NFL plays first Paris game, Steelers vs. Saints, amid protests and heavy security in France

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints played the first regular-season NFL game in Paris on Sunday at the Stade de France, kicking off at about 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) as planned, despite protests in France that have sometimes turned violent. The game went ahead under heavy security after a Saturday of large demonstrations. Fox News cited a government estimate of 110,000 protesters on Saturday and a headline reporting nearly 1,000 arrests across France. The NFL closed its "NFL House" hospitality venue in Paris on Saturday as the city braced for street protests, with a heavy police presence and boarded-up storefronts. A Steelers fan event was also canceled. League and union officials told reporter Mike Florio the game was on as scheduled, while Florio argued the league should still move it to London. The Associated Press has called the unrest France's worst rioting in years. Protesters cite frustration over schools and rising prices. One observer who walked two miles through Paris reported anxiety, shuttered shops and many police, but no trouble. Others said much of the city seemed normal.

The right-leaning outlets, the New York Post and Fox News, frame the story differently from each other but both stress the unrest. The Post leads with players' wives and girlfriends posting Instagram stories of EuroDisney, champagne, Gucci shopping and a $200-entree restaurant, plus a Steelers safety eating McDonald's, and it notes it was unclear which day the posts came from. Fox leads with the NFL playing despite civil unrest, Trump concerns and calls to postpone, compares it with past games played in hard conditions, and describes the protesters in sweeping terms. The Washington Post, on the left, is brief in the excerpt provided. It focuses on the NFL House closing, the police presence and the boarded-up storefronts, without Instagram posts, protester descriptions or comparisons. Both sides agree on the heavy security, the boarded-up shops and the protests, but the right adds social-media detail and league-resilience framing. Alternative outlets add a distinct angle: a call to move the game and on-the-ground reports of calm.