NFL to Wait Before Holding Games in China

The NFL is growing well in China but will not hold a game in the country until its fan base hits tipping point, according to NFL China Managing Director, Richard Young.

Young said the NFL missed opportunities because it was slow to focus on China but he is content with the rise in popularity of the sport throughout major Chinese cities.

“We’re not going down the same old route the way some people still do, they look at 1.38 billion people and say, ‘If we could just get 5 percent’,” Young said. “When people follow that strategy it’s all gone.

“A lot of people try to make very homogenous maxims about China all the time, but we don’t believe there’s a cultural reason as to why American football is more popular in the United States than it is overseas.

“It’s just that we haven’t been very active, have not been proactive, in developing it overseas and particularly in China.

“What would we do differently? Start earlier, that’s the number one thing.”

Several US and European leagues and teams have held games in China, but Young said there were no immediate plans for the NFL to do so.

The NFL cancelled an exhibition game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in 2007 because China was not ready for the sport and the league’s international expansion was instead focused on London.

“Until our fan base is at a level where it can truly support itself, and there is additional demand for more, I’m not supportive of holding a game here,” said Young.

“Wembley sells out in three hours -that’s the NFL. Having empty seats and saying, ‘Oh we still have tickets left’ – that’s not the NFL.

“We’re not going after everyone, we’re going after the rural areas, we’re concentrating on 19 major cities, we know we have a tipping point of 38 million.

“We’re very much more Louis Vuitton than the Gap. We’re focusing on a smaller group of people and until that base is large enough we don’t want to damage our brand equity.”

Unlike the NBA, which has been able to flourish in China due to the country’s long-established basketball structure, the NFL is starting from scratch.

The NFL faces a number of challenges in growing the sport including educating people about what is often considered a complex game and generating enthusiasm about a sport that is not included in the Olympics.

“In developing countries, not unique to China, they see sports primarily through ethnic and national pride,” he said.

Figures related to NFL growth are positive, however, particularly in social media and online streaming.

More than 1 million people in China watched the Super Bowl online last season, while cumulative television viewership jumped from 48 million to 80 million across China.

Nike will begin selling NFL apparel in its stores on November 16.

“Most people in China don’t know what a quarterback does, but our research shows they recognize the NFL shield and the NFL brand quite well, actually a lot better than most people think and a lot higher than many leagues who are also in China.

“They know that it is quality and they know that it has stature in the United States, which carries a lot of weight here, so we don’t want to do anything just to tick a box.

“Holding a game in China just to say that we did it is not part of our plans.”{jcomments on}