With 38 million fans, more than 20 percent of whom are “avid fans,” Brazil, a nation of 203 million people, is currently the NFL’s second-largest overseas market after Mexico, according to a study the league commissioned.
From three million fans in 2015, that is an increase.
The NFL is now showing its love for Brazil by adding Sao Paulo to its international schedule, joining London and Munich. The NFL will play its first-ever game in Brazil next season.
The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their season on September 6 at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena against an undetermined team, according to an announcement made by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday.
Caio, Marins’s twin brother and another ardent fan, claims he has already reserved vacation time to visit.
He told AFP, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“Mister Gisele Bundchen”
How did American football, a game that most people around the world find incomprehensible, become popular in the “land of the beautiful game”?
The CEO of Effect Sport, the NFL’s marketing agency in Brazil, Pedro Rego Monteiro, provides a number of explanations for the rapid expansion.
A selection from the list: Brazilians adore American culture, which includes off-field Americana like tailgate gatherings and Super Bowl advertisements. The NFL has put a lot of effort into its marketing, and the playoffs coincide with the Brazilian football league’s off-season.
Then there is the influence of the man who was formerly married to the Brazilian supermodel and was referred to as “Mr Gisele Bundchen” in Brazil: Tom Brady. Brady is a legendary quarterback who won a record seven Super Bowls between 2002 and 2021.
According to Monteiro, “fandom grew absurdly” for Brady and his longtime team, the New England Patriots, in Brazil, largely because of Bundchen.
The football player exodus
Brazilian football stars are leaving their country for more lucrative leagues abroad, which is another reason given by Cristiane Kajiwara, president of the Brazilian American Football Confederation (CBFA), for what she refers to as “NFL fever.”
“It has made room for other sports,” she said to AFP.
An increasing number of Brazilians are also picking up American football.
Linebacker Gabriel Stutz, an amateur with Rio Football Academy, says he would love to play professionally in Brazil after training in the rain while wearing a helmet and pads.
The 24-year-old army lieutenant and psychology student says, “It’s every kid’s dream.”
Between flag football and traditional football, there are about 300 American football teams in Brazil. Established in 2000, the CBFA hosts both regional and national competitions.
According to Kajiwara, flag football has gained even more popularity since it was added as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Right now, the Brazilian women’s flag football team holds the fourth-best ranking in the world.
However, supporters remain realistic about the potential size of the boom.
“Someday, will there be more Brazilians who watch the NFL than football? Most likely not,” responds Monteiro.
