KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 12: Mecole Hardman #17 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif #76 of the Kansas City Chiefs laugh as they exit the field following the 51-31 victory over the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional football game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The National Football League announced the next phase of their efforts to take the game to international markets earlier this week with the addition of the 17th regular season game on the schedule going forward. The added contests each season will give the league a number of games with which they can showcase the sport in new environments, knowing that each team is already going to have eight home games to rely on for local revenue and fan connection.