green Bay Packers 34-29.
Trying to establish itself in the land of football
The NFL has a relationship with Brazil that has lasted over 50 years. It all started in 1969 when TV Tupi broadcast an American football game for the first time. The Brazilian broadcaster aired 18 months of football games from the American CBS network in hopes of developing a fan base during that time.
In 1988, TV Bandeirantes broadcast the Super Bowl live for the first time, and other TV networks later acquired the rights to broadcast the league finals. These broadcasts inspired the first “boom” of American football in Brazil, leading to the formation of teams in Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina.
Since then, the sport has only grown. 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