Donald Trump’s presidency, which has already sparked concerns that its international approach could imperil L.A.’s effort to land the Olympics, will not hurt the NFL’s strategy to expand and play games overseas, said Shahid Khan, the Pakistani-born owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Khan, the only Muslim NFL owner, has already expressed opposition to Trump’s controversial refugee and immigrant policy, but he said during Super Bowl week in Houston that the appetite for American culture is strong enough internationally to withstand any political headwinds.
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Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and Broncos GM John Elway confer before a December game in Jacksonville.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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“People are people. You have political leaders who are elected and, you know, or kicked out of office all the time,” he said. “Look at the iconic American things that are cherished all over the world: blue jeans, rock ’n’ roll, hamburgers or fast food, football, internet connectivity, personal freedom. Those are not going to get less popular because of the change in political climate.”
Football, he added, “is absolutely part of Americana. It’s a virtue, it’s a sport, that isn’t tied to whoever is in political office.”
Khan, perhaps more than any other owner, has a lot riding on the NFL’s global reach. His team plays annually in London, and he is upfront that the single regular-season game is a major element of his team remaining competitive economically.
Asked how the Jacksonville market performs, Khan replied, “For us, OK. But a big part of it is we are playing games in London, and I look for us doing that going forward.”
The team will play one regular-season game a year there through 2020. Asked whether the club might want to play more than one after the agreement with the NFL expires in 2020, he replied, “We have got to look at that.”
“I feel very strongly about this, we want to earn the fans in Jacksonville,” he said. “They don’t have an obligation to support us, They have got a beautiful city, they have other things they can do. This is not a guilt trip, ‘Hey, support us,’ or this is our right, nothing like that.”
Relocation to London is not a consideration, he said. “We know London has been great for us, we want to keep that relationship and keep developing the local market.”
The NFL plans to play five regular-season games outside the U.S. next season, four in London and one in Mexico City.
Khan has owned the team since 2012 and is emerging as a voice in the NFL. He now chairs the business ventures committee and is on the player health and safety committee. The business ventures committee has rejected sponsors that did not align with NFL values under his less than year-old tenure, he said, though he declined to offer details.
Asked about the future of football given the head trauma issue, he replied, “That thing is vastly, I think, overplayed.
“If you look at baseball, soccer, their decline in enrollment is more than football,” he said. “Football with the USA [Football group] and some of the rule changes and training and certifying coaches I think has been very effective.”
