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Posted by Mike Florio on July 13, 2009 11:45 AM
It's ironic, to say the least, that the NFL's effort to globalize the game is heating up only days after UFC president Dana White declared that no one in other countries cares about the greatest game ever invented.
According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, the league will have a football reality show on CCTV-5, the largest sports broadcaster in China.
"We are committed to growing our sport around the world," NFL spokesman Michael Signora told Kaplan, "including in China. We are exploring all avenues to accomplish this goal, including through various new projects that we aim to launch for the 2009 season."
The show reportedly will focus on some of the peripheries of the game, such as tailgating and fans dressing up and painting their faces. Chinese celebrities also are expected to participate in the show.
The fact that the Beijing Olympics have come and gone is making it easier for other endeavors to secure the focus of the nation's sports ministry.
If the new show goes well, a preseason game could be played in China in 2010 or 2011. In 2007, the Patriots and the Seahawks were scheduled to play an exhibition game there, but the plug was pulled due in part to the fact that the league also was finalizing plans for the first regular-season game in NFL history played in London.
It's ironic, to say the least, that the NFL's effort to globalize the game is heating up only days after UFC president Dana White declared that no one in other countries cares about the greatest game ever invented.
According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, the league will have a football reality show on CCTV-5, the largest sports broadcaster in China.
"We are committed to growing our sport around the world," NFL spokesman Michael Signora told Kaplan, "including in China. We are exploring all avenues to accomplish this goal, including through various new projects that we aim to launch for the 2009 season."
The show reportedly will focus on some of the peripheries of the game, such as tailgating and fans dressing up and painting their faces. Chinese celebrities also are expected to participate in the show.
The fact that the Beijing Olympics have come and gone is making it easier for other endeavors to secure the focus of the nation's sports ministry.
If the new show goes well, a preseason game could be played in China in 2010 or 2011. In 2007, the Patriots and the Seahawks were scheduled to play an exhibition game there, but the plug was pulled due in part to the fact that the league also was finalizing plans for the first regular-season game in NFL history played in London.