A number of football enthusiasts expressed dissatisfaction with Friday night’s NFL Week 1 match between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Early in the match at Corinthians Arena, a location mainly used for soccer matches, players from both teams were spotted constantly losing their footing on the pitch. On his first carry of the game, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley slipped in the backfield.
The inadequate field conditions for the match were criticized by both athletes and fans. A few of them also criticized the NFL for endangering the health of its players.
The NFL’s first-ever game played in Brazil was the Eagles-Packers match on Friday. Given their goal of expanding their fan base worldwide, it is not surprising that the NFL is pushing for international games. However, converting soccer stadiums into makeshift football fields will never be ideal due to the difficulties involved in maintaining ideal field conditions for NFL games. Before the first snap of the game, there were safety worries about the competition that went beyond the possibility of on-field injuries. Some players never left their team hotel because they were uncomfortable with Brazil’s extraordinarily high crime rate.