You can feel it in the air – National Football League training camps are right around the corner. The regular season may still be two months away, but football betting fans (and what sports bettor isn’t a football bettor?), can start analyzing NFL teams when camps open at the end of July.
But right now, we’re in a bit of a sports betting limbo. The NBA season has come and gone, the NFL Draft has passed, and all that’s really available is MLB Betting.
So, to satisfy sports betting fans’ constant craving for NFL information, let’s look at an ongoing debate: Should the NFL season be expanded from its current 16-game schedule to 18 games?
It will probably happen for the same reason a lot of things happen: cold hard cash. More games mean more money for NFL teams through increased gate receipts, advertising revenues and merchandise sales.
But, most importantly, would it be a good thing for NFL betting fans?
One thing that would benefit football bettors is that hardly anyone bets pre-season games, and there would be fewer of them with an expanded regular season. The bottom line is, bettors would have more games to wager on.
Another point that would make it a positive for sports bettors is that teams would have to wait longer to sit starters. Many teams typically start to rest their starters with a few games left in the season, and obviously this would happen later if there were 18 games. And most bettors know how sitting star players can screw up a bet.
Of course, there are some negatives, too, like the fact there would be more wear and tear on players, which could result in more injuries. Trying to make your NFL picks and properly handicap a game is awfully difficult when top players are sidelined.
Football, whether it’s NFL Football or NCAA College Football, is a tough, physical, often violent sport. An expanded schedule will inevitably lead to more injuries, whether in games or practice.
It would also be more difficult for NFL handicappers to analyze season-by-season statistics. For example, would a 1,000-yard rushing season for a running back mean the same in an 18-game schedule as it would in a 16-game schedule?
And of course, all of this leads to more injuries and more burnt-out players come NFL Playoffs time or College Football Bowl season. Will players have enough gas in the tank to compete at a high level?
So, the bottom line for sports betting fans is: Will an 18-game NFL season be a good thing or bad thing? I guess we’ll have to just wait and see.