Africa has been growing in popularity for leagues like the NBA, and now the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles are poised to enter the continent.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the Eagles will become the first NFL franchise to be granted international commercial rights in Africa.
In an expansion of the NFL’s international marketing program, the Eagles will acquire media, sponsorship and promotional rights in Ghana, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
They will become the 19th team to join the NFL’s burgeoning program.
A year ago, the NFL launched the program by pairing up 18 teams with eight different countries.
The Rams lead the program as the only team with four countries: New Zealand, Australia, China and Mexico.
Now in its second year, the program grants 19 teams access to 30 international home marketing areas within 10 different countries, and each team has five-year terms in their markets.
The Philadelphia Eagles stand out as they are the first team in the program with commercial rights in Africa.
Yet this isn’t the team’s first experience with the continent or Ghana.
Eagles’ cheerleader Ariana Dunbar, who is Operation Smile’s global partnerships coordinator, traveled to Ghana to run a surgical program there.
