NFL Int'l Exec VP Mark Waller will visit Brazil in June to "study the market and select partners for an ambitious project" for '17: the first professional American football game held in a Brazilian territory, according to Diego Iwata Lima of FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO. Waller is "trying to organize" a Brazilian Pro Bowl. Waller said, "Taking the best players of the NFL season to Brazil certainly is a great way to please already existing fans around there, in addition to conquering new ones." Germany is the "main competitor" against Brazil to stage a Pro Bowl in '17. Waller said that the "attempt to expand the league's reach in South America ties two important points for the NFL." The first is "amplifying its influence and business in a market with big potential." Waller: "Brazilians have an unmatched enthusiasm when sports are the subject." The second is to "try to raise the public interest" in the U.S. for the Pro Bowl, which had lower TV audiences in the last few years. Waller said, "Brazil is always associated with passion for sports and the country offers the perfect amount of festivity that the Pro Bowl needs to have. ... The World Cup made us sure that the country has two fundamental requirements: stadiums and modern training centers" (FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO, 6/14).
