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On Monday the NFL returns to Mexico for the first time in 11 years.Since the last time the game was played in the country in October 2005, the league has focused on London, which has played host to 17 games since 2007. The London dividends have been huge crowds and television ratings, which have more than doubled.As the league attempts to broaden its international appeal with a commitment to foreign markets, Mexico was a natural place to return, hoping to boost viewership, which has risen 28 percent in the past five years alone. NFL owners made a commitment in 2015 to play international regular-season games through 2025.In the late 1960s, NFL games came to Mexico on TV and became popular about a decade later. That is why, after the Dallas Cowboys, who owe some fan affinity to proximity, the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers -- franchises that dominated at that time -- are often listed as favorite teams among Mexicans.Today, theres no shortage of places to watch the NFL. Mexicans get nine live games a week, which through a new deal with ESPN includes Sunday and Monday Night Football, and for the first time this season, the Red Zone channel. The Texans-Raiders game will be the first Monday Night Football game to be played outside the U.S. Another advantage: Mexicos time zones overlap those in the U.S.To capitalize on the growing interest, the league has had an office in Mexico for 18 years and has sold 20 sponsorships to native companies, including the likes of Visa, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Papa Johns.London, by some, has been considered to have a real opportunity to have an NFL franchise in the future. Mexico has been discussed less, even though 15 teams are within a four-hour flight of Mexico City. Based on demographics and population density, FiveThirtyEights Nate Silver estimated that only six NFL cities have more fans than Mexico City does -- New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and Houston.But NFL fans alone, all 28 million of them in Mexico and an estimated 1.49 million in Mexico City, dont make up good enough business reasons to consider it for a relocation or expansion market.It would be cheaper to run a team in Mexico City than in the U.S., but there would also be obstacles.While the Monday Night Football game sold out in minutes, tickets could be had for face value of $27 at the lowest levels. Families have less disposable income than in many of NFL cities in the U.S.Also, President-elect Donald Trumps foreign policy statements during the campaign focused on keeping jobs and manufacturing in the U.S., and specifically called out the North American Free Trade Agreement that eliminated many barriers to trade between the U.S. and Mexico. If he follows through, it could strain relations between the U.S. and Mexico.While its clear Mexico City will not have a permanent team in the next four years, the question remains whether what the league is doing can be damaged by the political environment as Trump takes over.The big question is whether people in Mexico feel comfortable to continue to support an American product like the NFL, said Chris Rogers of Panjiva, a global trade data company. If Donald Trump doesnt like Mexico, do Mexicans like America?The complexities of going outside the U.S. are vast, but the rewards are also great. The NFL might be the No. 1 league in the U.S. by a wide margin, but as the world gets smaller, the benefits of being more global like the NBA are even greater.Heading back to Mexico and adding to the hype by putting it on Monday Night Football is a start. Robert Horry Lakers Jersey . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Rajon Rondo Jersey . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Lebron-James-Lakers-Jersey/ . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Kurt Rambis Lakers Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Jerry West Lakers Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. The momentous Kevin Durant announcement of July 4, 2016, was foreshadowed years earlier, before the Golden State Warriors commanded enough attention for people to notice.Three years ago, Andre Iguodala joined the team that had just eliminated his squad from the playoffs, to considerably less criticism than Durant currently is receiving. Upon arriving in Golden State by way of Denver, Iguodala said this of Steph Curry in his first Oakland news conference on July 11, 2013:Steph and I played together in 2010 in Turkey, and after practice we would come back to the gym at night when we were overseas and just [get] some shots up. I believe it was Kevin Durant [who] was with us, a lot of the time. So it was us three, maybe one or two other guys, but us three were always together. Kinda got a chance to see him work. Knew how in love he was with the game, so we built a pretty good relationship. We had chapels together before every game so we definitely got to know each other.Us three were always together.If the 2013 Warriors were at a then-Lakers level of clout, such a statement would have reverberated across the internet, fueling rumors far and wide. But the 2013 Warriors had nowhere near the cachet they enjoy today. They had done well to even get into the room to make a pitch to Dwight Howard that offseason. Wooing Iguodala was quite the coup for an organization fresh off its second playoff run in 19 years.What a difference three years can make. Thats how quickly this new, dominant Warriors reality emerged from a long-standing reputation as the ignoble underdog. Thats how fast a team goes from being the harmless bastion of comical futility to the leagues existential threat.In 2013, neophyte 6-seed Golden State shocked Denver and put a scare into San Antonio in the playoffs. In that offseason, GM Bob Myers pulled off what he called the hardest thing he has ever done professionally when he moved massive amounts of salary to secure Iguodala. A year later, the Warriors lost in Round 1 to the Clippers and controversially fired Mark Jackson. Then came Steve Kerrs hire, Draymond Greens move into the starting lineup, Currys MVP ascendance, 67 wins and a championship.And all of that was followed by last seasons 73 wins, a painful loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals after holding a 3-1 series lead and, now, the pretext for a team unlike anything the league has seen.This remarkable three-year sprint to fame and possibly infamy was in some ways set up six years ago by the FIBA World Championship in Turkey that Iguodala referenced upon joining the Warriors. That was Durants tournament (he won MVP), if you recall, a time when he was heralded as a new, wholesome alternative to a LeBron James whod just left Cleveland on national television.In contrast to LeBrons garish Cleveland exit, Durant garnered praise in the summer of 2010 with a tweet announcing his Oklahoma City Thunder extension. Little did people know that the seeds for Durants eventual departure were being sown at that moment in basketball history, as he got to know Team USA teammates Iguodala and Curry. Given the state of the 2010 Warriors, none of the actors involved could have known where this was headed.Flash forward to the Warriors 2016 pitch to Durant. Iguodala reminded KD of those Turkey days and how much fun they all had together. The veteran swingman is sarcastic by nature and extremely cynical. SSome posit that his guard remains up because of his Philly experience, where a rabid local media shredded a young, pass-first wing for being something less than Allen Iverson.dddddddddddd A sincere, emotional Iguodala brought that up too, conveying how money and status cant compare to his current situation.The 2015 Finals MVP also offered a bit of time travel in his pitch to Durant. He explained how, when your career is finished, you want to reminisce with friends like these. He depicted a future where so much of the present NBA entanglements fade away and a career becomes a memory. When that happens, theres meaning in having great memories. When that happens, theres meaning in being able to revisit those memories with great people.As Marc J. Spears reported on The Undefeated, Curry conveyed that he cared more about winning than credit or sneaker sales. Warriors officials relayed that Durant seemed eager to hear that message. Green and Myers both spoke to how cooperation would result in more championships than any other method. The endearingly spacey Klay Thompson noted that he would get open shots with Durant there, before sheepishly getting back on message and acknowledging KD would probably get open shots too. (This caused some laughter in the room.)Golden States pitch had all of these elements, augmented by a Jerry West phone call. Its difficult to determine if any speeches were needed, though. Most of the actors here knew each other. It would be naive to think communication was confined to a room in the Hamptons.This has been a long process, and one the Warriors were confident in for some time. Some within the organization believed Russell Westbrook and Durant had some chemistry issues in Oklahoma City, and in those issues lay an opening. The Warriors could offer glory, brotherhood and an unselfish playing style, not to mention Bay Area business opportunities.Still, there were no guarantees and despite whatever assurances were offered, Warriors officials were nervous until the news broke officially. So much planning could have been dashed in a decision Durant made in an instant. Its staggering to consider all that had to go right.The Warriors were helped by Currys ankle blessing them with the best contract in sports. They were helped by Thompson agreeing to a max-ish contract that wasnt pegged to the rising salary cap. They were helped by Green accepting a below-market deal. They were helped by the players union rejecting cap smoothing, which opened up the space needed to get Durant in 2016. Myers needed to be better than great and just as fortunate.When asked how long planning for Durant took, a Warriors official quipped, About three light-years. Then, a correction: Actually, light-years is a measure of distance, not time.In a short period of time, Golden State leaped forward a great distance, far beyond any reasonable expectation and possibly beyond anything weve ever seen in the sport. This team looks more complementary than the feared 2010 Miami Heat, especially after the cheap acquisition of center Zaza Pachulia. The best-shooting team ever just added Kevin Durant. Its a staggering reality to behold. The power of shared memory just helped launch a basketball team into what feels further than futuristic. ' ' '