1. Is playing at home really an advantage? Research says…

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-conference-championship-games-home-field-advantage-records-panthers-bronocos-mlb-nba-nhl/1xio6320kqfb51q28da09zdlyl

Background: This article talks about how home field advantage in professional sports and college sports has been a topic that has been researched for quite some time. Some people believe that it is a real thing and others do not. However, there is an important statistic in this article about how home teams over the years have indeed won more than the away teams.

How I used it: I used a statistic that this article provided explaining how over the years, home teams have won more in professional sporting leagues like the NFL, NHL and MLB. Home field advantage gives the home team a slight edge over the away side because of the crowd having the home teams back and because the away team has to travel which can be tiring.

2. A break from the grind: How NFL players spend their bye week

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18013606/how-nfl-players-spend-their-bye-week

Background: This article talks about how important the bye week is to NFL players. It talks about how for some players, the first thing they even take a look at on the schedule is the bye week. It also focuses in on how NFL players are not robots so it is important to them on when they will be able to rest their bodies.

How I used it: In my paper, I talk about the importance of the bye week for my new and improved NFL schedule. I think that their should be two bye weeks and I stress the importance of NFL players staying safe and keeping their bodies healthy so they can play to their best ability.

3. Jerry Jones says players would benefit physically from 18-game schedule

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/08/28/jerry-jones-18-game-schedule-safer-players

Background: This article talks about Jerry Jones’ opinion on an 18 game schedule and it is perfect for me because he happens to have the same opinion as I do. Jerry Jones talks about how he feels that an 18-game schedule would benefit the players and the fans.

How I used it: This article provides many points and a quote from Jerry Jones that I can use because he seems to have a very similar opinion to mine about an 18 game schedule.

4. Report: NFL owners suggested 18-game schedule with 16-game limit for players

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/07/12/nfl-18-game-schedule-suggestion-player-limit

Background: This article talks about how NFL owners have previously talked about the possibility of creating an 18 game schedule with the addition of an extra bye week. The article explains how a longer season would bring in more money for the league which means teams will be able to pay their players more as well.

How I used it: This article has the exact same idea as mine when it comes to my proposed schedule. 18 games with two bye weeks is what I stress should happen in the very near future. So, with saying that, this article is a perfect source for my paper.

5. How NFL is set, if needed, to shake up its schedue

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2020/04/27/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NFL-schedule.aspx

Background: This article talks about the possibility of the NFL having to change their schedule for the up coming season. The article also mentions that the current CBA runs out after this season and that the new CBA in 2021 will include a 17 game season.

How I used it: In my paper, I talk about how the NFL’s current CBA expires after the 2020 NFL season. I then provide my personal idea on how the next CBA should be set up when dealing with the new schedule.

6. Is it really a good idea for the NFL to add two more playoff teams?

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2020/2/22/21148479/is-it-really-a-good-idea-for-the-nfl-to-add-two-more-playoff-tteams

Background: This article talks about the addition of two new playoff teams for the 2020 NFL season. The article discusses whether if it is a good idea to include the new teams or a bad idea.

How I used it: I talk about how the new change is coming for the 2020 NFL season and how this change can start a chain of changes to the NFL to improve the league as a whole.

7. NFL 2019: Here’s why the proposed 18-game schedule with a 16-game limit could actually work

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-2019-heres-why-the-proposed-18-game-schedule-with-a-16-game-limit-could-actually-work/

Background: This article also talks about the proposed idea of playing 18 games but with players only being able to play in a max of 16 of them. This article brings up different points on how this idea would work.

How I used it: In my paper, I talk about the possibility of the NFL changing its league rules and creating an 18 game schedule where players are only allowed to play in 16 of the games. This brings a whole new aspect to the game where teams will have to strategically plan who they will play and who they will not play in certain games.

8. NFL 18-game schedule: Examining scheduling and bye week logistics

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/444538-nfl-18-game-schedule-examining-scheduling-and-bye-week-logistics

Background: This article talks about what changes the league would have to make in order to switch to an 18-game schedule. The article brings up a lot of information about how the scheduling for the extra two games would potentially pan out.

How I used it: A large portion of this paper is about how the NFL should expand its regular season schedule to 18 games. The question is how would the two extra games to the schedule be added? Who would each team play? These are questions that need to be answered in order to have a 18 game schedule and I try to add an idea on how this process would take place.