At the most recent NFL Owners Meetings in Arizona, commissioner Roger Goodell once again brought up the topic of expanding the NFL regular season. The league increased its season from 16 to 17 games in 2021, and since then, the idea of further expansion has been circulated almost annually. Contributors Ian Manley and Micah Gatewood debate whether or not this would be a good decision for the league.
Yes
By Ian Manley
For the sport to continue its dominance in the U.S. and expand international appeal, an 18-game season is a necessary step. The NFL is the most profitable sports league in the world, with over $23 billion in revenue. An extra game creates even more opportunity for the league to profit, which leads to higher salary caps, which means players make more.
An extra game also boosts the NFL’s international viewership by allowing for more international games. It’s clear the NFL wants to become a truly global brand, and adding more games to the regular season is a big step towards that. Essentially, it’s an investment towards a future the league desperately wants to be realized.
For those with injury concerns, the simple fix is to implement a second bye week to give players more time to rest and recover and accommodate this by moving the season itself up a week or two. This would mean the postseason would still end around mid-February. The extra bye week also helps to schedule more international games as it’s easier to ensure teams can fit them in.
No
By Micah Gatewood
Sure, the idea of a longer regular season could be essential for the sport, but it could bring some major consequences for the league.
One of the biggest issues with this would be the higher risk of injuries for the players. If there were a longer regular season, many players would more likely tend to act more aggressively towards opponents with the playoffs being far away. This could potentially lead to a lot of injuries and force players to have to recover for long periods of time, making them unprepared come playoff time.
Other factors that could hinder the idea of a longer regular season for the NFL are the quality of play for the players and financial stability for the league. With a longer season, the amount of effort and intensity of the players will drop dramatically, reducing excitement for fans when they need it most.
Financially, while more games can bring in more profit, it will lead to collective bargaining agreements from the CBA to express concern for player safety and health as a whole.
The idea of a longer season will bring chaos.
