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Philadelphia Eagles WR Devonta Smith Seems Less Than Enthused About Opening Season In Brazil

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Devonta Smith

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We are now less than a week away from the start of the NFL season with its traditional Thursday night opener at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. For the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, they will have a unique start to their season.

The two contenders in the NFC will open up their season in Sao Paolo, Brazil next Friday night in the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in South America. But, not everyone is thrilled about it, chief among them Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith. 

The NFL is looking to globalize the game, for obvious financial reasons. They’ve played plenty of regular season games in Europe, and have played preseason games in Japan, as well as a few games in Mexico. But, this would be their first foray into one of the nation’s largest countries that could see an economic boom in the 21st century.

On paper, it’s a great idea for the NFL.  Getting into emerging markets is always a plus, and it’s been pretty effective in Europe. Plus, with flag football being added to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, football is truly about to go global.

But, the players have reasons to be upset about it. While time zones are not an issue heading south, with Sao Paolo one hour ahead of Eastern Time, it’s still unnecessary travel to a foreign and unfamiliar country. And, with the game being on a Friday, it’s a deviation of the normal game week. The fact that it’s Week 1 helps that, but players still like routine.

Plus, there are questions about air quality in Sao Paolo as wildfires spread throughout Brazil, and that’s a big issue for players.

One of those players is Devonta Smith, and he’s pretty unenthusiastic about going to Brazil to play that game.

The fourth-year man out of Alabama certainly has a right to be upset. But, this is a big game against two teams that should be jockeying for NFC playoff position all year long. The Philadelphia Eagles need to get off to a good start after a cataclysmic ending to last season.