The Cincinnati Bengals are heading abroad in Week 11 to face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, on November 8 at the Bernabéu Stadium. As the NFL looks to break into the Spanish market, it has to send its best to generate interest.
While the Falcons were penciled in for this international game, the NFL was looking at options for who would go to Madrid to face Atlanta. The league eventually decided to go with the Bengals, who haven’t made the playoffs these last three seasons.
Nonetheless, with the moves they have made this offseason, they are looking like playoff contenders. However, ESPN’s Peter Schrager states that the real reason is that the Bengals have a marketable QB in Joe Burrow.
“They could have picked any team to play against the Falcons, which was already assigned,” Schrager said in a May 13 video on his X account. “They chose the Bengals. Why that’s so significant is that there were several other options. They did have other options. I know Madrid, Spain, in particular, is a massive area of market growth for the NFL…
“The Bengals have historically not been that brand, and that might be a testament to the roster they built this offseason and the aggressive moves they made in getting Dexter Lawrence II, Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe. But I assure you, Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe likely aren’t the only reasons. I would say it’s the Joe Burrow factor.”
Bengals QB Joe Burrow Provides Stardom for Madrid Game
Moreover, Schrager noted how important Spain is to the NFL and that a way to generate interest is not just sending teams over there to play, but also by having players fans can gravitate to, which Burrow can do.
“It is a priority to really build that fan base, and they think, with Bernabéu Stadium and the Real Madrid connection, this can really be an area of growth,” Schrager noted. “You could plug in other teams, bigger superstars, and bigger markets, and say, ‘OK, we’re going to try to cheat the algorithm a little bit and throw in this brand.'”
With Burrow venturing outside the NFL world, participating in global events like the Met Gala, and being seen with celebrities this offseason, the Bengals QB is someone who can be the face of this game in Spain to attract people curious about American football.
“Joe Burrow, for all the stuff that he does, the Fashion Week, the Fanatics game, being out at the Met Gala, all of that extracurricular stuff that the football purist says, ‘Grrr, I don’t like the fact that Joe Burrow does things in the offseason. He should be in the lab, or he should just be throwing a football,'” Schrager added.
“Well, Joe Burrow’s been at minicamp. He’s been at the facility for the Bengals, so we’ve seen him on the ground. You can’t knock him there. I think his international star status has risen, not only through football, but also through endeavors like enjoying himself at the Met Gala. To me, Joe Burrow is an international superstar.”
NFL Will Lean on Joe Burrow’s Stardom in Spain
Furthermore, Schrager states that the league intends to use Burrow’s newfound celebrity status to its advantage.
“I think [Burrow’s stardom] played a role in the NFL saying, ‘Yeah, we’re going to promote Burrow, and we’re going to put his face all over Madrid,'” Schrager said.
“‘We’re going to make sure the world knows that Joe Burrow is not just a fashion icon or this mysterious guy who wears Alo everywhere he goes and wears incredibly eclectic clothing to the Pro Bowl. No, Joe Burrow is a face of the NFL.‘”
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