Heavy police and boarded-up storefronts prompted the NFL to close its Paris fan spaces on the eve of Saints-Steelers, the league's first game in France.
The NFL's big Paris moment is off to a messy start. On Saturday, the league shut down NFL House, its fan experience in the French capital, just a day before the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers make history on Sunday.
Fans got the news on Saturday morning through the league's OnePass app. The announcement followed word a day earlier that the NFL's pop-up shop in the city center would also stay closed on Saturday. In both cases, the league pointed to "potential accessibility issues."
The backdrop explains the caution. Paris was bracing for street protests, with a heavy police presence across the city and storefronts boarded up. That left little room for a fan festival built around crowds, merchandise and a party atmosphere.
The closures dent the buildup to what was meant to be a landmark weekend: the first NFL game ever played in France. The league has been pushing hard to grow its footprint in Europe, and Paris was supposed to show how far that push has come. Now the focus is on whether the game itself can deliver the moment on Sunday.
