Former Atlanta Falcons player, Jonathan Babineaux, has expressed his excitement about his old franchise's decision to play a regular season game in Madrid next season. During a teleconference organized by the NFL with Spanish media, the former 'tackle' emphasized the importance of the league continuing its expansion beyond the borders of the United States.
“"It's a unique opportunity for the Falcons to travel to Madrid next season and play a regular season game. It's a great opportunity for fans in Spain to see NFL American football up close and try to better understand the sport, to see how interactive it is and how exciting it is on every play because there's always some kind of emotion in every action."
For the former player, holding games outside the United States is "something positive for both the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons." He highlighted the existence of a strong fan base for the franchise that travels to support the team, and anticipated that the trip to Madrid will allow many fans to enjoy the city and experience the atmosphere of a game in the stadium firsthand.
On a personal note, Babineaux confessed that he would have liked to have had the opportunity to play a game in the Spanish capital during his career. He recalled that during his active years, the NFL did not have its current global expansion, which would have been an exceptional occasion to compete in front of fans without prior experience in the sport in a country like Spain.
“"At that time, the NFL was not as globally expanded. Now it's fantastic that the league is reaching places like Madrid and giving fans the opportunity to see elite American football without having to travel to the United States."
