For all of the talk about player health and safety, the NFL is putting the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans in a precarious position with their Monday night game in Mexico City. Sure, it expands the reach of “the Shield” and – combined with the games in London – gives it more of a global notoriety, but it is potentially putting the health and safety at risk.
To be sure, it’s a historic and beautiful setting that Oakland and Houston will be playing in. It also happens to be in a setting at a far higher altitude than Denver and one that has extreme problems with pollution – both things that can be harmful to an athlete given their extreme exertions.