Bears hope they aren't a part of 2018 NFL game in China

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – The NFL is on course to roll out its first game in China in 2018. The Bears would just prefer to watch it, not play in it.

“My understanding is that we’re going to play a game in China in 2018,” said Bears Chairman George McCaskey, a member of the NFL’s International Committee.

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How open would he be to have the Bears take one of their home games to China?

“Not very.”

Because? "We want to play home games in Chicago and we think Bears fans deserve that."

He’ll have no quarrel from his head coach on that one.

“I’m gonna tell you how I referenced it,” said John Fox. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? We’re going to go to China and we can’t get full-time officials?’ That was a little bit more for how I was pushing another area.”

The NFL will have three games this year in London and one in Mexico City. And the push to globalize the product is unmistakable.

[SHOP: Gear up, Bears fans!]

“We had a great presentation about how we need to take the game global,” McCaskey said. “It’s an ambitious undertaking. You’re seeing it in London, a very measured approach, seeing if we can build fan avidity. China, specifically, and Asia, generally, is a huge market, and something we feel we can tap into.

“We’re playing three games in London this year. We’re playing a game in Mexico City this year, and committed to playing a game in China in 2018.”

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