Kraft Says NFL Likely To Expand To 17 Or 18 Games In The Future
The NFL in '78 adopted its current 16-game regular season, but a "combination of factors is likely to lead to a change -- and it could be coming quicker than many are anticipating," according to Mike Reiss of the BOSTON GLOBE. Patriots Owner Robert Kraft: "The bottom line is that I think you'll see us going to 17 or 18 regular-season games in the future." In addition to the "poor quality of the preseason," the "uncertain labor forecast with players is also driving the discussion." NFL team owners feel that "too much of their profits go to players." Expanding the regular season, which "would be the fastest way for owners to generate more revenue, is one possibility to help the sides resolve the tug-of-war." Kraft: "We have to grow the pie; the biggest way of quickly growing the pie is in the media area. The feeling is that we would get greater revenue for media if we had more regular-season games. Now, you'd have to balance that with the need that coaches have to develop and get a team ready to play. Could it be two preseason games, or three? I personally wouldn't be adverse to either one." Patriots LB and player rep Mike Vrabel said of expanding the schedule, "It's always negotiable, but certainly they'd have to pay us more for 18 regular-season games" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/17). Eagles coach Andy Reid, asked "whether a shorter preseason would be good for football," said, "It hurts a little bit just in evaluating the young players, giving them game experience and opportunity and then seeing them over the long haul of things. Can it be done shorter? It could" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/19).
CONDUCT UNBECOMING: With the NFL last week instituting new fan behavior guidelines, in Chicago, Carol Slezak wrote, "You might call [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell hypocritical as you watch a Bears game from the 'Miller Lite Party Deck' at Soldier Field. You might question his sincerity as you watch the umpteenth commercial for Coors, the NFL's official beer sponsor, during a game. You might argue that if Goodell really was concerned about fan behavior, he simply would ban alcohol sales during games and dissolve the NFL's beer partnership while he was at it." But Slezak wrote it is "likely that [Goodell's] prime motivation is to protect the NFL from legal liability." But the "code of conduct? It's overkill" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/17).
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