April 30, 2024

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The NFL is ready to talk about an 18-game regular season again, but at what cost? … For NBA teams paying the luxury tax, extra spending doesn’t always mean more success. … The NHL playoffs have been particularly good business off the ice for one team. … The next FIFA Women’s World Cup won’t come to the U.S. … And why it’s actually not that bad to be the last pick in the draft.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Roger Goodell Touts an 18-Game NFL Season. Getting There Won’t Be Easy [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As hundreds of thousands of NFL fans were descending upon Detroit for the draft last weekend, and millions more were tuning in from their televisions, Roger Goodell casually dropped a huge piece of information Friday afternoon: his most vocal support yet for an 18-game regular season.

The comments, made during the commissioner’s debut appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, created plenty of headlines and had some fans and observers online assuming the expanded schedule was a done deal. “I’m not a fan of the preseason,” Goodell said while touting the benefits of an extra meaningful game each year in exchange for one less exhibition matchup.

The idea of expanding the regular season to 18 games is nothing new. Some owners wanted to make the switch back in 2010, as the league and players negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement that eventually came in ’11, after a four-month spring and summer lockout. They ended up waiting another decade before expanding to 17 games, which came in ’21.

Here’s What We Know

Goodell didn’t offer a timeline for expanding to 18 games, or get into specifics of how that would happen, but the scenario is a complicated one.

Timing: The NFL’s current CBA runs through March 2030. Any expansion of the season before then would mean a renegotiation—something the league doesn’t often do. Getting to 18 games for the ’30 season, under a new CBA, would be much more likely. Media: An extra week during the regular season means 16 additional games for broadcasters to pay up for. The NFL’s current $110 billion TV deals run through 2033, but the league can opt out of most of them after the ’29 season, and out of Disney’s after ’30. That’s closely aligned with the next CBA. Calendar: Goodell also floated the possibility of the Super Bowl, which currently takes place on the second Sunday of February, annually falling on the weekend of Presidents’ Day, which is commemorated on the third Monday in February. Under the current schedule, the stars will actually align in 2027, when Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium will be played Sunday, Feb. 14, which is the day before Presidents’ Day. But that mash-up happens only about once a decade. Under a pushed-back NFL schedule, the Super Bowl and Presidents’ Day weekend would align almost every year. An extra bye week? Some pundits have suggested an 18-game schedule should include a second bye week for each team. That wouldn’t work with Goodell’s Presidents’ Day weekend idea unless the NFL kicked off Week 1 on Labor Day weekend instead of the following week. Impact on other leagues: Right now, Presidents’ Day weekend is also when NBA All-Star festivities annually take place, as well as the Daytona 500. It would be hard to imagine those events not moving if the NFL swooped in on those dates. It’s a Football World

If owners can convince players to agree to an 18-game schedule, don’t think the NFL will feel bad about encroaching on more of the sports calendar. “Holidays are what we do,” Goodell said on McAfee’s show when asked about the league’s Christmas strategy. “I don’t ask permission for that,” he added. “We go where the fans are.”

The NBA’s Highest-Spending Teams Are Struggling This Postseason [[link removed]]

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Money can’t buy happiness, the age-old saying goes. And for some NBA teams, it couldn’t buy a win in the postseason, either.

The Timberwolves-Suns series was supposed to be a toss-up, at least according to most odds posted by sportsbooks ahead of the playoffs. But Minnesota swept Phoenix in four games, concluding with a 122–116 win Sunday, sending home the franchise paying the league’s third-highest estimated luxury-tax bill this season, $68.65 million, according to Spotrac [[link removed]].

Combined with the Suns’ $191.44 million payroll to compensate stars Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, team owner Mat Ishbia is shelling out a little more than $260 million for his club’s first-round exit. The Timberwolves, for comparison, have the NBA’s 12th-highest payroll at roughly $164 million, just under the tax threshold of $165.29 million.

Less Is More?

The Warriors will pay the most luxury tax this season, owing an estimated $176.88 million on top of a league-high $205.57 million payroll. But even with all that spending, Golden State was knocked out of the NBA play-in tournament by the Kings, who put together a roster with a payroll of roughly $150 million, 22nd in the league.

Coming in second in payroll ($200 million) and luxury tax ($142.4 million) were the Clippers, who are tied 2–2 with the Mavericks in their opening-round series. The Bucks, coming in fourth with a luxury tax bill of $51.96 million, will look to avoid elimination Tuesday night against the Pacers. Neither Dallas nor Indiana is paying a luxury tax.

Season of Giving

In total, the NBA’s eight teams over the luxury tax threshold this season will pay $525 million, and nearly half of it will be coming from teams without a postseason win. According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, 50% of that total tax figure could be sent in equal payments to the 22 nontax teams, and the other half could be used for other league purposes such as more revenue sharing. The Celtics ($39.75 million), Nuggets ($22.74 million), Heat ($15.25 million), and Lakers ($7.04 million) round out the teams paying a luxury tax this year.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Florida Panthers President on Building a ‘Generational’ Fan Base

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

As the team tries for another deep postseason run, Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell joins the show to discuss the economic impacts of playoff hockey, how he is looking to create fans for life, and why he has high hopes for Ryan Smith’s Utah franchise.

🎧 Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

TIME CAPSULE April 30, 2022: A New Look at ‘Mr. Irrelevant’

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

On this day two years ago: The 49ers selected Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with the final selection of the 2022 NFL draft. In keeping with the generally low expectations that come with being the draft’s “Mr. Irrelevant” that year, very little was initially expected of Purdy. But after injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy was thrust into the starting lineup. There, he quickly became a star, winning all five of his ’22 starts and leading San Francisco to Super Bowl LVIII last year. Now carrying a nickname [[link removed]] of “Mr. Relevant,” Purdy recently earned $739,000 in performance-based bonuses, nearly doubling his ’23 salary, and is in line [[link removed]] for a much more lucrative contract extension next year.

Purdy’s success is perhaps forcing a rethink on the “Mr. Irrelevant” draft slot, both from a team scouting and marketing perspective. Last year’s final draft pick, Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson, is not only still on the team but also could be in line for an increased role with the recent retirement of Aaron Donald. This year’s selection, Jets safety Jaylen Key, said he is “definitely going to lean into every bit” of the “Mr. Irrelevant” title, and the team similarly made a big social content push [[link removed]] out of the selection of Key.

LOUD AND CLEAR Not This Time

Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports

“Having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe.”

—U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, on the organization’s decision to withdraw its bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup along with Mexico, and instead focus on the ’31 tournament. The joint bid was seen as a favorite to land the ’27 event, which will come just a year after the ’26 men’s World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. “Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking,” Cone added. Now, the two remaining finalists for ’27 are a solo bid from Brazil and a joint proposal from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The FIFA Congress will vote for a host May 17.

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Conversation Starters The NHL’s Lightning sent [[link removed]] 130 full-time employees about 230 miles southeast to attend Game 5 of the playoffs tonight against the Panthers. ESPN’s staff created more than 475 highlight packages and thousands of graphics for the 2024 NFL draft. Analyst Louis Riddick took a moment to thank members from typically uncredited departments like editors, media, stage staff, and security. Watch here [[link removed]]. Following Detroit’s record turnout, organizers in Green Bay are already preparing [[link removed]] for the 2025 NFL draft at Lambeau Field and the adjacent Packers Titletown District. Meanwhile Pittsburgh hopes to host the event in ’26. Editors’ Picks Bigger Gloves, Shorter Rounds: Texas Board to Sanction Paul-Tyson Fight [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Rounds will be two minutes instead of three, and gloves will be heavier than usual. Why Both Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason Are Out at CBS Sports [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Matt Ryan, 38, is joining ‘The NFL Today,’ pushing out two mainstays. Just Like We Drew It Up? Stadium Renderings Can Excite, Confound, and Anger [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]During a historic wave of development, drawings wield more power than ever. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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