Photo of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during a press conference.

Image Credit: WEBN-TV (CC BY-ND 2.0)

All sports media outlets have all but guaranteed that the proposed 18 game NFL schedule will be put into effect in the near future. Hey, we're all for more football! Especially if you cut out two NFL preseason games which are so painful to watch. But is it good for the players?

18 games may mean a higher income for players, it may mean more roster spots, but it virtually means more injuries! There is certainly more risk than reward by adding two more regular season games. A 16 game schedule is already grueling enough with plenty of player collisions, stress, injuries, collisions with the ground, bad weather conditions, player altercations. A friend of mine is close friends with a 12 year NFL veteran. The player, now living off of the NFL pension plan, wakes up every morning with aches and pains, and the guy is only 36 years old. He could have to live with these pains for another 40 years.

Let's take a second to examine just why the span of a running back's career is so short. When you run the ball, you are going to be hit, it is a given. You run straight into a wall of men weighing 230 lbs. and above. Now, imagine doing this 20+  times a game. Multiply that by 18 games. And now multiply that by the average number of years a player will play in the NFL; 4. That is almost 1500 collisions. After a while, your body will start to wear down. Shaun Alexander was a force in the NFL but quickly deteriorated as did Curtis Martin, Tiki Barber, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson and Corey Dillon. Where are those guys now?

NFL ticket prices are bound to increase season over season. It is clear that the NFL is seeing dollar signs by adding an additional two games to each season. The NFL is the most popular sport for the time being and is no where near as flawed as the NCAA BCS system. When a chef creates the perfect dish that patrons love, he doesn't keep adding ingredients to the dish in hopes of making it better.

 

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