Will the NFL Add More Teams?
The NFL is always looking to expand its reach and add new teams, but will it happen anytime soon? We take a look at the possibility of more teams being added to the NFL in the near future.
The Case for More Teams
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the world. It is made up of 32 teams, all of which are located in the United States. The NFL is by far the most popular sports league in America, and its popularity has led to calls for the league to expand.
The NFL is More Popular Than Ever
Whether it’s the popularity of fantasy football or the ubiquity of the sport on television, there’s no doubt that the NFL is more popular than ever. And while the league has been hesitant to add more teams in the past, there are now many analysts who believe that expansion is inevitable.
One reason for this is the fact that NFL games are some of the most-watched programming on television. In fact, NFL games account for 31 of the top 32 most-watched programs since 2006. This popularity translates into big bucks for the league, and expansion would only increase these revenue streams.
Another reason expansion may be on the horizon is that several cities have been clamoring for an NFL team. For example, Los Angeles has been without an NFL team since 1995, and it’s widely believed that they will get a team (or two) in the near future. Similarly, there have been calls for an NFL team in London for years, and it seems likely that this will happen as well.
Of course, not everyone is on board with expansion. Some believe that the quality of play would suffer if the league gets too big, and others are worried about diluting the value of NFL franchises. Nevertheless, it seems clear that expansion is at least being seriously considered by those in charge of the league.
The NFL is Making More Money Than Ever
In recent years, the National Football League (NFL) has been making more money than ever. In 2018, the league brought in a record $14 billion in revenue.1 That’s an increase of $2.3 billion from 2017, and $4.5 billion from just five years ago.2
The biggest source of this increased revenue is television. The NFL’s television contracts are worth a combined $75 billion over the next nine years.3 That’s an average of $8.3 billion per year, and it doesn’t even include the billions of dollars that the league brings in from advertising and other sources.
The NFL is also making more money from its digital offerings. The league launched its own streaming service, NFL Game Pass, in 2015. And last year, the NFL signed a deal with Amazon worth $130 million per year to stream Thursday Night Football games.4
With all this increased revenue, it’s no surprise that the NFL is considering expanding its operations. The league currently has 32 teams, but there have been rumors that the league could add two more teams – one in each conference – as early as 2022.5
Adding more teams would mean even more revenue for the NFL (and for team owners). But it would also mean a better product on the field, as well as more jobs for players and coaches around the league. So it’s no surprise that many people – including some current and former players – are advocating for expansion.
There is a Demand for More Teams
The National Football League is the most popular professional sports league in the United States. Football is a passion for many people across the country, and the NFL has seen record-breaking attendance and viewership numbers in recent years.
With the popularity of the sport at an all-time high, there have been calls for the league to expand. Currently, there are 32 teams in the NFL. This number has been constant since 2002, when the Houston Texans expansion franchise began play.
There is a case to be made that the league should add more teams. The demand for football is high, and adding more teams would only serve to grow the sport even more. There are several potential markets that could support an NFL team, including Las Vegas, Seattle, and Toronto.
Adding more teams would also create additional revenue for the league and its owners. Each expansion team would have to pay a hefty fee to join the league, and this would only increase the overall value of the NFL.
The case for expansion is strong. The demand for football is high, and there are several potential markets that could support a new team. Adding more teams would also create additional revenue for the league and its owners.
The Case Against More Teams
Adding more teams to the NFL would dilute the talent pool, and lead to an overall decrease in the quality of play. With only a limited number of top players available, each team would have a greater disparity in the talent level of their roster. In addition, having more teams would create more scheduling problems, and make it difficult for fans to follow their favorite team. Let’s take a closer look at the case against more teams in the NFL.
There is Not Enough Talent to Go Around
There is a common misconception that there are an infinite number of talented football players out there, just waiting to be drafted by NFL teams. However, the truth is that there are only a finite number of good players, and adding more teams would only dilute the talent pool.
This was evident in 1995, when the NFL expanded from 28 to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The expansion draft held that year was far from being a talent-rich pool, as many of the best players had already been snapped up by existing teams. As a result, the two expansion teams struggled in their early years, with neither team making the playoffs in their first two seasons.
In recent years, we have seen more evidence of this issue, as several new franchises have failed to find consistent success. The Houston Texans (expansion team in 2002) and Cleveland Browns (reactivation of franchise in 1999) have both only made the playoffs a handful of times in their history, while the Jacksonville Jaguars (expansion team in 1995) have only made it to the AFC Championship game once.
If anything, this shows that the NFL should be contraction rather than expansion, as there are simply not enough good players to go around.
Adding More Teams Would Water Down the Product
Adding more teams to the NFL would water down the product on the field. Although there are many talented football players in the world, there are only so many who can play at an elite level. With more teams, each team would have less talent and the overall quality of play would suffer. Additionally, adding more teams would dilute the fan bases of existing teams. Although some fans may be willing to support a new team, many will stick with the team they have always supported. This would lead to fewer fans overall and less interest in the league as a whole.
There is Not Enough Interest in Football to Support More Teams
As the popularity of football has grown in the United States, many have called for the NFL to expand. The thinking is that with more teams, there would be more interest and more parity, leading to a better product on the field.
However, there are a number of reasons why this is not the case. First, there is not enough interest in football to support additional teams. The NFL is currently struggling to fill its stadium seats, and adding more teams would only exacerbate this problem.
Second, adding more teams would lead to even more Blowouts than we currently see. In a 16-game season, there are bound to be a few mismatches. But with 32 teams, those mismatches would become much more common. This would make for an even worse product on the field and would turn fans away from the sport altogether.
And finally, parity is not something that can be guaranteed by simply adding more teams. In fact, it’s quite possible that expanding the NFL would lead to even more inequality between the haves and have-nots.
So while expanding the NFL may seem like a good idea on paper, there are too many negatives to make it a viable option.
Conclusion
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been adamant about the idea of expanding the NFL to a 38-game regular season schedule, with each team playing two additional games. There are those who are against it and those for it. Some say that it would generate more revenue, while others say that it would water down the quality of the product on the field. In this article, we are going to take a look at the pros and cons of expanding the NFL schedule.
The NFL Should Add More Teams
The National Football League is the highest level of professional football in the United States, and it is currently made up of 32 teams. There have been calls for the league to expand to 34 or even 36 teams, and there are several reasons why this would be a good idea.
First, expansion would mean more revenues for the league and its owners. With more teams comes more ticket sales, more merchandise sales, and more broadcasting rights fees. All of this would mean more money for the league as a whole, which could be used to invest in player safety, improve stadiums, or fund other league initiatives.
Second, expansion would provide opportunities for cities that are currently without an NFL team. There are many capable markets that could support an NFL franchise, and expansion would give them the chance to have a team of their own. This could also lead to increased interest in the sport overall, as fans in these markets become invested in their new team.
Third, expansion would allow the NFL to realign its divisions and come up with a better format for its playoffs. Currently, the league is geographically divided into eight divisions of four teams each. This often leads to mismatches in the playoffs, as teams from one division might be much stronger than those from another division. With additional teams, the NFL could create a tougher playoff system that would ultimately produce a better champion.
There are admittedly some risks associated with expanding the NFL beyond 32 teams. It is possible that diluting the talent pool could lead to a decline in the quality of play overall. There is also concern that adding too many teams could make the leagues schedules too long and drawn out. However, these risks can be mitigated with careful planning and execution, and they should not deter the league from taking this important step forward.
The NFL Should Not Add More Teams
The National Football League should not add more teams. The NFL is already at an disadvantage compared to other professional sports leagues because there are only 32 teams. If the NFL were to add more teams, it would only dilute the talent pool and make it harder for the best teams to compete.
The NFL is also facing declining ratings and attendance. In 2017, the NFL’s television ratings declined by 7 percent from 2016. This is the second consecutive year that NFL ratings have declined. In addition, attendance at NFL games declined by 1.6 percent in 2017. The league is also facing lawsuits from former players who allege that the league did not do enough to protect them from concussions.
Adding more teams would only further dilute the talent pool and make it harder for the best teams to compete. It would also likely lead to even lower television ratings and attendance as fans would have even more games to choose from on any given Sunday. For these reasons, the NFL should not add more teams.