Serious concerns about the NFL’s debut game in Brazil

For the first time in NFL history, a regular season game will be played on the South American continent. The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in Sao Paolo, Brazil on September 6. We’ll get you ready for the historic moment by running down all the critical details surrounding the contest.

The Packers and Eagles will face one another at Corinthians Arena, in what will technically be a home game for Philadelphia. The venue has a capacity of 49,205, and has been utilized on the global scale for major events like the Olympics and the World Cup in the past.

As NFL fans know, both the Packers and the Eagles prominently feature the color green in their default uniforms. This sparked a bit of a controversy in Brazil, as NBC Sports noted that the Corinthians’ local soccer rivals wear green, so the hue is not popular in that part of Sao Paolo.

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With that said, officials are looking past this detail, saying that it does not apply to landmark or unique events such as this NFL game.

According to Forbes, Brazil has 36 million fans of the NFL, which only trails Mexico and Canada in the size of international fanbases.

This breakthrough has been a long time coming for the NFL. Forbes writes that the league sponsors Super Bowl parties and flag football leagues in Brazil, and airs games for free there on streaming networks.

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As the home team, the Eagles are doing several things to ingratiate themselves in the area. They are meeting with United States military troops who are stationed in Brazil, as well as hosting a welcome party for fans that will feature the team’s mascot and cheerleaders.

A To Z Sports talked about how previous international trips threw Green Bay’s rhythm and scheduling off, so the Packers wanted to make sure they had all relevant details confirmed this time around. NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said, “We have worked very closely with both teams since the game announcement to ensure the travel logistics would go smoothly, including making sure we got the flights right.”

O’Reilly continued, “The Green Bay Packers will take a direct flight from Green Bay airport to Sao Paulo.” Green Bay will have their final practice a day before the game at CT Joaquin Grava, which is the Corinthians soccer club training facility.

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However, there have been rumblings from different people indicating that they are less than thrilled with the NFL’s decision to host this game in Brazil. A few days before the game, Wisconsin politician John Macco posted, “In light of the current political and social climate in Brazil, I urge the NFL and the Green Bay Packers to reconsider.”

Macco wrote, “The alarming reports of widespread unrest, escalating violence and profound censorship of U.S. companies operating within Brazil paint a troubling picture of the conditions there.”

Philadelphia star defensive back Darius Slay also isn’t thrilled about the arrangement. He said on his podcast, “Man, I do not want to go to Brazil. And you wanna know why? They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much going on because the crime rate is crazy.”

Slay said, “NFL, why y’all wanna send us somewhere where the crime rate is this high and we out the country? You know, the first thing people are thinking is like some terror could possibly happen. I told my family do not come down there because I’m not going to be nowhere to be found.”

Perhaps feeling pressure from the league, Slay changed his tune shortly after. He went on to say, “I want to apologize to anyone I offended, that wasn’t my intention. I’m looking forward to playing in your beautiful country and I’ve heard y’all are very passionate just like our amazing Eagles fans. Just a few more days, can’t wait!!!!”

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown told Fox 11’s website, “I’m just trying to go down there, win a football game and go back home. That’s the best way I can put it. Things that we would normally do here, even as simple as walking down the street with your phone in your hand and stuff like that, which is kind of crazy.”

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Green Bay and Philadelphia aren’t exactly used to playing outside of the United States. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that both franchises have only played one international game previously in their history.