Fair Play: Analyzing NFL Overtime Entertainment
The concept of NFL overtime has many questioning the concept of fair play within the league. In his latest article, Krebs explores whether the NFL is “fair” and the NFL’s emphasis of entertainment over competitive equality.
Change is difficult for many. People familiarize themselves with areas of comfort. The NFL is—and always has—utilized concepts from other leagues as the source of changing gameplay. Ever since the New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 in overtime, on route to a Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams, people questioned the NFL’s overtime rules. As usual, with the Patriots, whenever they accomplish something terrific on the football field, it leads to a discussion of changing the rules. But this is not about a single team, but how NFL teams only complain about issues that concern them rather than changes that would benefit the overall product.
Take the Kansas City Chiefs, who were at the forefront of the overtime debate. In 2022, the same rules the Chiefs complained about helped them defeat the Bills. Do you still think the Chiefs are complaining about overtime? That ship sailed, along with the Bills' championship hopes. While the Chiefs would ultimately lose to the Bengals in the AFC Championship game, overtime remains a figurehead of controversy in a league that embraces every type of issue.
The most debated topic of discussion is not the duration of overtime but the element that if the first team with the ball scores a touchdown the game ends. For those complaining about the “fairness” of the rule, let us consider some factors here. The NFL franchise tag, which removes a player’s choice of where to sign in free agency, is not “fair” to the players. Some owners choose to abide by the salary cap, while others reconfigure bonuses to wiggle their way out of salary cap debt. Are teams not committed to winning not “fair” to their fanbases? Was Josh Rosen allowed to succeed in Arizona when the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray number one a year after spending the 10th pick overall on Rosen? Time and time again, the NFL—or life—proves that “fairness” is just a fan illusion. Nothing is fair or given in life.
So, before people complain about NFL overtime not being “fair” for the team not touching the ball if the other scores a touchdown, the NFL proves that it is not a league of fairness but entertainment. Currently, the overtime rules generate the most excitement leading to more income. The competition committee is not interested in creating an even level of play, it just wants to help the league earn as much money as possible.
Overtime remains another component of NFL polarization, and change will only happen if the league changes its focus from income to competitive equality. For now, people will have to live with the NFL’s overtime rules, whether they like them or not. The NFL’s ties with the media make it what it is; a conglomerate pushing its brand on the consumer.