NFL Exec VP/Int'l Mark Waller said that there is a "low likelihood" of the league playing a game in China in '18, but he noted that it will "probably be another two months before the league is ready to make a final call," according to Albert Breer of THE MMQB. In the months since word "started to surface that the league would be ready to put a game there," there has not been much heard on the issue. The league has "ambition" to "develop the game in China, the world's most populous nation and a largely untapped market for the NFL." The NBA "successfully has turned China into a seemingly limitless arena for growth, and it makes sense that other professional leagues would follow suit." However, there is a "logistics issue," as Beijing is a 13-hour flight from L.A. and over 14 hours from N.Y. Trying to fit that into an NFL schedule "would be challenging, to say the least." The league has "toyed with several ideas." But there is "no perfect concept." Waller: "If we want to do this in China, it has to be a good time for Chinese fans, but also so that U.S. fans can watch. And we want to make sure we can keep growing it." Waller mentioned other countries "could potentially host an NFL game." He said, "We definitely have demand to play in Canada and Germany. The question is if it's logistically feasible, and if we have the inventory, and the stadium to play it in" (MMQB, 9/29).
