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The NFL sees limitless growth in its future, which for the short term seems fair and for the long term seems foolish. As such, they're going to attempt to make every single event as giant as possible to capitalize on interest and drive more.
The latest? A possible four day NFL Draft:
You thought @NFL Draft was already a big event? Roger Goodell told me today league will consider stretching it to 4 days (still 7 rounds).
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) April 25, 2014
On one hand, this is not a huge deal, should it come to pass. The league could just split the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds into three separate days, packing in the 4th through 7th on the fourth day for the diehards. Doing so will allow them to run an already popular event one day longer, squeezing more sweet, sweet relevance juice out of the offseason schedule.
On the other hand, what the flarg. The NFL is like any other large business in America today, which is to say committed to growing at all costs and blinded by greed. It's fair to argue they're already one of the most visible and beloved institutions in America, with millionaires and billionaires studding the league, and fans like you and I spend countless hours every month breaking down, debating and watching anything we can find about our teams. They're in a position to do whatever they want.
For someone who loves the game of football, though, I'm starting to worry that the NFL is pushing the off-the-field boundaries too far. Everything reaches a saturation point, and there will come a time when people get legitimately sick of the league pushing and stretching out every single event. A four day draft is one thing, but what if it becomes a week-long event, the schedule is released in halves in April and the NFL decides to tinker with free agency to drive more excitement? Fatigue will eventually set in.
So I hope the NFL thinks better of this. The product on the field is strong, the love for the league is legitimate and deep and the league is making a ridiculous amount of money. Just let it breathe.