BODIES
Understanding how Dolphins-Chiefs ended up in Germany instead of primetime
10.30.2023
Fans wonder if the NFL will “regret putting one of the games of the year” -- Chiefs-Dolphins -- in the Sunday morning 9:30am ET window on NFL Network “instead of in prime time, when it could have been a ratings monster,” according to Peter King of NBCSPORTS.com. No one inside the NFL offices “would ever admit it,” but “of course, there has to be some regret.” However, it is “pretty logical” that the game ended up in Germany. Every team now is mandated to play a “home game” at an international site “at least once every eight years.” The Chiefs “wanted its game to be in Germany, where it has global marketing rights, in one of the years when it was scheduled to have nine home games.” The NFL “doesn’t like to schedule division teams as international foes unless those teams agree to make the trip.” The Chiefs also did “not want to lose” their home game against the Bears, who are “scheduled to be in Kansas City only once between 2016 and 2030,” and that is this year. The Chiefs are “going to max out with six prime-time appearances plus multiple doubleheader appearances on Fox and CBS.” That “left two Kansas City home games for Germany: Miami or Detroit.” The league also had to “find a Kickoff Game foe for Kansas City on Sept. 7,” and that ended up being the Lions. The league “never has to put the most desirable matchup as the first game of the season, because the ratings are going to be solid anyway.” That “left Miami for Frankfurt” (NBCSPORTS.com, 10/30).
MOVIE DATE: The AP’s Ken Maguire wrote Germany has "become the NFL’s largest market in Europe.” Theater chain CinemaxX, in partnership with DAZN, said Friday that it will “screen the games at 18 of its locations around Germany.” The Chiefs will face the Dolphins on Nov. 5 at Deutsche Bank Park and the Patriots play the Colts there the following week. Tickets to the games “sold out in minutes