Getty Image / Sven Hoppe
The NFL staged its first game ever in Munich, Germany on Sunday. Ticket demand was incredibly high, and the event came off as a huge success. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in a great game in front of a raucous crowd. It’s a good first impression for German fans if they want to attract an NFL franchise as the league thinks about expanding into Europe.
Ticketmaster says it could have sold 3 million tickets for the NFL's first regular season game in Germany, but what is the league's long-term ambition for the market?
I spoke to Alexander Steinforth, who heads up the NFL's Dusseldorf office, to find out: https://t.co/f2xAlWTMUm
— Sam (@Sam__Carp) November 11, 2022
But, one thing we can agree on is that European sports crowds are awesome. While it may not be the sheer decibel level we see in the USA, their chants and singalongs are unmatched. They showed that off on Sunday.
Fans in Munich belted out crowd favorite “Country Roads” on Sunday
Singalongs are great in European soccer. In Liverpool you will hear “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and at the Etihad, home of Manchester City, you will hear things like “Blue Moon” and “Wonderwall”.
And, fans in Munich brought that same energy to the NFL.
Country Roads in Munich
The scenes pic.twitter.com/SrmoBO17yO
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 13, 2022
That is the definition of absolute scenes. It’s going to be hard to keep teams out of Europe, in my opinion. Europeans root for teams in the same way we do, and the game is growing quickly overseas. I think Germany is an especially good fit, and their NFL Europe teams back in the day were relatively successful.
I’m sure the NFL will be back soon. And, maybe they will be back permanently.