The NFL is STILL planning to play Steelers vs. Saints in Paris on October 25, despite weeks of protests in France and growing concerns about fan safety.
And this is where my hatred for international NFL games gets even stronger.. because I already think these games are stupid when everything is going PERFECTLY!
The Saints are technically the HOME team. Their home game is in FRANCE. Imagine being a Saints fan and having one of your few opportunities to watch your team at home taken away because Roger Goodell wants to sell some jerseys in Paris.
Now you’ve got thousands of arrests, protests across France, fans questioning whether it’s safe to travel, and the NFL is basically saying the show must go on.
I’m not saying the stadium is automatically unsafe because people are protesting. The NFL says it’s working with local authorities, and that’s obviously important. But this entire situation makes me wonder why we’re so obsessed with sending regular-season games overseas in the first place.
You’ve got teams dealing with international travel, time changes, disrupted routines, and fans back home losing games they would’ve actually attended. All so the NFL can expand into another market.
And I get it.. it’s a business. There’s money to be made internationally. But does EVERY SINGLE thing about football have to be about finding another market to squeeze money out of?
The NFL has spent decades building these incredible fanbases and home-field environments. The Saints should be playing in the Superdome. Steelers fans should be watching their team play in an actual NFL stadium in America.
Instead, we’re waking up at 9:30 in the morning to watch two American football teams play in Paris while everybody wonders whether the protests are going to affect the game.
I hate international games. I hated them before this situation, and I will probably hate them long after it.
Can we PLEASE just play NFL football in NFL cities?!
- Benny Yinzer
