There is no doubt that even though there are a number of popular sports in America, the NFL has certainly become the premier sports league that is available. It has also become one of the largest, most popular, and highest-grossing sports institutions throughout the entire world. The league only continues to grow, and with it, fans and players alike enjoy looking forward to seeing what the next season will bring.
There are certainly going to be some challenges facing players and organizers throughout the next season, and all of these are going to be discussed in more detail below. The rest of this article is going to talk specifically about some of the new challenges the NFL season will face throughout the 2022/2023 season.
The Scheduling Is All Over the Place
There are two major issues that present themselves in the 2022 season of the NFL. The first is that the league is going to need to account for the 2028 Olympics that is set to take place in Los Angeles. Not to mention, there is also going to be a condensed, regular season that is followed by a long-term contract for Thursday Night Football.
The first issue is quite a straightforward one, and it is essential that there has been a deal made between the Olympic committee and the NFL, which states that no football games can be played in LA on the same day as the Olympics. This is a simple point and easy to get around, but it is the other issue that brings forth some complications.
The NFL has also made a deal with the network FOX that states they need to air a game on every Thursday of each week. This will make it so that each team will end up playing about four Thursday night games a week, but the NFL is hoping to try and expand that even further so that teams are playing six games. This means there will need to be some creativity exercised within the scheduling of games this new season.
Increase in eSports and VR
The technology surrounding gaming continues to develop and improve. This is because of the fact the gaming community has always been one which is willing to open itself up to some of the most innovative advances in tech, and there are a number of examples where this is the case.
For instance, when you consider the rise in popularity of the likes of online gambling, it is clear this is a sector that is willing to embrace technological evolution. When online casinos were first invented back in the 90s, the community was quick to expand upon them, creating the popularity and range of games available today. Players can choose between new casino games and traditional ones like baccarat.
Baccarat is a prime example as to why online casinos have risen in popularity. The game has a simple aim, where the player must bet on the outcome of each round. They must choose between the bank, themselves, or a tie being the result when the card value is revealed. Baccarat translates well into online platforms and can be enjoyed at www.slots.lv/casino/table-games/baccarat.
This same trend can be seen when it comes to different sports and the gaming sectors within them. As the NFL grows, the comparative eSports sector of it is expected to do the same, becoming a $1.5 billion industry by the back end of 2021. There are a lot of tournaments hosted in stadiums all over the entire world which add to this figure.
Virtual reality is also becoming a large part of a lot of online gaming, not to mention NFL teams on their own are also starting to embrace its use. They are using VR so that they can improve the viewing experience of their fans, and it is being used a lot more within the realm of coaching too.
It could be used in the new seasons to help teams improve their games and allow them to practice against teams in simulated environments where the oppositions tactics are effectively recreated. So, for instance, in a game where the Arizona Cardinals struggled against the Chiefs, the Cardinals could recreate that game and improve based on the way the Chiefs played.
More Rule Changes for Safety
There have been a number of rule changes implemented throughout the NFL with the interest of keeping a players safety in mind, and there are likely only going to be more in the new seasons. This is going to come about thanks to new technology once again, as teams are going to have more access to information than they have ever had before, which will invoke rule updates to make the game safer. There will likely be punishments involved for players who engage in dangerous play and jeopardize the safety of other players in the process of engaging with that serious play.