The handwriting is at the wall. NFL house owners wish to sooner or later amplify the ordinary season from 17 video games to 18. The house owners normally get what they would like, so it kind of feels like a question of when, and no longer if, we see a spread.
The tide collective bargaining assurance runs thru 2030, however NFL house owners, officers and leaders of the NFL Gamers Affiliation have already begun very initial discussions on what an 18-game season would seem like and what varieties of concessions each and every aspect must produce to facilitate the sort of trade. However the two aspects are nowhere akin to hammering out an assurance.
For now, nearly all of NFL gamers we stated to forbid the theory of an 18-game season. Of the 108 gamers who spoke back when requested for The Athletic’s 2nd nameless participant ballot, 64 mentioned they don’t seem to be in partial of the league including an 18th match. In the meantime, 29 gamers mentioned they might be in partial of the walk and 15 described themselves as unsure.
The ones adversarial to the theory are staunchly adversarial.
“No. Hell no,” one participant mentioned. “It’s too much on our bodies.”
“F— no. F— no,” a 2nd participant replied. “For what? F— no. F– no. F— no. Make it shorter.”
Stated a 3rd, “No. The money’s not worth it. And it doesn’t affect the playoff bracket. One more extra game is not gonna affect the playoff bracket.”
Extra soccer sounds stunning to fanatics and house owners, however many gamers have alternative components to imagine.
“No, because players barely make it through 17, so adding 18, we don’t know what type of implications that’ll have long-term,” one participant mentioned, “because you’ll see guys have high use one year and the whole next year they battle injuries. Physically, I think it’s too much, and I know from the standpoint of the NFL, they see the money, but they’re gonna lose a lot of star players to injuries.”
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Every other participant fearful that persisted growth of the time table would scale down the magnitude of each and every match.
“What makes football great is there are so few games, and each game matters like 10 baseball games and five basketball games. So they all matter,” he mentioned. “And 17 is kind of nice, because nobody is going to be .500. We’re not doing ties. You’re either over .500, or under .500. If it ever does happen, it has to be mandated grass (fields) across the league.”
Gamers all the time whisk factor with the NFL’s claims of being concerned about participant protection when in addition they listen of householders in need of supplementary video games. However they perceive the riding issue in the back of the sort of choice.
“The NFL is all about making money, so they’re going to add another game of course,” one participant mentioned. “It’ll be more money coming in.”
He collision the nail at the head: The NFL is all about earning money. Conversely, the gamers wish to build up their incomes attainable as neatly. As a result of that mutual need, even gamers who strongly forbid the theory of the growth to 18 video games recognize they’ll need to relent to keep growing their portion of the industrial pie.
“I get it, it’s the money side,” a participant mentioned. “You know, get the money while you can, you just keep on adding games. But I think it has more wear and tear on the body. If they’re going to make an 18th game, they’re going to have to change something somewhere else. So I’ll be curious to see what they would do.”
Gamers are enthusiastic about including extra put on and tear to their our bodies if the NFL in the end provides an 18th match. (Ken Blaze / Imagn Photographs)
Stated any other, “No. Unless they’re giving us some more money, then no. This is a long season as it is, you know? Adding the last one, it was what, 16 at first, and then to 17. Eighteen is just crazy.”
Gamers these days obtain 48.8 p.c of all earnings and the house owners whisk within the excess 51.2 p.c, however that break would maximum surely have to modify if the league expects to sway gamers at the 18th match. Gamers had been additionally requested a follow-up query as to what the NFL would want to regulate to house a possible 18th match. Essentially the most ordinary reaction used to be an supplementary bye occasion, year others cited adjustments to the preseason and offseason time table and, in fact, extra money.
“I am in favor if that means more revenue share for the players and if there’s an additional bye week worked in within the season,” one participant mentioned.
“If it means more money, I’m down,” any other mentioned. “A lot more money, though. Not just another game check. (And) two bye weeks.”
Every other participant, considering of the incomes attainable, additionally mentioned he would log out on an 18th match.
“Yes, if the salary, regardless of inflation, is gonna reflect it, and you up the amount of practice squad players per team,” he mentioned. “Just because I always think about the little guys, so I’m looking at minimum salaries and practice squad players. I just want the bread. I just want another $100K or $200K. I’m not tripping off getting extra rest as long as it’s all the same playing field and everybody else get the same rest. It’s cool with me, but then again, I’m a grinder. I’ll play 20 games for another $500K.”
A couple of gamers appreciated the theory of an 18th match just because they revel in enjoying.
“Love the game,” one mentioned. “You wanna add more? Add more.”
They believed with right kind changes to the preseason and with the implementation of a 2nd bye, gamers would to find techniques to supremacy and regulate to the supplementary put on and tear.
“Two real bye weeks,” one participant mentioned. “Not a three-day week that the league tries to get away with after Thursday games. Two full weeks and that gets you to the Presidents Day holiday for the Super Bowl like they want.”
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Gamers surveyed appear to understand that regardless of their reservations, an 18th match is coming, and there may be negligible they are able to do except paintings to barter the most productive imaginable monetary and advantages bundle.
As one veteran mentioned, “I hope by the time we get to the point, way later down the road, that I’m out of the league. But I know it’s coming.”
(Govern representation: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; footage: Ryan Kang and Chris Unger / Getty Photographs)
