49ers-Cardinals regular season game to be played

[Bored]

Two league sources confirmed Tuesday that the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers will meet in an Oct. 2 regular-season game in Mexico City. The matchup, first reported by The Arizona Republic in its Tuesday editions, will be the NFL's initial regular-season game played outside the United States.

 

The lone remaining element to be addressed is firming up some details with television partners in Mexico, a league source said, and that is considered a formality. The NFL expects to formally announce the game, the potential for which was first broached by commissioner Paul Tagliabue at his pre-Super Bowl news conference, within the next two weeks.

 

When the commissioner mentioned the possibility of a game outside the United States borders, the reality of such a contest was not considered imminent. But the Cardinals, whose fan base includes a considerable Hispanic following, volunteered to play the game in Mexico City.

 

In so doing, the Cardinals will essentially forfeit a home game, and against an NFC West division foe. Clearly, however, Cardinals ownership feels the opportunity is an attractive one for their franchise and the rest of the NFL as the league continues to try to broaden its fan base and expand potential revenue streams.

 

"About 27 percent of our fans are Hispanic," Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill told The Arizona Republic. "We think playing a game in Mexico City would be a great opportunity for us to continue to cultivate our Hispanic base as well as to develop new fans. It would be an historic and unprecedented event."

 

Pending an announcement of the game, which could come at the annual NFL meetings in Maui next week if television contracts in Mexico are completed, the Cards have delayed mailing invoices to season ticket patrons. Playing the game in Mexico City, of course, would affect ticket prices because Arizona would play just seven regular-season games in Sun Devil Stadium.

 

The league would like to make an international regular-season game an annual event. But, as one league source noted, it might be difficult finding volunteers every year who are willing to forfeit a home contest. The Cardinals annually rank among the league's poorest teams in terms of annual home attendance and that almost certainly played some part in their decision to volunteer for the Mexico City contest.

 

There have been six preseason games played in Mexico City, including three in the past seven years.

[Slayer]

I guess if we're going to outsource, we might as well outsource crap

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

If they played that game in my backyard, I'd pull down the shades.

[Guest Arnold_OldSchool]

1-5 vs 2-4 Should be thrilling

[The Czech Republic]

"About 27 percent of our fans are Hispanic," Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill told The Arizona Republic.

"About 27 of our fans are Hispanic," Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill added.

[Guest Vitamin X]

If they made it a Cowboys-Raiders game ticket sales would have skyrocketed. Every Mexican I remember in LA seemed to wear either Cowboy or Raider apparel.

[1234-5678]

Well, I hope they don't drink the water.

[Gert T]

The biggest shame is that it'll be a national game on ESPN, all of North America has to suffer.

[Cuban Linx]

If the NFL wants to appeal to the Mexican market sending them maybe the shittiest game they could probably isn't the best way to do it.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Maybe the NFL is doing a deal with the White House: Send this down there and maybe it'll scare illegal immigrants away from Arizona and California...

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I remember an Oilers/Cowboys preseason game they did down there. Final score was 6-3 or 9-6 or some awful shit, and there was so much trash thrown on the field that it was hard to distinguish penalty flags.

[1234-5678]

Let's hope for one of them soccer riots.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

I remember an Oilers/Cowboys preseason game they did down there. Final score was 6-3 or 9-6 or some awful shit, and there was so much trash thrown on the field that it was hard to distinguish penalty flags.

Ha, I remember that game, too. It wasn't exactly the type of game you would want to promote outside of the United States...

[MARTYEWR]

Seriously, do Bush and Cheney think Mexico is somehow linked to Saddem, Al Quada, Osama, or any other sources of terrorism???

 

Really, what did the Mexicans do to deserve this torture?

[Mole]

Man, I don't even know what to think about this.

 

Yeah for the Niners?

[Guest Laka]

Move some useless team like the Bills there.

[Mole]

I don't think you can get any more useless than the Niners and Cards.

[MARTYEWR]

Move some useless team like the Bills there.

The Bills are pretty in the upper-half of the league as far as average attendance go in the NFL. They're far from "useless". In fact, if Ralph Wilson Stadium hadn't gone under a series of renovations which reduced capacity by around 7,000 or so, they'd still have one of the higher stadium capacities of the NFL.

[Guest jonnyboy]

You god damn cunts. 5 super rings. 5! Most storied franchise in nfl history. The mexicans will be thankful.

[sfaJack]

You god damn cunts. 5 super rings. 5! Most storied franchise in nfl history. The mexicans will be thankful.

Ahem.

 

 

They aren't America's Team for nothing.

[Agent_Bond34]

And in adding to this, on PTI earlier, they announced that this game is gonna be a Sunday Night game on ESPN.

[RepoMan]

THe Ralph still seats 73,000, its still big for an NLF team and it's in the 2nd smallest market in the NFL. Don't think of putting the Bills in the toilet w/ the 49ers and Cards, they almost mad the playoffs last year. If they ever get outsourced they'd go to Toronto anyways.