It seems all but a certainty at this point that the NFL owners are going to switch to an 18 game season in 2012. Obviously the owners favor this because it means more money for them, however it doesn't seem like a good idea to me. It's hard enough to keep players healthy for 16 games, and adding two more seems to me that it will have more negatives than positives. I think there will be an increase in injuries and careers will be shortened not to mention that getting to the post season will be more about who has roster depth than who has the best players and team work. Not to mention that with 2 extra games all of the current records will become meaningless. I don't see this as providing a better product for NFL fans but rather a diluting of the current game.
The other issue is that adding 2 regular season games presumably means cutting 2 preseason games. This means that developing and evaluating young players becomes that much more difficult. Without this playing time, it's not just possible but likely that future stars will not get the opportunity to make it on a final roster. Would players like Tom Brady and Kurt Warner who began their careers as back ups have made it into the league without adequate playing time to learn their trade and showcase their skills? What future pro bowlers and hall of famers will we be denied because of a shortened preseason. Granted, preseason games are less interesting for fans since the outcome isn't important, but a better solution would be for greedy owners to charge lower ticket prices for preseason games instead. Charging full price for exhibition games seems to me to be a bigger point of contention for fans than the number of games.
From what I've read, the players' union is opposed to the expanded regular season so with any luck they will have the leverage to put this bad idea out to pasture. In the end though, I fear that they will be bought off with more money and expanded rosters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though that this isn't as imminent as it seems.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
They used to have 6 preseason games and 14 regular season games. Someone probably thought changing that was a bad idea too.
I'm with Anonymous. It seems ridiculous to me that the hand full of quarters less these guys play in actual game situations leaves them all the much more prone to injury. It very much so is part of the game, and I understand the pureist and stats argument, but SFW? So we make new benchmarks for relivant stats. I'm more than happy to give up old stats so foggies and number crunchers can argue (uselessly) about if so-and-so was better or more dominant at his time (though long dead) than today's studs. Depth and depth-depleated chemistry are already parts of the game, and they're great amazing subtle parts that will just play slightly larger roles with 18 games. More atheletes (expanded rosters) get a chance to make camel-choking amounts of money, I don't see the problem. I also kind of don't see how this is supposed to make the owners so much more money; as you pointed out, the jack-asses already charge us full price for the tickets, and I don't know about you, but I watch every preseason game on TV as it is (though a national TV contract is probably the extra money; and consessions at a game where folks actually show up.) :p Hey, the stadium is already open, the tickets are already paid for, I have no problem with the games actually meaning something. :)
As for players getting to show their talents and making a team, that won't change at all. Talented players that would be studs are overlooked by the NFL all the time with our 4 game (and previously 6 game) pre-season. The fact remains that teams that are good at unearthing talent (see also NEP's) will still do so in less time; and the expanded rosters will only HELP with that, and kids who emerge after starters injuries will only have all the more chance to keep jobs by outplaying thier injured predicessors.
As for the price of preseason tickets, hey, the owners are charging what the market will bear. They could easily lower the cost of each pre-season ticket; but it just means they'd then raise the cost of the regular season ticket. When you pay for a whole season it's pretty irrelivant what the print on the ticket says as for price; you pay for the whole season. The cost of the preseason games just factor in to the total value, just like the damn ticket-bastard charges et al. :/
More games, more revenues.
Both the league and players split the regular season revenues.
Pre-season is not split with the players. So going to 2 pre-season and 18 regular season games would most benefit the players.
My guess is that if the 18 regular game schedule was implemented, the Super Bowl would get pushed back two weeks, so it close the gap with the start of baseball season. The added benefit means that golf is pushed off the air mroe often....
Dear Chuckman, you are completely wrong about everything. Also, see this
Post a Comment