NFL Rumors: Why Expanding the League to 34 Teams Is a Mistake

Recently, Roger Goddell let it slip that he was considering expanding the league to 34 teams, with the most likely expansion targets being an expansion franchise in each league in Los Angeles.

This is not the first time expansion rumors have abounded; 40 was bandied about at one time.

There seems to be no doubt that there are enough eyeballs for 34 NFL teams.  Regular-season NFL games are watched by more people than NBA or MLB playoff games or even BCS bowl games.

But there are three reasons why 34 teams is a mistake.

The first reason is that there aren't enough marquee players for 34 teams.  There aren't enough marquee players for 32 teams.  There weren't enough marquee players for 30 teams.

The second reason is that 34 isn't a nice number that divides by three, four or five.  That means either unbalanced divisions or unbalanced conferences, which decreases parity and would also necessitate the restructuring of what I believe to be the most effective NFL scheduling system ever.

The third point is outlined in a previous article about potential new NFL destinations.  Aside from Los Angeles, the only markets that could support an NFL team are San Antonio and Toronto.  Neither of them look really attractive, do they?  

Also consider that we already have some markets that can't support an NFL team (St. Louis is a city in decline, Jacksonville's way too small and San Diego will never shell out a dime to build a new stadium).

Bottom line: Just admit that some of your franchises have to move, Roger, and give up on the 34 team idea.