In spite of an initiative well over three years ago, the National Football Leage doesn’t seem to have much to indicate for its China expansion plans. Thus far, their business presence within one of the world’s largest markets for sports has been…well, solely business, businesses related to the production of officially licensed NFL beach towels and so forth. What’s happened?

What’s happened from those halcyon times of 2007 when a whole delegation of top NFL executives visited the nation to introduce American football. Back then, a proposed pre-season exhibition game dubbed the China Bowl was to have happened between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Beijing’s National Stadium (now popularly called “The Bird’s Nest” due to its modern architecture). It had been delayed then cancelled altogether. These days, the NFL’s China strategy seems limited to producing and selling…well, those NFL beach towels.

In fact, a reality show had been planned in 2009 but nothing has happened yet – most likely because a professional industry executive from outside the NFL took a look at the idea and canned it! The NBA’s reality show focuses on cheerleaders, however the NFL was about to focus their show around…fan culture.

That’s right, fan culture. Tailgating parties, dressing up, what fans do around their cars prior to the game.

You heard right, that was the concept from the most profitable sports league in the world, with about eight billion dollars in revenue annually.

Of course, a great deal of that comes in the form of corporate welfare, and it isn’t simply limited to tax breaks and subsidies for stadium construction.

But that’s another story.

So wither NFL China? Has this failed since American football really is, as is often claimed by those partial to soccer, plain and simple incomprehensible and boring?

Could it be that a world which could love golf and cricket – not to mention the interminable back-and-forth that is soccer – just does not care for NFL beach towels?

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