Football is Great!
I love pro football!
In recognition of this fact, last fall my wife was kind enough to take me on a trip to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In a word, it was awesome!! Rumor has it that late at night, after everyone has left the facility the bust of the hall of fame inductees all talk with each other. I am not sure that I believe that, but it is kind of cool to think about.
I became a pro football fan when I was a kid in the 1970’s and the Pittsburgh Steelers were consistently winning championships. At the time their quarterback was Terry Bradshaw. And I made the natural assumption that we were somehow related. Consequently, I have been a Steelers fan since then.
I also cheer for the Atlanta Falcons. But they do make it challenging. Perhaps Michael Penix as our starting quarterback will be the answer moving forward. We’ll see…
Today I marvel at the talent of the players. The storylines are interesting, and the game is entertaining. It is in effect, controlled violence. I use the word violence intentionally. Because, when 250-pound humans consistently collide into each other at a high rate of speed sooner or later someone is going to get roughed up. I have no qualms about admitting that as one of the attractions of the game for me. And I do applaud the league’s recent attempts to make the game safer. Being roughed up is one thing. Being injured is something else.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I have occasionally thought that it would be fun to tackle someone. In fact, I could probably put together a list of folks that I would love to tackle. Then again there are probably some folks out there who want to tackle me. So, never mind.
My larger point is that I love the game. I also love it at the end of televised games when the announcement is made: “Thank you for watching this presentation of the National Football League.” If the league ever needs anyone else to do that voice work, I am available. Just sayin’…
But as much as it pains me to say so this league that I love so much is on the verge of taking it all a bit too far.
A Marketing Machine
Among sports leagues the NFL has no rival when it comes to marketing its product. Case in point: The Super Bowl has become the biggest sporting event of the year with the telecast consistently checking in as among the highest rated television broadcast of any given year. This commercial success has created a juggernaut money-making enterprise.
According to Forbes the average NFL franchise is worth $5.7 billion with the dreaded Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable NFL franchise worth about $8 billion.
The networks that broadcast the games agree to multi-billion dollar deals for the privilege of doing so.
Advertising rates for 30-second ads are also significant:
Sunday Night Football: $882,079
Monday Night Football: $562,524
Thursday Night Football: $440,523
The players benefit as well. For example, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s most recent contract makes him the highest paid player in the league at $60 million a year.
Attending a game is not an inexpensive exercise either. Between the price of tickets, concessions, parking and whatever investment people make in the tailgating experience those costs add up.
For the record, I have no real problem with any of this. After all this is America. Capitalism is alive and well. If this is what the market will bear, then so be it.
My issue tends to be the over-the-top nature of it all, whereby the spectacle is on the verge of overwhelming the game, if it has not done so already. Some examples of what I mean are presented below.
The Draft
Each year the NFL holds a draft of college players. The draft consists of seven rounds with each of the 32 clubs getting at least one pick in each round. Back in the day team representatives met in a smoke-filled room, mostly away from the cameras and got it all worked out.
Now the NFL draft is a multiple day TV extravaganza that has taken on the look and feel of a major movie premier or musical concert. Additionally, all the “mock drafts” leading up to the actual draft are just too much. Are “mock drafts” really necessary? Personally, I find it to be a bit off putting, such that I probably won’t watch any of it. I can find out which teams drafted which players by watching Sports Center on ESPN sometime after the fact.
Also, on a 53-man NFL roster, can one player really make that much of a difference in one season? It’s just a question.
Thursday Night Football
As a fan I have to admit that I like the fact that there is only a two-day break between Monday night and Thursday night, when I can watch football again. Who happens to be playing on a given Thursday almost does not matter to me. I just like tuning in.
But I subscribe to a streaming service, which means I can watch. For those who don’t, an NFL football game on Thursday evening is inaccessible. I am not a fan of this.
Also, it is not great for the health of the players. If someone has played in a game on Sunday, having to play again on Thursday is a pretty short turnaround time. The body needs time to sufficiently recover from the bumps and bruises that playing in a pro football game can induce. I am no doctor, but a three-day break is probably not enough. This fact tends to undercut some of the initiatives that the league has taken to improve player safety. And if someone polled the players on this topic, I have a feeling that the majority would agree with me on this point.
The Number of Regular Season Games
The 2024 regular season was 17 games. This was adopted in an agreement between the League and the NFL Players Association in March 2021. I think it is one game too many.
For some historical context, the evolution of the regular season length has been as follows:
1947 – 1960: 12 games
1961 – 1977: 14 games
1978 – 2023: 16 games
Things evolve. I get that. More games means more money. I also get that. But by comparison:
The Major League Baseball (MLB) season of 162 games has been unchanged as far back as I can remember.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) season of 82 games has been unchanged as far back as I can remember. In fact, there was a recent sports report indicating that the NBA Commissioner had floated the idea of actually reducing the number of regular season NBA games. It probably won’t happen. But it is certainly something worth considering.
The NFL should be able to find another way to make more money rather than just adding games.
Also, with the extended season it seemed like the league started tracking who was in the playoff picture 7 to 8 games before the season ended. By the time the playoffs started I was kind of over it. Tracking and promoting the potential playoff picture with about 4 or 5 games left in the regular season makes more sense to me.
Additionally, a 17-game season renders any regular season records practically meaningless. Under this current schedule, historic success benchmarks like a 1,000-yard pass receiving or rushing season, are candidly no longer that much of an accomplishment.
This season much was made of Saquon Barkley’s run at the single season rushing record. He was held out of the last game of the season to preserve him for the playoffs, and as a result he did not break the record. But even if he had done so it would have taken him 17 games. Conversely, Eric Dickerson set the record at 2105 yards in a 16-game season. And to take it a step further, O.J. Simpson rushed for 2003 yards in a 14-game season. That is a significant accomplishment.
Also, an additional regular season game means one more game of wear and tear on the players’ bodies.
The Super Bowl Pregame Show
As previously stated, the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year. The privilege of televising the game rotates between four networks: CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC/ESPN. This year’s game will be televised on FOX.
The kickoff for the game will be at about 6:30pm on Sunday evening. It is my understanding that the network’s pregame show starts at 1pm. Yep; 1pm.
This means that unless the game on Sunday evolves into some unprecedented overtime situation, the pregame show will last one to two hours longer than the game itself. It’s too much!
And please don’t get me started on what the Super Bowl Half Time Show has evolved into.
So, What to Do?
I love pro football! But for the reasons presented above I think the league is on the verge of taking a great thing a little too far. Continuing to grow the game is important and probably necessary. But the NFL certainly should not be adding anymore regular season games. Beyond that, I am not sure what to suggest. The marketing Jeanie will not go back into the bottle.
So, I guess I’ll just keep watching. I won’t be watching the draft. And I certainly won’t be watching a 5½ hour pregame show. Instead, on Sunday afternoon I imagine I will be playing golf or if the weather is uncooperative, re-watching episodes of The Diplomat.
But, come game time I will be glued to my TV like millions of other folks. There will be no Super Bowl Party or Sports Bar for me. I’ll be at home sitting in my easy chair with the food and drink of my choice close at hand. That way, no one other than my wife has to put up with my continuous game commentary.
As for the game itself, I am rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. I have nothing at all against the Kansas City Chiefs, and I won’t be bothered if they win. What they have accomplished over the last few seasons is remarkable. Three consecutive Super Bowl Championships would be incredible. And Patrick Mahomes is in a class of his own.
But I like rooting for the underdog, and the Eagles are underdogs. Also, I like the fact that Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts is just a chilled-out dude and I want to see him win. Additionally, the aforementioned Saquon Barkley is a beast. The running back position is indeed not obsolete. I am a fan of his, and I want to see him win as well.
On this issue I am now on the record.
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