Proposal for a Better NFL

InvaderRam wrote:

i was thinking they should have more bye weeks. gives them a chance to rest during a grueling season. but i agree. shorten the season. go back to grass fields. no preseason. probably not gonna happen. but those would all be good ideas.

I forgot about the turf. That’s a huge reason for the injuries, especially concussions and ACLs.  Lotsa players say it’s like playing on concrete.

It’s gotta go. Mandate grass fields universally, and get all scienzy about it. Find the best kind of grass for the players. Most cushion, resilience, protection, etc.

I know most of the things I propose would be shot down by players and ownership, though I think the players would like some of them. They’d all take a hit in the wallet with fewer games, but I think there are ways around that. First off, ownership really makes their money on the radical growth in value for each franchise. Yeah, the TV money is crazy too. But if they bought their teams at least a decade ago, they’d likely pocket billions in profit if they sold them. So they’re making tons of money each year, and when they sell. But if they don’t start paying attention to the safety of the game, and its overly saturated TV presence, those values may start to fall.

Long shot for ownership: Sacrifice a bit of the yearly revenues for a far better on the field product and a healthier team, which will benefit everyone down the road. For the players, they’ll still make good money each year, but the grass fields, rules changes, and fewer games should keep them a lot healthier, which would extend their careers if they want that.

IMO, fans will support the league more if these things happen. I think the near-death of Damar Hamlin has a lot of people reevaluating that support. It should be a wake up call for the entire league.