Shorten the Preseason? Add a Regular Season Game? Someone Better Ask Gene Upshaw First

In his "Weekly Message," NFL Player's Association President Gene Upshaw has made it clear that the players are, apparently, going to fight the commissioner on every front:

"The topic of a longer season has not been raised by the NFL lately. In their haste and early discussions about creating more revenue, some from their side have suggested adding a 17th game. Seems simple, if you agree with the NFL. The discussion will not advance in any way until they are willing to pay the players to play. As we approach the pre-season, the talking heads will follow the NFL lead, saying that pre-season is too long: “Let’s go to a 3-17 schedule.” Unless and until the NFL is willing to pay the players an additional game check, this will be a short discussion."

On its face the statement seems provocative enough, however we have to wonder just how many owners want to eliminate even one of the pre-season games.

As a fans and season ticket holders we'd love to quit paying full-price for exhibition games. However, the fact that owners are not required to pay their players until the regular season begins (and also do not pay them in the postseason) while collecting full-price for tickets to exhibition games makes it unlikely that owners will be lining up to fight this battle.

While some have posited that the additional game could increase television revenue the feeling here is that one more game will increase television revenue marginally. Instead, we'd like to suggest that the league offer an online version of "Sunday Ticket" for out of market, preseason games only thereby allowing the hardcore and/or displaced to watch their favorite team; and at $29.95 per subscriber (our suggested price point) net revenues would meet or exceed the commissioner's suggested plan.

Watch Games Live on the Internet? This is a Start

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the National Football League and the National Broadcast Corporation have reached an agreement to offer NFL games online. Reportedly, the agreement would encompass the Sunday night telecasts already available on your local NBC affiliate, but we can only hope that this is the start of a shift in how the NFL makes its games available.

The Directv monopoly in the United States of the "NFL Sunday Ticket" package is an onerous thing (though Directv's desire for such an arrangement is completely understandable), seemingly short-sighted (imagine how much more money the league could make by making the package more widely available through other satellite and cable providers), and flies in the face of how the package is delivered in Canada (on cable and satellite). Additionally, NFL games are already streamed live, online outside of North America.

All of this makes us wonder if there aren't some in the NFL hierarchy who are more concerned with creating new fans of the league than in taking good care of all the fans. The Directv package is up for renewal in 2010, and we can imagine a scenario in which television and "new media" revenues become part of what are certain to be contentious negotiations with the NFL Player's Union. Whether or not the owners will agree to share those revenues with players remains to be seen, however ensuring that the maximum return is achieved for its product is always good business. The guess here is that increasing access to NFL telecasts to the maximum number of willing subscribers is one decision in which all interested parties ~ owners, players, and fans ~ would benefit.