NFL eyes big debut in Paris as Steelers-Saints game comes amid security concerns
The NFL hopes to bring a “mini-Super Bowl” vibe to Paris this week for its first regular-season game in France, even as authorities consider imposing curfews following civil unrest.
The security situation has partially overshadowed the buildup to Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at Stade de France.
But the league says preparations are on schedule with an “NFL House” to open later in the week and other fan activities. The Saints arrived in Paris on Monday morning and have their own fan events planned, too.
The NFL has teamed up with Paris Saint-Germain and French stars like Kylian Mbappé and rugby player Antoine Dupont to help promote the game.
Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and Asia-Pacific, told the Associated Press the French market has been one of “high interest” for some time.
“It would make sense to play regularly here each year, but we haven’t made that call yet,” Gosper said in a recent interview. “We like to see how things go the first time, but we’re pretty confident it will be a successful execution of that game.”
To land lucrative media-rights deals in any market, the league knows it needs to attract new fans and push higher into that country’s TV viewership preferences.
"(The) Super Bowl is your first meeting, normally, with new entrants, so if we can make this week as much like a Super Bowl as possible, a mini–Super Bowl, then we’ll hopefully recruit some new fans this week and that’s the whole goal,” Gosper said.
