Future NFL

[popanot]

Some interesting comments in King's MMQB this week:

“The owners want to extend the playoffs into February. The owners want to play the Super Bowl on President’s Day weekend, a four-day weekend that would turn the Super Bowl into a bigger event. When I brought up the idea of bidding out the Super Bowl, the owners jumped at the idea. They loved it. They want 18 games because they believe that it’s worth anywhere from $3 billion to $4 billion per year. Let me repeat: $3 billion to $4 billion every year. For the players, that means that the salary cap would go up by anywhere from $46 million to $62 million per team. Yes, the salary cap could be more than $200 million in an 18-game season. That’s if you do it on your terms.”

—NFL Players Association executive director candidate Sean Gilbert, in his closing speech to NFL player reps and alternate player reps at their annual meeting in Hawaii on Sunday night. Andrew Brandt of The MMQB will have a report on the outcome of the election on this site later this morning.

My thoughts:
1. I hate waiting it out for the Super Bowl, but I kind of like the idea of it being on a long weekend.

2. I'm good with 18 games, but only if it means cutting out 2 crap preseason games. I know it would take away from rookie and free agent acclimation, development and preparation, and it might lead to some pretty bad football the first few weeks of the regular season, but nothing is worse than the first and forth weeks of preseason.

3. Of course the owners would love the idea of bidding out of the Super Bowl. Municipalities already are willing to take it up the you-know-what to subsidize their stadiums so I'm sure there are plenty (even non-NFL cities) willing to take it up the you-know-what to buy a Super Bowl. They've already started the bid trend with the NFL draft. Why not put the Crown Jewel up for bid? Man, NFL owners have it made...

[barrett]

Interesting stuff and thanks for the find.

The NFL makes the huge majority of their money on their national TV deal. I really don't get why they don't just go to an 18 or 19 week season with 2-3 byes per team. You still sell an extra 2 weeks of TV games, but without having to kill the product. Going over 16 games just means the playoffs become even more random since you will have %10-%20 more injuries.

As for the Super Bowl, the bid process is interesting. The best destinations to host super bowls are also the least likely to pay for it because they are cities that draw awesome amounts of tourists already (San Diego, Miami, New Orleans). San Diego and Miami already passed on free super bowls just because of the cost of stadium upgrades. If you go to a bid system get ready to play the Super Bowl in tourism starved cities like Minneapolis, Indy, Detroit, KC, STL, etc...

[popanot]

Originally Posted by barrett

As for the Super Bowl, the bid process is interesting. The best destinations to host super bowls are also the least likely to pay for it because they are cities that draw awesome amounts of tourists already (San Diego, Miami, New Orleans). San Diego and Miami already passed on free super bowls just because of the cost of stadium upgrades. If you go to a bid system get ready to play the Super Bowl in tourism starved cities like Minneapolis, Indy, Detroit, KC, STL, etc...

Excellent point. I could also see a tourist city like San Antonio or a major college city that already has a big stadium jumping in to 1)sell the public on stadium improvements, and/or 2)show the NFL they should have a team.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by popanot

Excellent point. I could also see a tourist city like San Antonio or a major college city that already has a big stadium jumping in to 1)sell the public on stadium improvements, and/or 2)show the NFL they should have a team.

That's a great point. I could see the super bowl becoming a travelling event that gets built into the expansion/construction of NFL stadiums. Basically the NFL saying, fund a stadium and we will take your bid as trade for paying for our stadium. A decent amount of this already goes on, but it would expand with a bid system.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by barrett

The NFL makes the huge majority of their money on their national TV deal. I really don't get why they don't just go to an 18 or 19 week season with 2-3 byes per team. You still sell an extra 2 weeks of TV games, but without having to kill the product. Going over 16 games just means the playoffs become even more random since you will have %10-%20 more injuries.

In 1993, every team had two bye weeks so the 16-game regular season was spread over 18 weeks. Ratings dipped so they went back to one bye the next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see them try it again. I would think that revenue from the extra week of games would more than offset a drop in ratings in the various TV markets in weeks when the local teams were off. Plus they could spin it as a player safety move.

I'm just relieved that Sean Gilbert lost his bid to be the NFLPA executive director. That was a work stoppage waiting to happen.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Warren

In 1993, every team had two bye weeks so the 16-game regular season was spread over 18 weeks. Ratings dipped so they went back to one bye the next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see them try it again. I would think that revenue from the extra week of games would more than offset a drop in ratings in the various TV markets in weeks when the local teams were off. Plus they could spin it as a player safety move.

I'm just relieved that Sean Gilbert lost his bid to be the NFLPA executive director. That was a work stoppage waiting to happen.

But in 1993 Fantasy Football was in its infancy. Today, football fans watch every game almost as much as they watch their home team. I watched a Tennessee-Jacksonville game last year on a Thursday night because it was the only game on. I think the ratings impact would be next to nothing and the extra 1-2 weeks of programming to sell would be huge. Plus it has a player safety appeal like you said. To me an extra bye week elevates the level of play and lets guys get healthy. While increasing games lowers the level of play and increases injuries.

I'd also be in favor of eliminating 1 or 2 preseason games.

[HPF Bob]

Fantasy Footballers would bitch the most about two bye weeks. "You mean I have to sit Brady twice???"

16 weeks if perfect to me. 18 screws up a lot of things that are perfect right now, like scheduling.

Say it with me folks: "Super Bowl LX - London 2026"
Damn, wouldn't that be the year Houston would finally go?

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Damn, wouldn't that be the year Houston would finally go?

You'd have to get a passport. Man, that would suck.