The NFL has decided not to go ahead with playing the upcoming Monday Night Football game in Mexico City as had been planned. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs will now play the Los Angeles Rams in L.A. at Memorial Stadium.
Kansas City and Los Angles had planned on playing at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. But a recent concert left the playing surface in very rough shape. And efforts to re-sod the field have proven fruitless.
Unreal. Here’s the field in Mexico pic.twitter.com/DFPaXKfB2r
— Scott Zolak (@scottzolak) November 13, 2018
Monday night’s game is one of the most anticipated prime-time games this season. The Rams and Chiefs will both enter with sparkling 9-1 records.
Clearly, the NFL heard (and listened to) pushback from players and league officials on the matter. The league was expected to move forward with the game, and until today seemed stubbornly set on doing so. But ultimately the state of the field’s surface was deemed too dangerous to the players’ health and safety.
Prior to the announcement that the game will be moved, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported players on both sides were prepared to sit out:
If Monday night’s game is played in Mexico City, a number of Rams and Chiefs players are now strongly considering not playing in that game on that messy surface, per sources. “It’s not fair to risk our health,” one prominent player said today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 13, 2018
Regular season NFL games have been played in Mexico City the past two seasons. The site is part of the league’s efforts to popularize the sport outside of the United States. Much like Wembley Stadium in London, which has seen several American football games the past few years.
