The NFL’s International Gamble Just Got Riskier for Detroit
The NFL just cranked up the international game machine, and if you’re a Lions fan who likes watching your team play at Ford Field, well, you might want to get used to disappointment. Again.
The league approved bumping international games from eight to 10 per season starting as early as 2027. But here’s the kicker that should have every Lions fan paying attention: teams can no longer protect any home games from being shipped overseas. Zero. None. Kiss that home-field advantage goodbye.
This hits different when you remember the Lions are heading to Munich against New England in November. Smart move by the front office to protect the Packers and Vikings games from going international. Divisional matchups at Ford Field matter. The crowd matters. That Honolulu Blue energy matters.
No More Home Game Protection
NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North made it clear why this change happened. Teams protecting their best games makes scheduling harder and looks bad to international fans.
“You can’t have a team say, ‘Well, I don’t want my two best games eligible for international,'” North said. “What kind of message does that send to the international fans?”
Here’s a message for you, Mike: some of us have been waiting decades to watch meaningful games at Ford Field. Some of us sat through 0-16 and earned the right to see our team play important games at home. But sure, let’s worry about the message we’re sending to fans who might catch one game every few years.
Around the League
Calvin Johnson dropped some rookie advice on NFL Network, talking about handling adversity in different ways. Always good to hear from Megatron, even if it reminds you how much talent this franchise wasted during those dark years.
Sean McVay admitted he wishes he handled the Jared Goff trade differently. Yeah, we bet you do. Thanks for Goff, by the way. He’s worked out just fine in Detroit.
David Montgomery sold his Grosse Pointe Shores home for $1.2 million. Best of luck in Houston, D-Mo. You were a hell of a Lion while it lasted.
The Super Bowl is heading to Nashville in 2030. Their new $2.1 billion stadium gets the big game while Ford Field keeps hosting December games that matter less and less thanks to international scheduling. Cool.
So Lions fans, are you ready to wake up at weird hours to watch divisional games in London because the NFL needs to grow the brand? Or should we just accept that home-field advantage is apparently less important than international TV revenue? Let me know in the comments.
Look, I get the frustration but Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell aren’t just gonna roll over on this. They’ve been fighting for this team in ways we haven’t seen in forever. Yeah losing home games sucks but I trust them to figure out how to work this into the schedule smart.
This is what kills me because I remember when we couldn’t get anyone to care about our team at all. Now the NFL wants our games so bad they’re willing to take em overseas but we’re supposed to just smile about it. The irony isn’t lost on me.
I want to believe Holmes and Campbell will protect us from the worst of this but removing all protections feels shortsighted. We finally got something worth watching at Ford Field and now we gotta hope we get lucky with the scheduling? That doesn’t sit right with me.