The NFL's Quarterback Problem

Following Super Bowl LV's disappointing ratings, one trend signals a potential problem for the NFL. Sure, there are a number of factors contributing to poor ratings across sports this year. A lack of gatherings clearly impacts events such as the Super Bowl. America's cultural divide drives some former viewers to "cancel" teams and leagues for their stances (or lack thereof). And of course, crowd-less competition generates less excitement as pre-COVID sporting events.

But even this a season of cultural turmoil and mass quarantine comes to a close, one problem promises to persist for the National Football League. In a quarterback-driven league, the biggest team brands in the biggest markets lack the biggest stars at the most important position. And whereas the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement / free agency model drives stars like LeBron James to teams like the Lakers, the NFL's infrastructure seems primed to keep a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City forever.

This league structure promises more parity. But it also gives way to Super Bowl matchups featuring markets like Kansas City and Tampa Bay rather than say Dallas and New York. With the league's next generation of quarterbacks (Mahomes, Jackson, Watson, Murray, Burrow, etc.) set to lead some of the brands that regularly rank amongst the bottom in Professor Mike Lewis's fandom rankings, the NFL has a decision to make. Does it adjust a system that brings about parity to incentivize its biggest stars to play for its biggest brands? Or does the league leave money on the table in this next generation to maintain a balanced competitive landscape.

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