While many NFL teams have lost star players to season-ending injuries or played without them for extended periods this season, a new poll finds that many football fans want more games played, even if it means more risk.
a New Quinnipiac Poll Nearly half of NFL fans say the league is doing enough to protect players from serious injury. Most fans (60%) support an expanded season, including those who believe that transferring players (including increased wages) is worth the increased risk of injury.
The NFL is nearing the halfway point of a season that has seen several key players sidelined with major injuries for the remainder of the game. Dolphins five-time All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee), 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (ankle), five-time Pro Bowl selection Edge rusher Nick Bosa (knee), Giants wideout Malik Nabers (knee), sensational rookie running back Kam Skatebo (Ankle) All have season-ending injuries.
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans’ streak of 1,000 yards receiving will end at 11 due to a broken collarbone.
And those are just injuries to big names.
But polls suggest that, for the most part, the blame doesn’t lie with the league. The NFL has made several rule changes over the years, including overhauling kickoffs, and has taken strong measures to reduce injuries.
The poll also found that about half of U.S. adults support Bad Bunny as a halftime performer at the Super Bowl, and most are also enthusiastic about moving the Super Bowl to Presidents Day weekend and ensuring there is a day off after the game.
Many feel the NFL is doing enough to avoid injuries
This year, the NFL was fixed. dynamic kickoff rules To eliminate high-speed collisions that caused numerous injuries.
As part of a long-standing effort to improve on-field safety, the league has previously banned certain types of tackles, extended protection to defenseless players and made it illegal to hit an opponent with the crown of a helmet. The league has increased protection for quarterbacks, and with the use of safer helmets and protective helmet covers, the overall number of concussions has decreased.
Still, soccer is a violent, physical sport, and it’s difficult to prevent players from tearing knee ligaments or dislocating ankles. In some cases, an injury such as a ruptured Achilles tendon may occur even though you did not hit anything.
Four in 10 Americans say the NFL is doing “about enough” to prevent serious injuries to professional football players, and three in 10 say it’s doing “too little.” Few thought the league was doing “too much,” with about 2 in 10 having no opinion.
About half of NFL fans (those who call themselves superfans, fans, or casual fans) say the league is active enough, and about 3 in 10 say it isn’t active enough.
A poll found that NFL fans are divided on the dynamic kickoff rule. About 4 in 10 people like the new rules, and about the same percentage want the old rules back.
NFL fans will be rooting for the next regular season game despite the risk of injury
After expanding the season to 17 games in 2021, the NFL is considering adding one more regular season game.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the goal is to add 18 games and reduce preseason games from three to two. Adding another game would require approval from the NFL Players Association, and interim executive director David White told The Associated Press that it was not inevitable that the players association would agree.
The current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2031, but the two sides have not discussed renegotiating it, and Goodell said last week that talks were on hold until the players union selects a permanent executive director.
Among NFL fans, about 6 in 10 support adding one more game. This view is especially widespread among people who call themselves “superfans.” About 7 in 10 NFL super fans say they want it to expand, compared to about half of casual fans.
Injury concerns far outweigh any desire for another game. Roughly 6 in 10 NFL fans who support expansion said it would be “worth it” after being told that adding regular season games would increase the risk of injury to players in addition to salaries.
Bad Bunny halftime show divides Americans along partisan lines
In the NFL, faced a backlash Since selecting Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner. Roughly half of Americans approve of Bad Bunny as a halftime show performer, a number that remains consistent among NFL fans. Approximately 3 out of 10 people disapproved of this selection, and around 2 out of 10 had no opinion.
Democrats are particularly likely to approve Bad Bunny. publicly criticized President Donald Trump And his immigration policy – being chosen. About three-quarters of Democrats approve, compared to just 16% of Republicans. Roughly 6 in 10 Republicans oppose this option.
Goodell last week reaffirmed the league’s decision to put the artist on its biggest stage.
“It’s been carefully thought out,” Goodell said. “I don’t think I’ve ever picked an artist that didn’t have backlash or criticism. That’s pretty hard to do when there are literally hundreds of millions of people watching.”
Bad Bunny has performed in Spanish and is expected to perform in Spanish at the Super Bowl.
There is another area in which Americans agree. That would be moving the Super Bowl to a holiday weekend. A majority of U.S. adults as a whole and NFL fans support moving the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, which would necessarily follow the federal holiday on a Monday.
