Charlie Smyth & the NFL’s Great Global Pipeline

From Gaelic Goalposts to NFL Uprights

Charlie Smyth’s debut has already been covered by RTE and the BBC (Photo Credit: Newry)

When Charlie Smyth was 18, he sent an email to inquiries@NFL.com, pitching that his Gaelic Football skills would transfer over to kicking field goals. No one responded. But six years later, the Northern Irishman kicked his first career field goal as a professional — a 56-yarder on November 30, that brought the New Orleans Saints within striking distance of the Miami Dolphins late in the fourth quarter. To add the cherry on top of a debut performance, Smyth followed it up with a successful onside kick to give the Saints one more chance to win the game.

Smyth’s journey to the league was unconventional. After years of successful play in the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), he got an opportunity in the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program in January 2024. Following an impressive showing at his pro-day, he signed a three-year deal with the Saints to become the first Gaelic football player to sign an NFL contract. Though waived during roster cuts in August and signed to the practice squad, his elevation and subsequent debut cemented his arrival — and solidified a key victory for the NFL’s global outreach.

Designed to provide non-American athletes — particularly those who did not play college football in the United States — a clearer path to the NFL, the International Player Pathway program has helped a number of athletes from different sports transition to American football. Founded in 2017, the program is a key part of the NFL’s long term global expansion strategy. Not only does it spread the league’s iconic brand beyond borders, but it establishes reliable systems for young athletes (and their families) to build a life around and offers the chance for people around the world to realistically imagine a career playing a sport that might not be popular in their country. Along with Smyth, notable IPP alumni include Eagles’ tackle Jordan Mailata (originally a rugby player from Australia) and Ravens’ defensive end C.J. Okoye, who grew up playing basketball in Nigeria.

It’s easy to see the program’s appeal for the NFL, as the elevation of players like Charlie Smyth gives the league authentic, deeply resonant links to new fanbases. The better they do, the more locals from their homeland will tune in to watch the sport, follow teams, and maybe buy a jersey.

But it also shows the need for sports diplomacy education. What happens when someone asks Charlie (or a teammate) a question about his native Northern Ireland and its relationship to Ireland? Or asks for his opinion on The Troubles? Or makes a comment that could easily be interpreted as offensive to someone whose family — and all those potential new fans — lived through them?

While the International Player Pathway (IPP) Program creates an excellent pipeline for attracting players from around the world, the increasing globalization of the NFL presents new challenges. As the league becomes more international, global political, social, and historical issues will inevitably become part of the conversation. NFL players are frequently asked to comment on such issues, and the IPP program will only increase the complexity of these demands on both the international players and their future teammates.

To best prepare these athletes, the NFL should incorporate an element of sports diplomacy education into the IPP program. This would help participants (and their teammates) understand, and potentially feel more comfortable commenting on, the international affairs that accompany their growing presence in the league.

NFL TikTok Shows Value of Sports Diplomacy

Drawing A LINE THROUGH Deep-Seated Divides

Back in October, the NFL UK & Ireland posted a short video to TikTok, in which Jacksonville Jaguars running backs LeQuint Allen Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten were tasked with drawing a line on a map of the United Kingdom to denote, simply, where they thought the divide between North and South England is. The premise was simple: a fun piece of content designed to drum up engagement from British or UK-based American football fans in advance of the Jaguars game against the Los Angeles Rams in Wembley Stadium. 

What the video inadvertently did, however, was shine the spotlight on England’s long-standing North-South divide, a phenomenon in British society and politics that marks a very real separation in the population’s political views, economic security, and even life expectancy. Allen Jr. and Tuten’s thought process on where to split the UK initially leaned on geographical assumptions — things like temperature and the urban-rural divide. But in their discussion, they noted that the South was likely “fancier” as well... an assumption that strikes at how, even for outside observers, this divide is perceived. 

Of course, this was meant to be fun (and props to Allen Jr. and Tuten for participating). But it’s easy to see how the exercise itself could become precarious. England’s North-South divide is not something many Americans (let alone American athletes) historically know much about, let alone grasp the nuances of. A comment like “the South seems fancier” might feel harmless, but could drum up anger and isolate potential future fans.

Meanwhile, one could imagine a similar scenario taking place ahead of this week’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons in Berlin. Splitting Germany brings quite the heavy historic weight; would fans react the same way to highlighting the consequences of decades of division between the former eastern and western halves? Would memories of the Berlin Wall or the continued economic disparities between east and west drive negative engagement? What if the athlete’s split was inaccurate?

Or what if, for the recent Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens game in Dublin, a similar map had been drawn of Ireland? What would the discourse be surrounding Northern Ireland (which, in the UK TikTok, was a disembodied island floating off the coast of Great Britain)? 

Bringing it closer to home: Imagine the uproar from Americans if Manchester United stars included (or didn’t include!) Texas as a part of the American South. 

As the NFL continues to push more and more into the European market, understanding these political and cultural nuances will be critical in generating long-term support and loyalty from fans. Fandom is fundamentally linked to community and identity. So, when international teams or leagues appear to be cultural outsiders — or, worse, demonstrate a lack of understanding regarding cultural or social differences — it makes it harder for fans to reward them with the same degree of support they give to their local club or team.

Investing in sports diplomacy matters in these moments. Instead of having professional athletes divide nations based on vibes, we could alternatively give them a healthy understanding of historic, cultural splits in the country at hand — and how an accurate (or inaccurate) drawing might be interpreted by locals they’re hoping will soon become their fans. A firm, dedicated grasp on this can help players, teams, and leagues leverage even fun little bits like TikToks to build bridges, rather than simply drawing dividing lines.

This world series is a diplomatic flashpoint

canadIAN FLAGS and america’s pastime

This 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays is primed to be more than just a baseball showdown. This best-of-seven clash pits a Canadian team against an American team at a particularly heated moment in U.S.-Canadian relations... and it’s hard not to see the geopolitical undertones.

It’s no secret that tensions between the two nations have escalated in recent months. President Trump's tariff threats and suggestions of Canadian annexation — referring to the country as the “51st State” — have stoked anger north of the border. Ottawa has pushed back firmly, with officials reaffirming that Canada is, quite literally, “not for sale.”

Against that backdrop, this World Series practically invites national symbolism. The Blue Jays, Canada’s lone Major League Baseball team, represent sovereignty and self-determination — holding their own in America’s Pastime. The Dodgers, meanwhile, embody the archetype of powerful, wealthy, big-brother America. Wielding MLB’s largest payroll, they’ve outmuscled their competitors financially yet again. They won it all last year and have cakewalked through the playoffs this year. They’re from Hollywood, for crying out loud.

For Canadian fans, a Blue Jays victory would be more than just a championship banner. It would serve as symbolic push-back — an in-your-face assertion of national pride and defiance of an overwhelming, powerful neighbor. The cheers at Rogers Centre and the social media discourse surrounding the games will be an undeniable, if unofficial, expression of this emotion. We might see some poignant TV commercials, clever-but-angry signs held up in the crowd... you name it.

The Toronto Blue Jays will likely represent more than just the American League in this World Series. (Photo Credit: Daily Hive)

But of course, within this tension lies opportunity. In the spirit of sports diplomacy, these nations — who share the world’s longest undefended border and a massively integrated economy‚ could leverage the World Series as a chance to reconnect through shared passion of a great game. Will we see forward-looking ads, gestures of goodwill, or friendly banter between diplomats? Maybe... Maybe not.

Oh, and there’s another factor at play here: Shohei Ohtani is on the Dodgers. The two-way legend doesn’t have a role in this Canadian/American dynamic, of course… but his mere presence — and other international stars like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rōki Sasaki — will ensure that millions of fans in Japan and across East Asia will tune in. This will expose a wider audience to not only great baseball, but the subtle narratives of North American politics. This World Series will indeed be watched by the world. Whether it notices simmering tensions remains to be seen.

For most of us, it will still be about baseball — and we’ll be hoping for a fun, competitive series. But as Canadians continue to boycott American goods in the face of tariff threats and demeaning discourse, it could easily feel less like fun competition... and more like Canada’s sole MLB team has the chance to emphasize national emotions by having Canada crowned champions of America’s Pastime.