Go ‘Acereros?’ NFL awards Mexico to Steelers as an ‘international home marketing area’

Chris Adamski
Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 3:53 p.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 3:53 p.m.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans Victor Gonzalas, left, and Eduardo Almada, both from Juarez, Mexico, watch as their team takes the field for their game against the New England Patriots on Dec. 9, 2007, in Foxborough, Mass. Both men live in Juarez and traveled to Foxborough to attend the game.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ Scott Shields, left, tries to bring down Indianapolis Colts’ Payton Williams from behind in their preseason game Saturday, Aug. 19, 2000, in Mexico City.

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney shown during a 2019 training-camp practice. The NFL awarded Mexico as a designated marketing area to the Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers long have been one of the most popular teams in Mexico. Now, the NFL has made it official that the Steelers’ turf, in part, extends south of the border.

Mexico was designated as an “International Home Marketing Area” of the Steelers for a five-year term beginning in 2022.

According to a story posted on the NFL’s official website, the rights to market in eight countries were split among 26 teams. The Steelers are one of nine — most of any of the foreign countries — that were given Mexico.

The Home Marketing Area (HMA) traditionally has covered an area within a 75-mile radius of their stadium in which teams are permitted to market themselves.

According to the league’s story, the international HMA program allows the designated teams “rights to pursue activities in that international market that are consistent with what they can do in their domestic HMA. This includes in-person and digital marketing, corporate sponsorship sales, fan events and activities, merchandise sales and co-marketing relationships with other sports and entertainment properties in the market.”

¡@acereros de corazón, les tenemos buenas noticias! ????????
La NFL México y los Pittsburgh Steelers arrancarán una alianza durante el HMA para generar contenidos en español y acercarnos a la afición mexicana. pic.twitter.com/x4ZNUIA57e

— NFL México (@nflmx) December 15, 2021

Other franchises given access to Mexico are the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

The Steelers have been popular south of the border since their dynasty in the 1970s. They played a preseason game in Mexico City in 2000.

The NFL in recent years regularly has played regular-season games at international locales, mostly in England. All teams will play at least one international game over a current eight-season span, and it has long been speculated the Steelers would play theirs in Mexico.

Other countries that had their marketing turf awarded to teams were the United Kingdom (split among six franchises), Germany (four franchises), Spain (two), Canada (two), Australia, Brazil and China.

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.