NFL pondering greater presence in Mexico City
The NFL was encouraged enough by its return to Mexico City to plan games there the next two seasons. And a league-commissioned study into the economic impact of that visit from the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans last fall has the NFL’s international point man optimistic that all involved will want to extend, and perhaps expand, the relationship beyond 2018.
The study by EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) pegged the incremental increase in Mexico City’s gross domestic product at $45 million in U.S. dollars for the Nov. 21 game at Estadio Azteca and surrounding events — nearly double the impact of an NFL game in London, based on another study by a different accounting firm in 2014.
That’s considered sufficient economic activity to support 2,840 full-time jobs, according to EY media relations manager Konstantinos Makrygiannis, without factoring in indirect impact from what amounts to a free infomercial for the Mexico tourism industry.
“It would obviously make sense for us to explore the opportunity to commit to longer,” Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president for international, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.
“The more you do to commit, the easier it is to prepare stadiums, line up scheduling and prepare teams. I would like to think that the success of the first game plus the attractiveness of the matchup we’ve put down there for 2017 would end up with a relationship that extends beyond 2018.”
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced during Super Bowl week that the Raiders will “host” another game against the New England Patriots in 2017. If it works into the schedule, Waller said, the preference is to play again the weekend before Thanksgiving to establish a routine, similar to how the NFL regularly played in late October during the early days of its London series that began in 2007.
There’s no doubt the Mexico City market could support more than one game in a season, Waller said. But as in London, teams’ reluctance to give up home games limits the inventory.
Waller said Mexico authorities have raised no concerns about recent tensions between their government and the U.S. government.
“I think this is seen by all involved as something that goes beyond everyday politics and goes to the heart of what sport is all about,” Waller said, “which is bringing fans together, people together, cultures together and celebrating that.”
An email sent Tuesday to the office of Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa was not immediately returned.
The EY study found 9,500 people traveled from outside Mexico (mostly from the U.S.) for the Raiders-Texans game, spending an average of five days in the country, as well as 21,500 visitors from other parts of Mexico. Total domestic and international tourist spending was $43 million, including $32 million that was incremental to the Mexico City economy, the study said.
A 2014 study by Deloitte found two NFL games in London during the 2013 season contributed 32 million pounds to that city’s economy, which based on the conversion rate at the time comes to around $24 million in U.S. dollars per game. The NFL increased its slate to three games in London in 2014 and will play four games there this year.
Ease and price of travel to Mexico, among other factors, contribute to the greater tourism impact there than in London, Waller said. Attendance for November’s game — the first Monday night game played outside the U.S. — was 76,473. According to the NFL, 205,000 people attended a related fan fest and 55,000 took part in other community events leading up to the game.
“Quite honestly, we could probably have more visitors in if we directed more tickets back to the teams,” Waller said. “But we’re trying to strike the right balance obviously between bringing in U.S. fans and making sure our Mexican fans also get a good opportunity to see the game.”
At his Super Bowl media conference, Goodell said the NFL “had a great experience last year” and hopes that continuing to play games in Mexico also will help the league reach out to Hispanic fans in the U.S.
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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero
PHOTOS: NFL's return to Mexico City
