There has apparently been a “renewed push” from NFL house owners to fireside up the grill on an 18-game common season.
It is sensible from the proprietor’s perspective. An additional sport that issues means one fewer sport that does not matter.
Which means followers paying extra regular-season costs to get by means of the gate. Which means worldwide journeys that will hypothetically carry extra followers (and thus, merchandise gross sales) into the fold.
The gamers, within the meantime, don’t have any need to play an 18th regular-season sport, based on NFLPA interim government director David White, who was talking on the union’s annual Tremendous Bowl information convention.
“The 18th sport will not be informal for us. It is a very critical situation. It is one thing that comes out of negotiations, and nothing will transfer ahead till gamers have the chance to account for all of these components, take that into consideration after which by means of negotiations, agree or to not the 18th sport,” White mentioned, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
The principle concern, in fact, is participant security.
One further sport with actual ramifications on the road means one further sport of laborious hits, grueling practices and doubtlessly robust restoration timelines. Worldwide journey will not assist skilled athletes attempting to recuperate from bodily video games each week. That is already laborious to do.
Worldwide video games are laborious on NFL gamers
“Some groups will fly out days early, some will fly out the day earlier than, some will keep close to the apply website. Some may have prolonged commutes for the gamers after that journey once they’re getting over jetlag, et cetera. After which the video games following and whether or not or not there is a interval of actual restoration for his or her our bodies, that, too, is inconsistent. … all of that must be accounted for if we’ll discuss transferring even additional away or having extra worldwide video games,” White mentioned.
That is what the house owners need, although. They need extra actual soccer, they usually need to take the sport world.
Participant security doesn’t appear to be on the forefront of those concepts, however White and NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin each imagine {that a} longer season means extra publicity to accidents.
“It is punishing, and we will see that on the groups which have deep postseason runs,” White mentioned. “And we noticed it this yr. … These accidents, they value gamers pay, they will shorten careers, they will diminish lifetime earnings. And when your common profession is already three to 4 years, that turns into one thing that’s existential.”
The NFL’s possession conglomerate cannot increase the regular-season schedule anytime quickly with out the NFLPA agreeing to opening up a negotiation window earlier than the present collective bargaining settlement expires in March 2031.
