Why Did the NFL Move to 17 Games?

The NFL has moved to a 17 game regular season schedule for the 2021 season. Here’s a look at why the league made the decision.

Reasons for the Change

The NFL decided to move to a 17 game regular season starting in the 2021 season. This decision was not an easy one, but it was made with the best interests of the league and its fans in mind. There are a few reasons for this change. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Increasing Popularity of the sport

The most evident answer is that the NFL is becoming more and more popular. In recent years, the league has seen a surge in ratings and attendance. In 2020, the NFL saw an average of 15.4 million viewers per game, which was a 5% increase from 2019. This newfound popularity has led to higher TV ratings and increased revenue for the league.

In addition, the NFL has seen a rise in attendance over the past few years. In 2019, the league averaged 67,491 fans per game, which was a 1.6% increase from 2018. The increase in popularity has led to more people attending games and buying tickets.

The NFL has also seen a rise in merchandise sales. In 2020, the league sold $1.53 billion worth of merchandise, which was a 7% increase from 2019. The rise in popularity has led to more people buying NFL merchandise, such as jerseys and hats.

The increased popularity of the sport has led to the NFL increasing its regular season from 16 games to 17 games. The purpose of this change is to generate more revenue for the league by playing one additional game. The additional game will also give fans more opportunities to watch their favorite team play.

More revenue

The most common reason given by the NFL for making the switch to a 17 game regular season is simply that it will generate more revenue. With two additional games comes two additional weeks of ticket sales, merchandise sales, and broadcasting rights fees.

It should be noted that the NFL is not the first professional sports league to make this switch. The Canadian Football League moved to a 20 game regular season back in 1986, while the Arena Football League made the jump to 18 games in 2000. In both cases, the goal was to increase revenue by adding more games that people would be willing to pay to see.

There are also a few other potential benefits that could come from moving to a 17 game regular season. One is that it would allow for each team to play every other team at least once during the regular season, which some fans have been calling for. It would also give players an extra week of rest during the season, which could help reduce injuries.

Of course, there are also a few potential drawbacks to making the switch. One is that it could make the already long NFL season even longer, and some fans may not be willing to pay for tickets to yet another game. Another is that it could lead to even more player injuries, as they would be playing one additional game on an already grueling schedule.

Ultimately, whether or not the NFL decides to move to a 17 game regular season will come down to how much additional revenue they believe they can generate by doing so. If they feel confident that they can convince fans to buy tickets and tune in for two more games, then it seems likely that we will see the change in 2021 or 2022.

How will this Change the Season?

The NFL has decided to move to a 17 game season starting in 2021. This will add one additional game to the already packed NFL schedule. How will this affect the season? Let’s take a look.

Starting the season earlier

In order to make room for the extra game, the NFL will start the regular season one week earlier, on Thursday, September 9th. The league has not yet released the schedule for the 2021 season.

Preseason games will also be affected. Instead of four preseason games, each team will play three. teams will have the option of scheduling an extra preseason game against another opponent, but that is not required.

The changes will mean that some teams will have a bye week in between their first and second regular season games.

Ending the season later

The NFL plans on moving to a 17 game regular season schedule starting in the 2021 season. This will cause the season to start a week later and end a week later. Most likely, the Super Bowl will be pushed back to the first weekend in February.

This change has caused some controversy among fans, players, and coaches. Many people feel that this change will make the season too long and that players will be more susceptible to injuries. Other people feel that this change is necessary in order to generate more revenue for the NFL.

It is still unclear how this change will affect the NFL season overall. It is possible that we will see some changes to the playoff format in order to accommodate the extra games. It is also possible that we will see more bye weeks during the regular season. No matter what, this change is sure to have an impact on the NFL season as we know it.

More bye weeks

The regular season will be extended by one week, and each team will now play 17 games instead of 16. This means that there will be more bye weeks, as each team will be given one week off during the season.

This change has been made in order to accommodate the addition of a new team to the league, as well as to allow for a more balanced schedule. In the past, teams would often have their bye weeks at different times during the season, which could give some teams an advantage over others. With this new schedule, all teams will have their bye weeks at the same time, making it fair for everyone.

There are some concerns that this change could lead to more injuries, as players will now have to play more games in a shorter amount of time. However, the NFL has stated that they are confident that this will not be the case and that player safety is their number one priority.

What are the Pros and Cons of this Change?

The NFL has recently announced that they will be moving to a 17 game season instead of the current 16 game season. This has caused a lot of debate among fans, with some people for the change and some against it. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of this change.

More games means more revenue

The most common argument in favor of the NFL’s decision to add a 17th game to the regular season is that it will generate more revenue for the league, its teams, and its players. This is especially true given that the NFL is currently renegotiating its television contracts, which are set to expire after the 2022 season. By adding an extra game to the schedule, the NFL will be able to sell more advertising and broadcast rights, which would result in a significant increase in revenue.

There are also potential benefits for the players, as they would receive a larger share of the increased revenue generated by the 17th game. According to ESPN, “the Players Association has been pushing for an expansion of the regular season for years as a way to increase player salaries without having to negotiate a higher percentage of overall revenue.” If the 17th game does indeed generate more revenue, then it stands to reason that the players would receive a larger slice of that pie.

More games also means more injuries

In order to add two extra games to the NFL schedule, teams will now play 17 regular-season games and three preseason games, compared to the previous 16/4 split. The league believes that this change will generate more revenue, but some experts are concerned about the increased risk of player injury.

One of the biggest concerns is that more games will lead to more player injuries. In a study conducted by the American Journal of Sports Medicine, it was found that players who participated in more than eight games per season were nearly twice as likely to suffer a major injury (defined as an injury that caused them to miss at least three weeks of action) than those who played in eight or fewer games.

Furthermore, the study found that the risk of injury increased with each additional game played beyond eight. This is a significant concern for teams and players, as more injuries could lead to a decline in quality of play and potentially even shortened careers.

Another issue that has been raised is that adding two additional regular-season games could lead to a decrease in the quality of play, as players would be tired and less rested. This could create a situation where fans are watching less competitive football, which could hurt the league’s popularity in the long run.

It remains to be seen how these changes will affect the NFL in the long run, but there are definitely some potential risks that come along with expanding the regular season.

Some fans don’t want to see their favorite players get hurt

The NFL is moving to a 17-game season, and some fans are worried that this will increase the risk of player injuries. Seventeen games is a lot of football, and the players are already at a higher risk of injury than they were in the past. The longer season could also lead to more concussions and other serious injuries.

On the other hand, some fans think that the extra games will be great for the sport. More football means more excitement, and it could also mean more revenue for the league. The NFL is already the most popular sport in the country, and this change could help it grow even more.