• The NFL is kicking off its most demanding international season this year with seven games abroad. • The NFL's global strategy focuses on building international fan bases for long-term brand growth. • This article is part of "The Business of Sports," a series on the teams, leagues, and brands turning competition into big business.

When the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers kick off their season in São Paulo on September 5, it will mark the first of seven National Football League games taking place outside the United States. This is the NFL's most demanding international season yet.

"I think that the aggressive efforts Roger Goodell has undertaken seem to be paying off," Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College, said of the NFL commissioner's global strateg

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