Make Football Great Again

I wrote this letter to the NFL commissioner. They never responded.

Letter to the NFL Commissioner:

Making Baseball Great!

NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League

I am writing to you regarding the future of the NFL and American football in general.  The game in which so many love is in danger.  For most Americans, going to a game is an impossible dream as tickets are expensive.  It used to be affordable, but not anymore. The game has been priced out of the middle class.

Many schools are dropping football as a game due to expense and safety issues so fewer youngsters are learning the game, which means fewer people grow up with the game.

And there is the increased popularity of baseball, basketball,  cricket, hockey, rugby, and soccer.

So, the long-term prospect is that American football will become a minor sport.

How can we reverse this trend and restore American football to its rightful place as the king of world sports?

Here’s my proposal and I hope that you can consider it.

There are three elements to the plan – expand the number of teams, make games affordable and grow the next generation of players, and finally set up a world cup of football by expanding the NFL overseas into an Asian league and a European league.

The first element is simple – the NFL should commit to a rapid expansion of NFL teams so that there are NFL teams in almost all major metropolitan areas and most states, and Canadian provinces and add teams to Mexico and Puerto Rico as well.  This would also involve merging with the Canadian Football League.

I would add teams to the following underserved areas as a start

Austin,

Alabama

Anchorage

Boise, Idaho

Columbus

El Pasco

Guam

Louisville

Honolulu

Little Rock

Memphis

Mississippi

Oakland, California

Oklahoma City

Omaha

Orlando

Richmond, VA

Northern New England

Sacramento

Salt Lake City

Spokane

and in Mexico and the Caribbean

Guadalajara, México

Mexico City

Monterey, Mexico

DR

San Juan, PR

US VI

and in Canada

Calgary, Canada

Edmonton, Canada

Toronto, Canada

Vancouver, Canada

Quebec Canada

Montreal Canada.

 

And well you get the picture = double the number of teams and you dramatically increase the fan base.

Make Games Affordable Again

The Second element consists of changing the way tickets are sold so that going to a game is affordable.

I would make half the tickets available for individual purchase and end the policy of only selling season tickets.  I would price at least 25 percent of tickets at 50 dollars and on game days sell any remaining tickets at half price. One hour before the game, sell any remaining tickets for ten dollars so you fill the stadium with fans and make going to a game affordable again for most average Americans, and give away the remaining tickets a half an hour before game time. This one change will make a tremendous difference.  Right now, going to a game costs hundreds of dollars, even more if you have to spend the night.  And most tickets are season-only tickets.  The stadiums are half-empty most of the time.  This proposal will fill up the stadiums.

I would also suggest extending the season, so the season starts in early August, and ends in January.  See below.

If tickets were affordable and available, more people would attend, and more people would take an interest in the game.

Develop the Next Generation of Players

Each NFL team should adopt a school district, a local community college, and a university and pay for a complete football program for that community, including fully funding scholarships for student-athletes attending the local community college and University sponsored by the local team.  This will include discounted tickets for students and family members from the community schools adopted by the NFL, and volunteered coaching and mentoring for younger players.

Only College Graduates Can Play Professionally

Change the recruitment strategy for players. Announce that you will only offer contracts to players who finish their degrees, you can offer provisional contracts, but the players must finish their degrees within one year of signing to be allowed to continue to play.

I would also fully fund coaching positions across the country so that ex-ball players can easily be hired and contribute to training the next generation of players.

Develop the League Overseas

Spend a lot of time, effort, and money on developing the NFL in Europe and Asia, with US teams sponsoring foreign teams and starting each season with exhibition games with foreign teams.

Finally,  replace the Super Bowl with a World Super Bowl with the top teams from the US, Mexico, and Canada going against the top teams in Asia and Europe to compete for the Superbowl of  American football.   Each country would send their champion on to the world Super Bowl with the top two teams competing in the final which will be held in the U.S. which would remain the spiritual home of American Football.

Broadcast the games for free everywhere

End the stupid policy of geographic restrictions.  Particularly for the Super Bowl.

If you do all the above, you can ensure the future success of American football.   If you do nothing football will become a minor sport in the land of its birth. And that would be a great tragedy for those who love the game.  For the good of the game, make it affordable, double the number of teams, and make it a truly international sport.

I would appreciate hearing back from you.

Jake Aller

Life-long SF 49’s, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders fan