Re: NFL Off Topic
On the newly-ratified CBA:
I don't really have a strong opinion either way about seventeen games. Playoff expansion rubs me the wrong way given how important (statistically speaking) byes have proven themselves to be since the league last expanded in 2002. I think we could see a lot more one-seeds getting to the Super Bowl until the NFL finally does the inevitable and moves the playoff to sixteen teams (let's just go ahead and prepare now for that eventuality, and probably also the eighteen-game season).
Aside from more games, I generally think the players got raked over the coals with respect to future revenue streams (particularly the upcoming TV deal renewals and legalized sports betting) and should have fought for a greater share of that new money. Apparently retired player disability benefits were also cut dramatically, which not only feels like a massive L to me but a callous act of cruelty by both the owners and active players who voted for this agreement.
The players did at least secure some meaningful small wins with: a less draconian policies with respect to marijuana; more roster spots; more practice squad spots; compensatory draft pick formula adjustments (players who sign one-year deals up to a certain amount don't count, which should facilitate more veterans getting contracts); and increased minimum salaries. I see all that as pennies on the dollar compared to the financial windfall the owners are going to end up with over the life of this agreement, though.
And the players can't opt out of this agreement, either. This is what they've got for ten years. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
On the newly-ratified CBA:
I don't really have a strong opinion either way about seventeen games. Playoff expansion rubs me the wrong way given how important (statistically speaking) byes have proven themselves to be since the league last expanded in 2002. I think we could see a lot more one-seeds getting to the Super Bowl until the NFL finally does the inevitable and moves the playoff to sixteen teams (let's just go ahead and prepare now for that eventuality, and probably also the eighteen-game season).
Aside from more games, I generally think the players got raked over the coals with respect to future revenue streams (particularly the upcoming TV deal renewals and legalized sports betting) and should have fought for a greater share of that new money. Apparently retired player disability benefits were also cut dramatically, which not only feels like a massive L to me but a callous act of cruelty by both the owners and active players who voted for this agreement.
The players did at least secure some meaningful small wins with: a less draconian policies with respect to marijuana; more roster spots; more practice squad spots; compensatory draft pick formula adjustments (players who sign one-year deals up to a certain amount don't count, which should facilitate more veterans getting contracts); and increased minimum salaries. I see all that as pennies on the dollar compared to the financial windfall the owners are going to end up with over the life of this agreement, though.
And the players can't opt out of this agreement, either. This is what they've got for ten years. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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