Why I Am Against an 18 Game NFL Season
This one is pretty simple. On the surface, an 18 game NFL regular season seems damn good. Why not? More football is always good, so who in their right mind would complain about that?
Well, for one, I will. Yeah we all want more football. Hell, we would probably want it to be year round if we would get away with it. But is it really all that necessary? I don't really think so. By the time we get to about Week 15, we're ready for the playoffs to start anyway. Do you really wanna drag it out even more? There comes a point when it gets to be a little too much, and with the season already spreading into February, which I don't like, do you really wanna extend it even more? I think what's most important is cutting the preseason. But why is it necessary to cut two preseason games and replace them with regular season games? I say, cut one preseason game and leave the rest well enough alone! Of course, that means the NFL loses money in ticket sales and there's still the issue of charging full ticket prices for preseason games. One thing I know, the owners are not interested in a reduction in revenue.
Then, there's the players. The guys who put their lives and futures on the line with each play they participate in. If the player says that two extra games will exact such a enormous physical toll over time, then who am I to say that it's not true? We already know that concussions are an increasing problem, and even prior to that, at a time when seasons were only 14 games long, we now see how these guys, as they have gotten older, suffer from the effects of playing the game. I think greater concern can and should be paid to the health of the player. Sure they get paid a lot of money, but what good is money when you're all busted up? These guys are not mules and furthermore, not to be ran out there to get broken up for our amusement. I big up the players for standing up and saying 'No' to an 18 game schedule. I just don't think it works on any level.
At the end of the day, the 18 games proposal will probably get amended because the owners and fans want it. The owners will enjoy more paydays and we fans will all enjoy a few extra meaningful football games. But everything has its price, and I just wonder if the benefit of a couple extra games a season is worth the cost of the accumulative physical, mental, emotional, and neurological strain that will be the expense of the players. Our players are people; people with fragile bodies and fragile parts. I wonder if we tend to see the armor they wear and the things they're able to do and yet forget that simple aspect.
Well, for one, I will. Yeah we all want more football. Hell, we would probably want it to be year round if we would get away with it. But is it really all that necessary? I don't really think so. By the time we get to about Week 15, we're ready for the playoffs to start anyway. Do you really wanna drag it out even more? There comes a point when it gets to be a little too much, and with the season already spreading into February, which I don't like, do you really wanna extend it even more? I think what's most important is cutting the preseason. But why is it necessary to cut two preseason games and replace them with regular season games? I say, cut one preseason game and leave the rest well enough alone! Of course, that means the NFL loses money in ticket sales and there's still the issue of charging full ticket prices for preseason games. One thing I know, the owners are not interested in a reduction in revenue.
Then, there's the players. The guys who put their lives and futures on the line with each play they participate in. If the player says that two extra games will exact such a enormous physical toll over time, then who am I to say that it's not true? We already know that concussions are an increasing problem, and even prior to that, at a time when seasons were only 14 games long, we now see how these guys, as they have gotten older, suffer from the effects of playing the game. I think greater concern can and should be paid to the health of the player. Sure they get paid a lot of money, but what good is money when you're all busted up? These guys are not mules and furthermore, not to be ran out there to get broken up for our amusement. I big up the players for standing up and saying 'No' to an 18 game schedule. I just don't think it works on any level.
At the end of the day, the 18 games proposal will probably get amended because the owners and fans want it. The owners will enjoy more paydays and we fans will all enjoy a few extra meaningful football games. But everything has its price, and I just wonder if the benefit of a couple extra games a season is worth the cost of the accumulative physical, mental, emotional, and neurological strain that will be the expense of the players. Our players are people; people with fragile bodies and fragile parts. I wonder if we tend to see the armor they wear and the things they're able to do and yet forget that simple aspect.
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