Legendary media persona Peter King retired as a full-time NFL insider this previous winter however stays passionate in regards to the league and the general state of the game.
Throughout a current dialog with Michael Grant of Terrible Saying, King mentioned what worries him about the way forward for North America’s hottest sports activities entity.
“I believe it’s horrible that the NFL needs to play 18 video games,” King defined. “I believe it’s horrible, as Mike Florio (of Professional Soccer Speak and NBC Sports activities) has reported, that there are these within the NFL who need to play 20. You’ve received to be extremely naive to assume that’s not going to have an effect on their (gamers’) long-term well being.”
It’s now hardly a secret that the NFL might attempt to get a deal achieved with the NFL Gamers Affiliation concerning an 18-game common season as quickly as early subsequent 12 months. Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated stated as not too long ago as Monday that the union ought to “ask for guys to get to free company after three years quite than 4” and work to make it tougher for groups to make use of franchise tags to retain gamers earlier than it accepts any proposal for an altered schedule.
The NFLPA should comply with an expanded season per the phrases of the collective bargaining settlement that expires in 2031.
“The opposite factor that worries me is sports activities playing,” King continued. “I believe it’s extraordinarily shortsighted to be promoting your soul for extra hundreds of thousands. You ask about soccer in 10 years. What about society in 10 years? Will Gamblers Nameless have 10 instances the variety of (addicts) in 10 years than it has now due to sports activities playing? Will there be youngsters addicted in highschool who go to varsity and flunk out of faculty as a result of all they care about is the subsequent guess?”
For the 2023 season, the NFL had direct partnerships with a number of betting shops that concerned these firms promoting throughout video games and through NFL RedZone broadcasts. In February, Jenny Vrentas famous for the New York Occasions that the NFL’s working agreements with sports activities betting firms had been “price almost $1B over 5 years.”
“Perhaps (I’m) an alarmist,” King continued. “I’ve no proof. I don’t know what’s going to occur, however I can see it occurring.”
King could also be proper, however the harsh fact of the matter is that the NFL reportedly is “pulling out each sofa cushion in search of each spare quarter” to generate as a lot annual income as attainable. Briefly, followers can count on the league to stay pleasant with firms reminiscent of DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars Leisure for the foreseeable future.
