American football's popularity continues to grow internationally. Leagues comprised of natives and American ex-pats exist in many countries. We also have NFL and college games played in the U.K. and Ireland that are like football's destination weddings; most prefer they just stay home, but some tag along to make a vacation of attending.
The very first game played in Europe took place on Thanksgiving Day 1897 in Levallois, near Paris, France, while a few students from the Ecole des Beaux Arts and th Julian Institute played a game at the Racing Culb (a Paris rugby team) field. There's an article from the "Le Figaro" archives talking about this game.
Like the comparison with destination weddings...
The very first game played in Europe took place on Thanksgiving Day 1897 in Levallois, near Paris, France, while a few students from the Ecole des Beaux Arts and th Julian Institute played a game at the Racing Culb (a Paris rugby team) field. There's an article from the "Le Figaro" archives talking about this game.