Detroit Lions players know very well the strains of the NFL schedule, giving up their Thanksgiving every year to lead off the holiday’s slate of games.
But Lions veteran Dan Skipper believes the league’s efforts to expand the game internationally are a bridge too far. The offensive lineman called out the league for the strain that international travel puts on the players, calling it a “joke” that the league is expanding so aggressively overseas.
Dan Skipper Not a Fan of International Games
Speaking in an appearance on The Coaches Pod, Skipper said the league doesn’t seem to understand — or care — about what the international games do to players. He noted that this travel is a huge undertaking for teams, suggesting that the cities picked appear random at best.
“That’s a joke. ‘Oh, we want to go play in ‘name-X country,’ throw dart at the map.’ Like, what?” Skipper vented. “They (the NFL) understand the logistics of this, right? We have a travel party of 200-ish people. 50 of those are going to be putting their body through the most physically demanding thing you can do, but we are going to stuff you on a plane for 18 hours, screw up your body clock, take you to a country where the food is all (expletive) up, have you play now, fly you back, lose your bye week from the logistics of it.”
The Lions have been in some international controversy. In 2011, NFL owners approved a plan for games to be played in the U.K. through 2016 with the stipulation that visiting teams could only play there once every five years.
But the league appeared to disregard this rule for the Lions, scheduling them to visit London in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The Lions have not played internationally since then.
The league this week announced a slate of international games for the 2024 season that starts with the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 5. The league also has a slate of games across Europe including contests in in Dublin, Ireland; London, U.K.; Berlin, Germany; and Madrid, Spain.
Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president in charge of international expansion, told NFL.com that the expansion of international locations speaks to the league’s “collective commitment to global growth as we continue our journey to becoming a truly global sport.”
Dan Skipper Not Alone in Opposing NFL’s International Plans
Others have joined Skipper in criticizing international travel plans. Steelers Depot reporter Matthew Marczi criticized the Steelers for their plans to travel to Ireland on Thursday prior to their game on Sunday.
Marczi noted that many Steelers players criticized the team’s decision to stick to that schedule in 2013, when the team traveled to London to take on the Minnesota Vikings.
“Back in 2013, the Vikings flew to London on Monday in preparation for their game against the Steelers,” Marczi wrote. “Pittsburgh flew out on Thursday and plans to do the same thing again for the Ireland game.
“If the Steelers do, they may embarrass themselves on the Rooney’s ancestral ground. Jet lag is a real thing, as is acclimating yourself to your environment.”
