Weekly “What if?” 18.5: Super Bowl Edition

What if Super Bowl LII were the last one ever?

What if a perfect storm of concerns for player health and well-being, increasing political turmoil both within the league and outside it, rising popularity of other leagues, the evolution of media, and a decline in viewership caused the NFL to die in the next year? (Check out this, this, and this.)

What if the season that just ended was the NFL’s last?

Ok, this is a bit extreme…so what if it wasn’t?

What if, to avert some or all of these factors, the NFL became the most innovative, pioneering, and forward-looking sports league in the world?

What if the NFL implemented new media technology and policies?

What if, for example, viewers were able to select SkyCam view instead of the standard camera angle?

What if, for example, viewers were able to experience the game using VR headsets being fed live streams from any player’s helmet?

What if we reimagined the entire football ecosystem in America?

What if we designed new ways for the sport — and all the people who support, contribute, and sacrifice their bodies for it — to prosper?

What if there were a minor league system supporting the NFL, so that college football wasn’t seen by many as, well, the minor leagues for the NFL?

Speaking of college football…

What if in college football, just like the players, all the coaches were students? (h/t to Gus Jewell for this one)

What if we began considering this a purer form of real college football?

What if this introduced more parity into the College Football Playoff, and into the year-to-year standings overall?

What if colleges began offering real academic programs (and legitimate degrees) in sports management and business, coaching, and all the training & rehabilitation that goes into sports?

What if, for example, a high school football star who loves the game but not enough to commit his life and his body to playing as a career had the opportunity to major in Sports Management with a concentration in NFL Operations?

What if colleges were to consider careers in sports during their explorations and redefinitions of what a “well rounded” education looks like?

What if colleges embraced the reality of many of their players’ decisions and compromises (e.g. “class vs. practice” or “do homework vs. watch tape”) and supported a more balanced approach?

What if colleges acknowledged the likely life path of their players (i.e. the likelihood of them going pro) and prepared them accordingly?

What if this enabled more players to succeed more deeply in off-the-field careers after graduation?

What if players who aren’t likely to succeed as players in the NFL but are dedicated to the sport could build a career doing what they love because of the courses they take in college, rather than in spite of them?

What if the NFL supported this, either explicitly or by creating incentive structures that encourage such policymaking (or both)?

What if money wasn’t the biggest driver of the NFL and the corporations that support it?

What if future NFL games reminded us less of the barbaric, fight-to-the-death clashes between gladiators, where the “players’” bodies and lives were worth nothing more than the entertainment they provided?

What if the NFL, and football, became a true force for social good?

What if we were one day to look back on today’s NFL and say, “I can’t believe it used to be that way…”?

What if we could then say, “I’m truly proud and grateful for what it’s become.”?

Every week, I write about an idea I developed, discussed, or discovered that week. Writing it down in this format is sort of like a personal “Yes, and!” session for me, where I can explore and develop the idea more. Some posts are quick and punchy, some are long and detailed.

Add your own “What ifs” in the comments below!