William Nylander has already played in Sweden with the Toronto Maple Leafs this year. © TT News Agency / CLAUDIO BRESCIANI

US sports: NFL, NHL and Co. on a triumphant march around the globe

The major American team sports leagues have reached new heights in 2023 with their activities outside the USA and Canada.

25 December 2023

From: dpa/det

The NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and MLS attracted more foreign spectators than ever before and are eager to continue their triumphant march. In the coming year, US leagues expect even stronger growth in overseas markets despite an increasingly shrinking global sports market.

"We don't disclose financial figures, but I can tell you that we have grown by about 15 percent annually over the last ten years and we expect our international business to grow by another 20 percent next year," the NBA deputy admitted -Commissioner Mark Tatum gave the Reuters news agency a strategic insight.

The NBA is also popular outside the USA. © APA / KEVIN C. COX

The world's top basketball league has hosted games in Abu Dhabi and Mexico City in 2023 and will play a game in Paris on January 11th. Since 1978, more than 210 NBA games have taken place outside North America, making the league a pioneer in this regard. After the first steps under Commissioner David Stern, who died in 2020, the NBA can be followed anywhere in the world and at any time in the fully developed global age with a practically unmanageable TV market.

NHL ventures out of its cocoon

The NHL visited the southern hemisphere for the first time this year, playing two sold-out preseason games in Melbourne in September. “It was ambitious because it was our first foray into a new market in Australia,” said Lynn White, NHL vice president of international affairs.

Top-class ice hockey like the NHL is in high demand. © APA / CHRISTIAN PETERSEN

Last month, the Minnesota Wild, among others, visited hockey-crazy Stockholm and played two regular-season games there. “In Sweden, which is an established and successful market for us, it was about achieving higher scale. Both were successes in every respect,” emphasized White. The league plans to return to Australia and Mexico in the coming years. The league is also “seriously considering” hosting an international tournament with national teams on both sides of the Atlantic.

The NFL has long been a provider

The NFL is now established in Europe. Last November, 100.167 spectators attended two regular season games in Frankfurt. The Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs matchup on November 5 was watched by 9,6 million viewers on television and online, making it NFL Network's most-watched international game. Munich will host the games in 2024. “The numbers speak for themselves – the NFL has arrived in Germany,” said Alexander Steinforth, Managing Director of the NFL for Germany.

A majority of NFL teams recently decided that the football league can hold a record eight international games in 2025. Almost a week ago, North America's most popular league announced that it would host its first game in South America in 2024. The destination is the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo. Global growth remains “an important strategic priority,” it said.