Sentiment among NFL leaders to reduce the preseason to two or three games per team and lengthen the regular season to 17 or 18 games, up from the current 16, is growing, and it seems generally accepted that such an adjustment likely will be made within the next few years. (Washington Post)
A 17-week or 18-week NFL season is a good start. But that's all it is.
When you think about it, the current NFL schedule isn't just short, it's astonishingly short. America is a country obsessed with football. Obsessed. And yet counting the preseason, the regular season, and the Super Bowl, the NFL is active only 25 weeks out of the year. (26 if you want to count the week of the draft.) 26 weeks out of the year. Half. That means there's an entire half of the year that doesn't have football, and that's just wrong.
Now, as much as I would love for the NFL to expand the season to a perfectly reasonable 40-45 weeks out of the year, I'm guessing the players might object. Pussies. I mean, it's not like they'd have to play every week. That's what back-ups are for. But if that's out of the question, the next-best solution is obvious. We need another football league in this country to cover those football-less 26 weeks.
No, not the Arena League. I can't...I won't...support a league where Jon Bon Jovi is one of the owners. Besides, real football is played outdoors. Or in domes. Or stadiums with retractable roofs. You know what I mean. The United Football League sounds promising, but as far as I'm concerned, until I actually see a game, it's vaporware.
Of course, the obvious argument against another football league is the XFL. But had it not been for all the Vince McMahon bullshit like encouraging gratuitous violence on the field and sexing up the cheerleaders to the nth degree (which, in theory, was a great idea, but it got a little obnoxious, and frankly, the rapid back-and-forth between soft-core cheerleader porn and big strapping men left me feeling confused), I really think it would still be around.
So, given the difficulties involved in attracting players, building stadiums, and all the other hard work that goes into building a professional sports league infrastructure from the ground up, who can realistically start up a viable alternative to the NFL?
Simple: The NFL.
Think about it. The NFL Summer League. Or...you know, something cooler sounding. The NFL Heat League? The NFL Extreme League? Regardless, from early March, after the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl (although, honestly, if the NFL scrapped the Pro Bowl, would anyone give a shit?) until the end of July, we'd have virtually non-stop NFL action year round!
The benefits from this would be enormous.
You know those giant stadiums that are used only a few times a year? They'd get a lot more use, meaning more jobs and more tax revenue.
You know the fans who can't afford tickets to NFL games anymore? They'd get to see pro football (okay, more like semi-pro football) at affordable prices.
You know all those borderline-talented college players who get drafted in the late rounds and subsequently cut during training camp, or don't get drafted at all? They'd no longer have to bag groceries or perform oil changes.
You know the GMs who are constantly on the lookout for new talent? The summer league could essentially be the NFL's farm league system, which it's badly in need of now that NFL Europe is gone.
You know all the fantasy players who have to suffer through the entire summer without their fix? They'd no longer have to go through withdrawl starting every December.
Now, obviously, football in the summer presents a few unique problems. For example, would we lose a few players each year to the heat? Almost certainly. But who cares? It's NFL football! In the summer! If that's not something worthy of the ultimate sacrifice of a few brave souls, I don't know what is.
And best of all? If there was pro football year-round, we could get rid of all the other sports! Or in the very least, shuffle them off to cable. Think about it. No more NASCAR. That alone might make the whole thing worth it.
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