Discussions of 18-Game NFL Season Are About One Thing: More Money for Owners

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I like to give Sports Illustrated's Peter King the business from time to time for his love love of all things Brett Favre and Tom Brady. In light of recent events, however, King may be a one-handsome-NFL-quarterback man going forward (congrats, Tom! Hurry back!).

But when Mr. PK isn't slurping his two BFFs, he occasionally has something interesting to say. Like this nugget on extending the NFL season to 18 games, buried in his Monday Morning Quarterback column:

Somewhere down on the list of the little headlines from the NFL's annual fall meetings last week was the one about an 18-game regular-season schedule roaring down the tracks and headed for the 2010 or 2011 season, presumably with a corresponding drop in preseason games from four to two. ...

Playing 18 regular-season games would not make the football product better, but it would make the owners richer.

Exactly. Two more regular-season games means 120 additional minutes for players to get hurt as some of them prepare for the playoffs. Anecdotally, I'd think the risk of injury increases as the season progresses; partly because almost every player is already nicked and bruised and more susceptible to getting hurt, and also because the laws of probability and physics suggest that sooner or later, bad things will happen when 300-pound dudes continually run full-speed into each other.

But the fans want it, right?

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LONDON - OCTOBER 26: Spectators walk towards the stadium ahead of the Bridgestone International Series NFL match between San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium on October 26, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

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LONDON - OCTOBER 26: A general view ahead of the Bridgestone International Series NFL match between San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium on October 26, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, left, speaks at Springs Fabrication while former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway looks on in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider, Pool)

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, accompanied by former Denver Broncos safety John Lynch, center, and former Denver Broncos hall-of-fame quarterback John Elway, leave Conway's Red Top restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., center, flanked by his wife Cindy, left, and former Denver Broncos hall-of-fame quarterback John Elway talks at a table during a stop at Conway's Red Top restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

According to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, yes, yes they do. Again, from King's column:

"The No. 1 driving force for this is to satisfy the fans,'' Jones said after I'd given him my spiel. "Fans are already paying for 20 games [16 regular-season plus four preseason games], and they'd be doing the same thing under an 18-game schedule. This is a way to up the quality of the games for all fans. Now [Peter], I can tell you're thinking, 'Jerry, that's a bunch of BS ...''

And then Jones quieted King with another tub of delicious popcorn.

Here's the thing: sure, more football is a swell notion, but a bunch of hand-waving doesn't magically make it a great idea. And if the owners are so interested in giving the fans what they want, why don't they invest the millions they'll earn from the two additional regular-season games in improving player safety. And as long as we're wishing for stuff, find a way to shore up the officiating (in addition to the pep talks, of course).

King provides a list of 202 players who have already gone down through the first seven weeks. To think that the season could drag on for another 11 without a substantial across-the-league drop in quality of play is, well, insane. On the upside, the owners will be that much richer!

Somebody get Arlen Specter on this, stat.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

10-23-2008 @ 2:02PM

Ddub said...

How do you suggest improving player safety? It's a very violent contact sport of very strong, very fast athletes hitting each other at maximum speed. What kind of money can you spend to better it, without losing part of what makes the sport in the first place? They already get state of the art medical and training facilities (except maybe the Staph City Browns). I already think the limitations placed on hitting kickers and quarterbacks takes away from the defensive game. How can we applaud strong, hard-hitting play and then cry for the players when they get hurt? It's what they signed up and are paid handsomely for.

And isn't 20 games 20 games? Doesn't change the fact that any single play can cripple an NFL player, preseason or otherwise. If you're worried about your starters getting nicked up, play a strong half and pull them. I can't see how 18 regular season games at the cost of 2 meaningless preseason games is a bad move for anyone involved, including us, the fans.

10-26-2008 @ 2:26PM

d216 said...

I have seen giant extream padded suits people can put on and then beat Hell out of each other with no possability of injury. If safety is truely an interest I'm sure players could be outfitted in similar garb.
I would like to see telivised games restricted to Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I really object to these programs intruding on my normal tv watching habits. I am particularly bothered by the pre and post game discussions. Presumably the people who like to watch these games need to be told what they saw or are going to see?

10-26-2008 @ 2:36PM

Moira said...

Yes, it's violent, and a man's game for sure. I would love to see more games from my feminine perspective, but I don't think those guys could play more than 16. What do the rest of you think? They wear enough armor now to go into battle, yet they still get hurt. I read every year about how many starting QB's are already out by game 3. And I saw a star player on the Cards squad lietrally have his face broken earlier this year. And Tom Brady has a torn ACL. I'd also be curious what they players all think. Are they gung ho or do you think they find 16 games to be enough? And how many become meaningless chances to get hurt if they playoffs are decided with several games left in an overlong season?

10-23-2008 @ 2:22PM

ryan said...

Ddub, you do realize that currently starters don't play more than a series or two (a half at most during the first two weeks) in preseason. Leaving things as they are is one way to make players safer. Logic suggests that players are more likely to get injured the more often they're exposed to violent collisions. If you're willing to accept that, then it follows that, on average, you would expect fewer injuries over a 16-game season instead of an 18-game season.

Again, this is about owners making more money.

10-23-2008 @ 2:56PM

Mike Smith said...

I agree with the premise of the article. Personally, as long as the price of Sunday Ticket doesn't go up, I don't mind (though I'm sure it would). As far as selling the idea, maybe the owners could earmark the revenue from the 2 extra games for medical expenses etc. for the retired older players that we have been hearing so much about. I think the bad officiating is reaching a crisis point also. It seems like we have had as many bad calls this year already than we had all of last year. We need better officiating!!! Keep up the good work...

10-23-2008 @ 3:32PM

dimckll said...

This is why MLB baseball is boring until a week or two leading up until playoffs, or NHL, or NBA . . . the 16 season works for players as it is and makes it more interesting for the fans . . . every game counts. What's next, monday, wednesday, and friday nights?

10-23-2008 @ 3:41PM

Opie said...

I think every one is kinda back peddling a little bit, this is what we all new was gonna happen. To get the new CBA done and get rookie salaries under control, appease the players whom will also make more money in the deal, two more games equals 2 more game checks...they dont get paid for pre-season. Just think back to when we expanded to 16 games..and added the wild cards to the playoffs. Or the several times they have re-organized the playoffs to accomodate the changing league. Lets just sit back and enjoy the best game on earth.

10-23-2008 @ 5:11PM

George B Vieto said...

There is a train of thought that expanding the season to eighteen games the entertainment value of the NFL would be overexposure and lead to burnout.

10-23-2008 @ 10:21PM

Cale said...

Real men already play 18 games.

www.cfl.ca

10-24-2008 @ 9:15AM

Bill said...

How will the owners make more money? Season tix for most NFL teams already make you pay for preseason at full price. Players get nominal $$, and this would go up. Let me see, revenue flat, cost up? Seems like a difficult way to improve profit, but who am I to doubt a boston windbag like Peter King

10-25-2008 @ 7:16PM

the cooker said...

Bill, the owners are not worried about ticket sales. Their big money comes from big TV revenue which they do not get in preseason.

10-25-2008 @ 2:27PM

Sports Fan said...

Raise the size of the roster and salary cap. Eighteen games will be do-able.

10-25-2008 @ 7:15PM

Rob C said...

Increase the roster to 75 players and play 40 games a year. Guys get hurt so often because they weigh so much! Have a maximum weight of 275lbs. The game would be much quicker and these guys would actually be in shape. Just playing that number of games would help keep the weight off. There is no way anybody weighing close to 400lbs in in shape! They may be strong but a guy weighing 275lbs can be just as strong. It's just harder to move a heavy piece of flab! Maybe then they could do away with ridiculous rules like you can't touch the QB!

10-26-2008 @ 8:19AM

To suggest that it is financially driven by the owners is incorrect. The current agreement allows the individual owners to collect the revenue from TV and Ticket sales for the preseason. During the regular season the TV contract and gate revenue are divided equally between all 32 teams with the NFL getting their cut as well. It is not about money it is about 18 real games and 2 practices which we pay the same ticket prices for.

Paskulo said...

The way to eliminate injuries is to eliminate pads.

10-26-2008 @ 2:47PM

ABCarowhina said...

17 games makes more sense. Keeps 8 home games for all teams, leaving 1 neutral site game. Also, 1 less practice game.

10-26-2008 @ 3:13PM

Jerry said...

Who cares, after watching this crap this week. Sometimes I wonder
why I keep watching, already stopped going to the games.
The players, owners, referees all are a bunch of idiots.

10-26-2008 @ 3:28PM

cell said...

Hockey is a violent sport too and they manage to play 82 games, without a week off in between games to dog fight or get arrested.. maybe football should go straight from preseason to playoffs so none of the precious commodities get hurt...

10-26-2008 @ 3:43PM

Wendy said...

Oh the greed! Maybe when the player's union decides the owners have to pay the players more for the extra games, they'll rethink. Not surprising this is coming from Jerry Jones.