Have you ever see a high-end luxury vehicle and someone slaps huge rims on it? A Bentley Continental with 26″ rims…smh. The only thought that comes to mind is “Why would you mess up something that’s perfect ‘as is’?” Well, prepare yourself to have that same line of thinking for the NFL.
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the competition committee is considering exploring the current playoff format. They are considering expanding the current 12 team format to 14 or 16 teams.
This idea can only be interpreted for what it is…and way to increase revenue. The NFL has increased the amount of regular season games, but not expanded the league. So what’s the competitive reasoning behind the ‘consideration of expanding the playoff’? Well, to be honest, there doesn’t seem to be one. Goodell has turned into a puppet for the owners…giving into their every money-making whim.
Apparently, the NFL is looking to have the same watered down playoffs the NBA suffers from, where half the teams make the playoffs and don’t deserve it. The NBA expanded their playoff season, and in exchange of increased ad revenue puts out a much inferior post season product.
MLB, on the other hand, has the perfect post season product. I admittedly, am not big on baseball, but love to watch post-season baseball. I know I’m watching the best of the best battle it out. For that reason alone, the MLB has a permanent post-season fan in me. There are post-season NFL fans that share this same sentiment.
Unfortunately, if the ‘dollars make sense’, this change will surely come….which will be a sad day for fans, die-hard or not. While most fans think ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it’, the owners have a different take. They see the system as broke, because there are still dollars to be squeezed out of its product.