Following the NFL owners meeting this week, commissioner Paul Tagliabue confirmed the league was looking into the possibility of playing a game prior to the 2008 Olympic Games.
The game is likely to be staged in Shanghai or Beijing, capitalising on the excitement generated by the build-up to the Beijing Games. No further details have yet been given, but it would form part of an on-going move into the Far East, which was recently boosted by a new agreement with Shanghai TV to carry NFL broadcasts.
Other issues on the agenda saw the NFL establish a special committee on league economics.
Consisting of 12 owners, with the Houston Texans’ Robert McNair as chairman, the committee will focus on revenue-sharing issues.
The NFL is set to make a push into the potentially massive Chinese market, with plans afoot to stage an exhibition game there.
