​I have spent much of this week watching Australian coverage of the NFL and scrolling through social media posts as the 49ers and Rams prepare to play the first regular-season game in Australia. The coverage has been entertaining, enthusiastic and occasionally educational. There have been explanations of the rules, breakdowns of the equipment and attempts to introduce American football to a country that already has a sport called football.The Aussies are excited. Nearly 100,000 people are expected to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Moreover, the NFL has taken over the city. The Jonas Brothers will perform at halftime, and Tourism Australia has built an advertising campaign around the game featuring wildlife conservationist and television personality Robert Irwin. He’s the son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. In addition, Netflix will distribute the game globally.It should be a spectacular event. I’m just not convinced it proves football has become a global sport.This season, the NFL is staging nine regular-season games in seven countries outside the United States. That represents an extraordinary expansion from the occasional London game of the past. The league is no longer simply testing international markets. Moreover, overseas games have become an important part of its schedule, television strategy and marketing machine.However, more games in more countries don’t automatically mean football has developed deep roots in those places.Fanfare vs SupportI have covered NFL games in London, and the experience was fantastic. Iconic Wembley Stadium was packed. The atmosphere was loud, and the crowd included jerseys representing nearly every NFL team. It felt like a combination of a football game, convention and international holiday for fans who had waited years to see the league in person.There was no question the event worked. Yet, the tricky question was whether the sport worked.TODAY, THE NFL TAKES OVER MELBOURNE @49ers vs. @RamsNFL. LIVE on Netflix TONIGHT — coverage starts at 6:30 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/XIPounuaWJ— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) September 10, 2026There is a difference between selling out one game and supporting a franchise for an entire season. Bring two NFL teams to London, Melbourne, Madrid or Munich once a year, and fans are going to attend. It is rare and different. In addition, people plan vacations around it and arrive wearing whatever NFL jersey they own. Even when neither team represented on it is playing.That proves the NFL knows how to create demand for an event, but it doesn’t necessarily mean those markets are prepared to support eight or nine home games. Or follow a team through a 5-12 season, or spend three months demanding the offensive coordinator be fired.Football remains different from basketball, baseball and hockey. Those sports have genuine international foundations. Basketball produces stars from around the world. Baseball has deep cultural roots in Japan, South Korea, Latin Ame