Quote Originally Posted by Craic View Post
Come to think of it, this has nothing to do with playing an 18 game season or revenue earned from an 18 game season. Nope. Instead, this has 2020 written all over it. When the players are just about to give on a major issue but they need one thing from the owners, the 18 game season will be trotted out and nixed. The players will cheer they got great concessions and the owners will walk away snickering.
Agreed it is a CBA issue when the current agreement expires

But IMO the owners want the $$$$ by expanding the length of the season or playoffs since other means of generating more $$$$ are not panning out so far (such as NFL made noise about exercising its right to sell streaming, non-satellite, rights to Sunday Ticket to someone other than DirecTV after 2019 season but apparently nobody has stepped up with a good enough offer)

So the owners throw a few bones to the players on other issues (arbitrator rather than Goodell has final say on player discipline sanctions/no suspensions for marijuana if it is deemed to be for “medicinal” purposes) in return for an 18 game season