Packers, Giants Voice Scheduling Concerns If NFL Plays Games in China

Having already expanded to England, and with a game scheduled in Mexico City in 2016, the NFL is eying up China as the next country in its International Series. 

According to ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, though, the league is meeting some resistance from at least two teams:

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The Los Angeles Rams are expected to be one of the teams to play in China, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March that the league has "multiple teams that are interested," but not everybody is crazy about the idea. Executives from teams such as the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, two of the NFL's glamour franchises, are on the record with their objections. With so much at stake each week, there are concerns that flying half a day or more each way could put a team at a competitive disadvantage -- for that game and beyond.

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In 2010, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed his desire to see the league's revenues reach $25 billion by 2027. Since the NFL has arguably reached a saturation point in the United States, the only way to make that happen is by growing the sport in other countries.

The NBA has already established a major presence in China, making north of $100 in revenue annually as a result. In January 2015, ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported the league signed a streaming deal worth $700 million over five years with Chinese company Tencent.

Couple the NBA's success in China with the NFL's continued international expansion, and the country is a logical next step in the push. The only question is whether team owners will be on board, too.

In March, New York Giants owner John Mara voiced his concerns with the idea, per ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner: "I think there's a feeling that our game could be very attractive over there and generate a lot of interest. But I'm sure not volunteering to play over there. That's a tough trip. I don't know how you do that. You certainly have to give them a week off afterward. And even a week before—it's a pretty tough trip."

Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab is also reticent toward the idea:

Wagoner added, though, that the Los Angeles Rams are already considering playing a game in China in 2018, and they're committed to one international game over the next three years as part of their move from St. Louis.

Fox reported Mark Waller, the NFL's executive vice president of international, will travel to China later in April to look at possible locations in Beijing and Shanghai. Following the trip, the league would work out the logistical details and have them finalized by October.

Unless the Green Bay Packers and Giants can build enough of a coalition to oppose the plan, the NFL's presence in China is likely an inevitability.