7 ideas the NFL should take from other major sports
While they may not be ready to admit it, the NFL is slowly losing its position as the undisputed leader of pro sports in North America.
As the league looks for ways to adapt to a more socially conscious audience that's grown sick and tired of the same old dog and pony show, we take a look at what the NFL can steal from other sports to regain a firm grip as the top dog in the pro sports landscape.
Basketball
Selling player personalities
A major criticism of the NFL - especially in the last few seasons - has been the league's constant suppression of player personalities. They may be on the right track with a report surfacing that the league will relax celebration penalties, but there's a ways to go before catching up with the NBA.
The NBA is represented by its players - not its teams.
Stars like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, and Steph Curry have turned franchises that were largely forgotten by the national media into can't-miss entities as their performances and personalities have taken over the sports news cycle. If given the chance, there are plenty of NFL personalities that could take over in similar fashion.
Baseball
Multiple draft-eligible years
Year after year, dozens of hopeful underclassmen declare for the draft before their college eligibility is up only to be trapped in the unforgiving world of undrafted free agents and practice squad grinders.
In the MLB, players are eligible to be drafted up to three times, and can elect to return to school if they are unhappy with where or when they are selected.
For a league that chews players up and spits them out in a hurry if they're not physically ready, the option for players to return to school and finish their degrees would be invaluable, keeping doors open for a career outside of the game and giving young men a mulligan for being understandably overconfident.
Hockey
Playoff beards
The main reasons the NHL postseason is so awesome are the never-ending overtime games, instantly intense seven-game series, and ridiculous feats of pain tolerance. However, the cherry on top is the bearded faces that drip with sweat as one team lifts Lord Stanley's Cup above its head.
Imagine a full team of Brett Keisel-looking faces doing the same with the Lombardi Trophy.
Soccer
No in-game commercial breaks
This seems like it would be too good to be true, but somehow soccer manages to broadcast full 45-minute halves without commercial interruptions - so why can't the NFL?
It may take a few banners appearing at the bottom of the screen and a few advertisement patches on your favorite team's uniforms, but honestly, would you rather notice a new logo on a jersey sleeve and see non-stop action or watch the same commercial 25 times over the course of one game?
Tennis
Merit-based player rankings
The Association of Tennis Professionals uses a points system based on individual performances at separately weighted tournaments to determine who the world's best players are.
NBC introduced a version of this concept last season, posting individual players' Pro Football Focus positional rankings in their introductions, but an official set of league player rankings could open up endless avenues for debates and drama.
A similar system may be difficult to determine in football, though the league's best minds could surely come up with some sort of system to account for performance, production, strength of competition, and difficulty of completion to measure individual value. The league wouldn't need to replace its Pro Bowl or MVP voting, but could create a new set of awards similar to how the NHL has both the Art Ross Trophy (most points scored) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (most valuable player).
Golf
Staggered Start Times
No more of this "half of our games each week start at the exact same time" stuff. Let's make each Sunday a shotgun start and let each game begin about 20 minutes after the last one.
Having each game start - and ideally finish - within a half-quarter of each other would let fans catch a series of game endings instead of being forced to choose just one. It would also erase the awkward 10 minutes in the middle of the afternoon when all the games are at halftime simultaneously and make the NFL Red Zone channel an even better way to follow along every Sunday.
MMA
Promotional Press Conferences
Imagine: Instead of Odell Beckham Jr., and Josh Norman exchanging shots in the media before a big inter-division matchup, they literally threw bottles and cans at each other.
Conor McGregor has taken the MMA world by storm, in large part thanks to his always entertaining press conferences that feature late entrances, over-the-top antics, and hilarious insults.
Giving players a stage to confront their most hated opponents relatively face to face before actually hitting the field would create more drama and work hand in hand with the idea of promoting individual players like in the NBA.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)