Nov
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
On a Sunday at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Miami Dolphins in front of a 50,000-strong crowd, indulging in a spectacle of sports, entertainment, and American culture. NFL football is known for its exuberance, boldness, brutality, and savagery. Throughout the Chiefs’ 21-14 victory, every pause in the action was filled with noise, entertainment, and advertising, making the most of those fleeting moments.
This marked the NFL’s second game in Germany, with the first held in Munich a year prior. Another is set to follow in Frankfurt the coming Sunday, accompanied by the marketing blitz that facilitates the NFL’s expansion into new territories.
German football aspires to follow suit.
To compete with the money-spinning Premier League, the Bundesliga must extend its reach beyond domestic borders. While the NFL and the Bundesliga may seem like unusual partners, the NFL plays a crucial role in this strategy.
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
Collaboration between the NFL and the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), which oversees the two divisions of the Bundesliga, dates back to 2020 when the German league became the first major competition to resume play during the pandemic. The NFL sought advice from the DFL before resuming its own season later that summer, and this partnership has grown stronger, culminating in the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2022.
For the NFL, the DFL offers local expertise and commercial acumen regarding its international series games, which also take place in London and Mexico City, with further global expansion on the horizon.
Frankfurt has a history in American football dating back to the end of World War II, and the facilities at Deutsche Bank Park, along with its giant pendulum scoreboard suspended above the pitch, were attractive features for hosting NFL games. It’s not coincidental that the DFL’s headquarters are in the city, and this year, the NFL has landed in Germany’s business hub.
However, the Bundesliga is bound by legislative and ideological constraints on its end of the agreement. Hosting Bundesliga games outside of Germany is simply not feasible, and the notion of an international series is out of the question. Even discussing the possibility of exporting a game would incite significant backlash.
The 50+1 rule, which mandates that 50 percent of a club’s shares plus one must remain in the hands of its members, grants supporters a say in club matters. Executives out of sync with their club’s fanbase can be ousted. In contrast, Premier League officials often respond to discontent with indifference. In Germany, staging a Bundesliga game in Shanghai, Dubai, or Dallas would be met with immense resistance.
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
The DFL acknowledges this reality. Christian Seifert, the former CEO of the DFL, vowed in 2020 that games overseas would “never, ever” happen. Peer Naubert, CMO of Bundesliga International, asserts that this stance remains unchanged.
“Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 games and matchdays are deeply ingrained in our societies, making it very challenging and severe to move them to different markets,” Naubert stated. “Discussions about the Supercup have been ongoing, and this is an area where the ‘never, ever’ might not hold as strongly.”
However, Naubert emphasizes that nothing is currently under consideration or discussion.
The DFL-Supercup, akin to England’s Community Shield and contested between the league champions and the DFB-Pokal (Germany’s FA Cup) winners each summer, is a sensitive issue. For some fans, it’s the first domino, and allowing it to move could set off an unstoppable chain of events.
From a league development perspective, it presents another challenge.
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
The Bundesliga isn’t characterized by star power, making it difficult for clubs to export famous players to foreign stages with the expectation of reaping substantial commercial benefits. Combined with the league’s inability to host games outside Germany, this necessitates a pursuit of innovative solutions with little room for error.
How the NFL is helping the Bundesliga find its place in global sport
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