4 Rule Changes That Are Guaranteed to Grow the NFL
An open letter to Roger Goodell
Dear Mr. Goodell,
We know you care about two things: growing the NFL and player safety.
We want the same thing. Football is supported by millions of Americans and for years has had aspirations of going global. Below are some proposed rule changes that can help make that happen
Rule 1: If a team is down by two or more touchdowns, they get a 5th down.
People love comebacks. Why not build comeback mechanics into the NFL?
It’s always easier to maintain a lead. Get ahead. Force the opponent to take chances. Capitalize on their mistakes. That’s pretty much how must teams operate when their winning.
Video games have long understood that losers need opportunities to stay competitive. Call of Duty gives players power ups if they kept dying while Mario Kart gives better items to the losing players.
If football could adopt idea, this it would create tremendous buzz. Thought your team sealed the victory?! Nope! Another chance could be provided to the team that totally earned it.
Roger, this would create tons of interest on social media. There would hashtags around #comebacks and endless discussions on whether this would be good for the sport of football.
Remember: Any NFL controversy means people talk less about other sports you’re competing with.
Rule 2: If a team is down by three touchdowns, the losing team can select one opposing player to remove their helmet.
Remember Bryan Braman? He was the player who made headlines for losing his helmet and continuing the play. That decision got all kinds of free press, and even an interview with Vice.
These types of plays are irresistible to the public. The stakes get raised immediately when a player loses his helmet. Helmetless tackles can even convince people that the game has been made safer. Parents will start saying: “If that man can tackle without a helmet, then my newborn son can learn to tackle without a helmet.”
By removing the helmet, you can even brand it to British fans as an homage to rugby. Tell the British rugby fans and the rest of the Commonwealth that we’re finally blending the two sports.
Rule 3: Wide receivers can only run in diagonal lines, while running backs can only run up, down, left, and right.
Analysts already say football is game of chess. Why not make the rules literally resemble chess. We all know Jerry Jones is already your king and can’t be touched.
Rule 4: Other than wide receivers and running backs, players can only run forward. In order to run backward, they must reach the end zone and yell, “King me!”
Commentators always say that football is a game of chess, not checkers. Blending the two classic tabletop games can further illustrate the cerebral aspect to playing the game.
If you enjoyed these rules, please feel free to follow, like this, or share it. And please share me your recommendations in the comments. We all need to work together to improve America’s number one sport.
