Effects of the NFL Schedule Change

The NFL officially announced its schedule change from 16 games to 17 games this past March. It was approved by a vote from NFL owners. Due to the current CBA between the owners and NFL PA it was met without contest. https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-owners-approve-enhanced-schedule-with-17-regular-season-games-per-team

Many NFL players spoke out against the change. The owners have helped defuse the players by subtracting the 4th NFL preseason game. This change brings up many more conversations than just playing one more game.

How will this effect the number of injuries and season-ending injuries throughout the course of the season? How will this effect single-season records set over the course of a 16 game season in comparison to the now 17 game. This will obviously have an effect on revenue earnings as well. How much of an impact?

The not so hard to answer question here is why did the NFL decide to make this change? It is simply for money. With a a new media rights deal being agreed upon the time was right for the NFL and its owners to capitalize on the profits. "How many NFL owners love the game of football? I mean, really love the game. Judging from the latest decision to expand the regular season to 17 games, it seems that when the chips are down and the decision is between the sanctity of the game and money, they’re picking the money every single time." - James Dator of SB Nation https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2021/3/31/22359991/nfl-17-game-schedule-owners

Players will not be missing out on any cash either. Higher revenue earnings will bring the salary cap back up post pandemic. The rise in the salary cap will lead to bigger contracts once again. The additional game may cause more wear and tear on the body, but it will also allow players to increase their stats. This will be a huge boost in terms of what NFL players and their agents can bring to the negotiating table.

One of the main effects of the schedule change will be the number of injuries that occur throughout the 2021-2022 NFL campaign. This will be a number that can be evaluated by the of the season in two categories. One being the total number of injuries throughout. The other being the total number of season ending injuries.

There was a 2020 study done in reference to the lack of an NFL preseason to early season injuries done by Science Direct. It found that there is a strong association between player fatigue and risk of injury. "The International Olympic Committee identified absolute load, calendar congestion and psychological load to be closely associated with injury risk through a variety of mechanisms. Excessive training that exceeds the body’s loadbearing capacity causes microtrauma to tendons, muscles and bones and is the cause of overuse injuries." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666061X21000808

How will NFL coaches and players respond? Will we see forms of load management similar to the NBA? It may just seem like one game to many people the, but the physical and mental load it will place players and coaches under is substantial. Time will only tell when it comes down to it.

Many single-season NFL records will be at stake with addition of a regular season game. In recent years many 16 game NFL regular season records have either been broken or have been in legitimate danger of being broken. Take 2020 as a perfect example. Derrick Henry came within 78 yards of Erick Dickerson's 2,105 single season rushing record that has stood since 1984. Given Henry averaged well over 100 yards per game it would've practically been a lock for Henry to break it with an additional game. This has opened a passionate discussion amongst the NFL fanbase. Should the new records count? https://www.nfl.com/photos/notable-nfl-single-season-records-which-records-were-a-17th-game-away-in-2020

This isn't a new discussion in the wide world of sports. It has existed for as long as sports have existed. Professional sports leagues are always expanding and changing. This means more teams and more games which obviously effects records, salary, exposure, etc.

Many people during the time that Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record didn't want to acknowledge it due to the fact that he had more games to accomplish the feat. They decided to put an asterisk next to it. Many people don't acknowledge Bill Russell's 11 championship rings with a lot of respect because of the era of the NBA he played in. These discussions in sports will always exist, and the addition of an NFL regular season game will certainly spark this one for the foreseeable future.

A 17 game NFL season certainly changes a lot. It puts a lot at stake, mainly player safety. It will undoubtedly increase revenue. Above all though it means NFL fans get to see more football. I for one can't complain about that one bit. Only as time goes on will we be able to see the true effects of the 17th game.