Longer seasons means better seasons

There are some people out there that believe expanding the NFL season is not a good idea and that it puts the players health at risk because more games on the body equals a higher chance in sustaining an injury. That point makes sense, more physical football games means more wear and tear on the body. Out of the four big American sport leagues, an NFL career is the shortest in length simply because some guys’ bodies in the league become too injury prone to the fast and furious play style that the NFL provides. However, the NFL is already planned to move to 17 games starting in 2021 and looks to possibly advance to 18 in the near future. There have been many proposals thrown in the mix for how an 18 game season would work. It seems that the most likely and most popular idea that is currently spreading throughout the league is that an 18 game season will take place, but players will only be allowed to participate in a maximum amount of 16 games. Also, this plan includes reducing the preseason games from four to two which means that is even less football than in previous years. If there are less meaningless games and the same amount of meaningful games for the players to participate in, that means there is not any way this 18 game plan will result in more injuries than before. More football games will also most likely mean that there will be an increase in roster size. There is currently a 46-man game day roster limit that has been implemented for a few seasons now and that number would have to change if the seasons become longer. Larger rosters also means more fun as well for the fans of the league to watch and see. Some teams may stack their offensive lines with more players to rotate in and out of games to keep the players from getting tired. Other teams could potentially acquire an abundance of edge rushers for the same reason. there are many different possibilities that teams can take and it would be interesting to see what teams did with their rosters.

More regular season football games also give worse teams in the beginning of the season a better chance to make a late playoff push. This is beneficial to the entire league because since there are more games added on to the season, teams have more of a reason to continue to try in the season after having a potential losing streak. In the current NFL, if teams start to lose 4-5 games in a row, it seems like the season is completely over and that it is time to start tanking for the earliest possible draft pick. This can now change, with the two extra games offering more potential to still push late in the season with the addition of a 7th playoff spot in each conference that the NFL is adding, starting in the 2020 season.

An 18 game schedule would most certainly make more money for the league as well. This means that players will get paid more money for having to take part in a longer season. Players will definitely benefit from getting paid more. Who doesn’t want to get paid more? There really isn’t any extra tasks they are asked to take part in when they still would be playing in only 16 games and two less preseason games. On top of all that, the other great idea for an 18 game season is to add another bye week. This would officially mean players are getting another whole week vacation away from the brutal game to rest their bodies. Telling these professional athletes that they will be paid more money, play the same amount of games and have more time off during the season sounds like a slam dunk of an idea that not many will oppose.

There are fans out there that will say they don’t see any problem with the current 16 game schedule and a part of me agrees with them. It is the only NFL schedule that I have known in my life time and there really is not much wrong with it. However, like previously stated, the NFL Players Association has already officially agreed that the league is expanding to a 17 game season starting in 2021. The 17 game season does not come off the tongue nicely for anyone. An odd number of games? this eliminates the complete fairness of an even number of games when it comes to home and away games. Now, some teams (most likely half the teams) in the league will be forced to play an extra away game. the other teams will have an extra home game and traveling to play opponents in professional sports is not easy and there is definitely an advantage for the home team. Even in sports for the NFL, the home team usually always given at least a three point advantage over the visiting team because of how home field advantage works. This is why the league should move on from the 17 game season that will be implemented starting next year to an 18 game season to balance the schedule evenly.

In conclusion, it makes perfect sense for the league to move on to 18 games after the 17 game season takes place. All the other American leagues have an even number of games for their teams to play. Instead of moving back to the 16 game format we should move on with life and focus on the idea of an 18 game season. Players and fans will both benefit from 18 game season, and all Americans favorite thing to watch on Sunday’s with their family and friends expands to even more games, which means more of watching your favorite teams and players play in what is the most popular professional sport in the country, The National Football League.

References

Is it really a good idea for the NFL to add two more playoff teams? (2020, February 22). Retrieved from: https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2020/2/22/21148479/is-it-really-a-good-idea-for-the-nfl-to-add-two-more-playoff-teams

NFL 2019: Here’s why the proposed 18-game schedule with a 16-game limit could actually work. (2019, July 17). Retrieved from: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-2019-heres-why-the-proposed-18-game-schedule-with-a-16-game-limit-could-actually-work/

NFL 18-game schedule: Examining Scheduling and Bye Week Logistics. (2018) Retrieved from: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/444538-nfl-18-game-schedule-examining-scheduling-and-bye-week-logistics