This Sunday, the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins will kick off from Wembley Stadium, the first of three regular season games being played in London as part of the NFL's emphasis on growing its international market. There is concern among league officials, however, that the recent domestic violence scandal could potentially stunt that growth, according to a report by the UK-based magazine Marketing Week.
NFL concerned domestic abuse scandal could stunt international popularity
As the league prepares to kick off in London this weekend, it’s measuring the fallout of the Ray Rice scandal on its fledgling foreign fan base.
“We’re in the process of measuring the fallout [on the UK brand] of the incident and will not know anything immediately,” said Mark Reeves, the NFL’s international commercial director. “It’s a negative issue for us and it’s our job is to make sure we rectify it quickly and accordingly. It has not impacted the relationships with any of our sponsors in the UK.”
Eight percent of the 5,900 mentions of the NFL on Twitter in the UK last month focused on the domestic violence scandal, according to the social media monitor Brandwatch. (Interestingly enough, BrandIndex claims that the perception of the league stateside is actually on the rise, especially among women).
NFL executives are hoping to increase total revenue to $25 billion by 2027, and view international growth as the key component in doing so. In addition to increasing its foothold in the UK, Miller said the league is targeting expansion in Germany, Brazil, China and Japan, as well as neighboring Canada and Mexico.
The NFL and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, have been harshly criticized for the lenient initial suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was arrested in February for assaulting his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer. It has since exploded into a national controversy amid allegations that the Ravens and the league attempted to conceal Rice's actions, including a now-infamous security video showing Rice knocking Palmer unconscious with a vicious punch.
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