Can the NFL survive into an uncertain and cloudy future?

The NFL as we know it may be coming to an end. Not now but soon. It is almost impossible for the NFL to maintain its current course.

There was a time when the NFL was a tough as nails professional sports where players played through injuries and quarterbacks were an equal part of the leagues make-up. That has changed. The NFL that you know today, the NFL that some fans only know, is a far cry from what it used to be and it will never be like that again.

Safety is and should be a concern for any professionally competitive sport and the NFL is no different but for the NFL it’s simply harder because brutality is the key to what makes the NFL the NFL. While many of us have witnessed the changes over the past decades, it will soon again change for those who know nothing but what is on the field now.

The biggest question is whether or not the NFL can remain a sustainable industry as they move towards a safer game. Rule implementations have changed the game and you could argue for the worse. Quarterback safety is now the top priority of the league who regularly change the rules after one of their top QB’s go down with an injury.

Any hits below the waist on a quarterback was put into effect after Tom Brady tore his ACL on hit in 2008. Last years hit on Aaron Rodgers drew a league wide rule about putting all of a defenders weight on a quarterback. Putting flags around their waist is a logical next step. Don’t laugh it will happen.

The NFL has to change. The NFLPA continues to propose lawsuits against the league for concussions and other issues thus forcing the league to adapt its rules in the name of safety. While hitting the quarterback will eventually be a thing of the past, kick-off returns are already being discussed as the next NFL Dodo bird.

How can a league that is based on physical contact survive into the future? What we saw in the 1980’s is nothing like we say in the early 2000’s. The early 2000’s are nothing like we see today. What will this league look like in another 20 years? Will it be around in 50? If I were going to bet I might be inclined to say no.

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Salaries continue to rise across the NFL landscape but the salary cap is not rising fast enough to meet those demands and the NFL owners don’t want it to. They do however want to protect their investments which is why quarterbacks are so well protected. As other positions begin to get paid more, rules inevitably will be installed to protect them as well.

This is an unsustainable business model and at some point the NFL has to decide whether they can continue to advance the game towards a Pro-Bowl style of rules where defenses are handcuffed in every way. Is this simply evolutionary to the game or is it something more?

Unlike the NFL, Major League Baseball remains relatively unchanged through the decades since it’s start, this despite advancements in equipment and stronger athletes. The difference? Baseball isn’t based on physical contact which allows it to endure. The NFL can’t do that.

Once the NFL begins, and they already have, taking away the physicality of the sport they are driving themselves towards their future demise. The changes we are seeing today will eventually lead the NFL to the proverbial fork in the road. Revert back to what it used to be or change the dynamics of the game forever. As long as money is involved you can bet it will be the latter.

Regardless of the NFL’s popularity it will start to wane as rules continue to unbalance the play by handing the offense more of an advantage and keeping the defense tied. Those rules are already clearly and firmly in place from the quarterback protections to defenseless receiver rules, to changes made to how a player is allowed to tackle. Each change advances the offense and that will continue until it comes to a point where there is no reason to play the game.

Then and only then will the NFL try to change it again. The question will be is it too late?