NFL looking to expand to 18 regular-season games

[Wolf]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/p...urn=nfl,119065

The New York Daily News reported Sunday that the NFL wants to convert two meaningless exhibition games and convert them to two regular-season games, a move that is expected to raise the ire of the NFL Players Association.

By the 2010 season, the NFL is likely to drop two of the dreadful preseason games that makes the league look so bad and increase the regular season to 18 games. But before that can happen, Roger Goodell and the NFLPA must resolve a difficult economic difference: Should the players get what they play for? The players get 60% of the league's revenue put into the salary cap. Goodell says whether the season is broken down into four preseason games and 16 regular season games or two preseason games and 18 regular season games, the players will still get 60% of the revenue.

Thus, he says, even though they are playing two more regular season games, they should not get an automatic raise where their base salary would be 18 times their per-game pay instead of 16. If a player is making a $1.6 million base salary, which is $100,000 a game, the NFLPA will argue the salary should jump to $1.8 million, while Goodell says any extra money will come as a function of the salary cap system.

"If there is more revenue, you get a piece of that," Goodell said.

The NFL is not changing the structure of the season simply because the preseason games stink and too many players are getting hurt. Those are factors, of course, but more regular season inventory certainly means more television revenue. The ticket revenue wouldn't change because teams are already charging regular season prices for the preseason games, which are barely more than rookie scrimmages. If the league gives the networks more regular season games, the anticipation is the money they pay to show the games would increase. And 60% would then be turned over to the players.

[imatexan]

I like it!

[UK_Texan]

Me to especially if we get another couple of games at Wembley, but then again the Texans shouldnt come over cuz if they cant win on the road god knows what they would be like in a foreign country

[Speedy]

I think the players need to get an extra bye week out of the deal as well. 18 games is a lot of football to only have 1 break in the middle somewhere.

As a fan, I think it's OK with me. I mean, it'd be one less meaningless game I have to pay full price for, but that 2nd pre-season game will still be like the 4th is now.