The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the biggest fan bases in Mexico and may return there as early as next season. The team is close to agreeing to a deal that would place the team in Mexico City in 2016, according to as.com.
The site notes the NFL was close to creating a plan that would hold a game in Mexico each year for a five year period, and it’s only logical the Steelers are the first team the league would look towards. They are no strangers to playing south of the border, participating in a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts in 2000.
Back in May, President Art Rooney II explained to Steelers.com why the team is so popular in Mexico.
“The explanation I’ve heard about Mexico and why we have such a great following there is the rivalry we have with the Cowboys, which really is an out-growth of having played them in the Super Bowl three times. That Steelers-Cowboys rivalry became something that was followed in Mexico very closely. It’s been an interesting phenomenon, and that’s why we’d like the opportunity to play games in other countries and be able to have our fans in other parts of the world come to see us play.”
As much of a logistical headache are these cross-border games can be, it’d be exciting to see the NFL back in Mexico.
