Sunday, March 15, 2020

NFL to expand to 17 game season

In one of the most hotly contested votes in the history of the NFL player’s union, a collective bargaining agreement promising labor peace through 2030 has been approved by the league’s players.

A total of 1,978 players voted and the CBA passed 1,019-959 — or by 60 votes, what amounts to roughly one NFL team’s roster and practice squad.

The passage comes after weeks of sometimes fierce debate among NFL stars and other rank-and-file players, many of whom stood to gain different benefits from a deal that took nearly 10 months to negotiate. The broad headline of the deal will be in how it ultimately changes the league’s schedule, which will now expand to 17 regular-season games as early as the 2021 season and add two additional playoff teams. The agreement also paves the way for the league to begin locking down new television deals in the coming weeks and months, albeit under a cloud of coronavirus uncertainty that could trigger significant economic ripples in the future.

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