National Football League Football Research Articles

NFL Films and the Art of Selling Football

National Football League (NFL) subsidiary film production company NFL Films has documented every NFL game since 1964. The company's formally distinctive made-for-television documentary films have built a consistent and durable mythology that represents NFL football as heroic, dramatic, and beautiful. Beyond creating, maintaining, and circulating a celebratory image for the league, NFL Films employs various textual and marketing strategies to cast its productions as artworks that are more refined than typical sports television, engage consecrated aesthetic traditions, reflect their producers’ inspired creative visions, and are unmotivated by commercial interests—qualities that critical and audience discourses surrounding the company often reinforce. This article examines how NFL Films’ aesthetic posturing builds distinction for the subsidiary film production company within the stereotypically lowbrow context of sports television. Moreover, it considers how NFL Films’ attempts to situate itself as a site that produces art work to amplify the NFL's economic and cultural value.

NFL Draftnikology: Euclidean Metrics and Other Approaches to Scoring Ranking Predictions

With viewership of NFL (National Football League) football in the US rising above 20 million, interest in the NFL Draft has also been at all-time highs in recent years. Much of this interest is directed toward the “NFL draftniks” who provide draft predictions—so-called “mock drafts”—leading up to the NFL Draft. Despite increasing interest in “NFL draftnikology,” the scoring methodology used to evaluate mock NFL drafts lags far behind. This study offers a few alternative approaches, including a Euclidean metrics approach to evaluating mock NFL drafts. The usefulness of our methodologies extends to evaluation of economic and financial analysts.

Return to Play after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in National Football League Athletes

Background Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common and potentially career-threatening injury in the National Football League (NFL). The return to play (RTP) percentage and the factors affecting RTP after ACL reconstruction in NFL players are not well defined. Purpose To determine the actual rate of return to professional football play in the NFL after ACL reconstruction surgery and to determine what factors can predict ability to RTP. We hypothesize that the RTP percentage in this unique patient population will differ from previously reported populations. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods Forty-nine NFL athletes who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction at our institution were followed to determine their RTP percentages and factors predicting RTP. Results Sixty-three percent (31 of 49) of NFL athletes returned to NFL game play at an average of 10.8 months after surgery. Age at time of surgery, position, and the type and number of procedures were not significantly different between those who did and did not return to play. The average number of games before surgery was 51 for those who did return to play and 28 for those who did not (P = .039). The odds ratio favoring RTP was 5.5 (P = .016) for those players who had more than 4 years of NFL experience before surgery. The average NFL draft round was 3.4 for the group who returned to play and 6.4 for those who did not (P < .001). The odds ratio favoring RTP was 12.2 (P < .001) for those players drafted in the first 4 rounds of the NFL draft compared with those drafted after the fourth round. Conclusions The RTP rates after ACL reconstruction in NFL football players are lower than previously perceived. More experienced and established athletes are more likely to return to competition at the same level after this procedure than those with less professional experience. Being selected in the first 4 rounds of the NFL draft was highly predictive of RTP.

Fluid Consumption and Sweating in National Football League and Collegiate Football Players With Different Access to Fluids During Practice

Considerable controversy regarding fluid replacement during exercise currently exists. To compare fluid turnover between National Football League (NFL) players who have constant fluid access and collegiate football players who replace fluids during water breaks in practices. Observational study. Respective preseason training camps of 1 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II (DII) football team and 1 NFL football team. Both morning and afternoon practices for DII players were 2.25 hours in length, and NFL players practiced for 2.25 hours in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. Environmental conditions did not differ. Eight NFL players (4 linemen, 4 backs) and 8 physically matched DII players (4 linemen, 4 backs) participated. All players drank fluids only from their predetermined individual containers. The NFL players could consume both water and sports drinks, and the DII players could only consume water. We measured fluid consumption, sweat rate, total sweat loss, and percentage of sweat loss replaced. Sweat rate was calculated as change in mass adjusted for fluids consumed and urine produced. Mean sweat rate was not different between NFL (2.1 +/- 0.25 L/h) and DII (1.8 +/- 0.15 L/h) players (F(1,12) = 2, P = .18) but was different between linemen (2.3 +/- 0.2 L/h) and backs (1.6 +/- 0.2 L/h) (t(14) = 3.14, P = .007). We found no differences between NFL and DII players in terms of percentage of weight loss (t(7) = -0.03, P = .98) or rate of fluid consumption (t(7) = -0.76, P = .47). Daily sweat loss was greater in DII (8.0 +/- 2.0 L) than in NFL (6.4 +/- 2.1 L) players (t(7) = -3, P = .02), and fluid consumed was also greater in DII (5.0 +/- 1.5 L) than in NFL (4.0 +/- 1.1 L) players (t(7) = -2.8, P = .026). We found a correlation between sweat loss and fluids consumed (r = 0.79, P < .001). During preseason practices, the DII players drinking water at water breaks replaced the same volume of fluid (66% of weight lost) as NFL players with constant access to both water and sports drinks.

Comparison of National Football League Linemen Versus Nonlinemen of Left Ventricular Mass and Left Atrial Size

Retired National Football League (NFL) linemen have higher cardiovascular mortality compared with nonlinemen. We examined echocardiographic characteristics of retired NFL linemen compared with nonlinemen to determine if position-dependent cardiac remodeling resulted in increased left ventricular (LV) mass and left atrial (LA) size. We performed echocardiography in 487 retired NFL football players. Demographic, medical, and professional career information was collected. Interventricular septal and posterior wall thickness, LV end diastolic diameter, and LA area were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and LV mass were calculated. Retired linemen had significantly higher LV mass (234.8 +/- 65.8 g) than nonlinemen (199.8 +/- 55.4 g, p <0.0001). LA area was higher in linemen versus nonlinemen (22.5 vs 20.1 cm(2), p <0.0001). Independent predictors of increased LV mass were BMI (p <0.003), linemen position (p <0.024), and systolic blood pressure (p <0.005). In former players with BMI <35 kg/m(2) there was a difference between linemen and nonlinemen in LV mass (219.9 +/- 44.3 vs 182.6 +/- 44.3 g, p = 0.004) and LV mass/height (114.3 +/- 23.5 vs 98.8 +/- 25.2 g/m, p = 0.005). In former players with BMI >35 kg/m(2), there was no difference. There was no difference in LA area between linemen and nonlinemen in both BMI groups. In conclusion, LV mass and LA area size were highest in retired linemen. Player BMI, position, and systolic blood pressure were significant predictors of LV mass. In retired linemen compared with retired nonlinemen, the persistence of these cardiac adaptations may contribute to the higher cardiovascular mortality seen in retired linemen.

OVERPAID ATHLETES? COMPARING AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Sports fans often complain that the stars they watch are “overpaid” relative to their performance. This article examines this claim by analyzing the relationship between player pay and performance in two major sports: American Football and European football. The essay considers the structure of payment and the distribution of salaries revealing that the National Football League (NFL) has greater restrictions on its labor market than has European football. Since the NFL labor market is restrictive, many players have salaries that are below the amounts that they contribute to team revenues. In contrast, European football has a more open labor market with few restrictions and salaries of European footballers are broadly in line with performance and contribution to team revenues, although overpayment can still occur. In both types of football, growth and distribution of broadcast revenues are important factors determining player salaries. The gap between “superstars” and “journeymen” has widened in both NFL and European football and this poses questions for salary management in each sport.

Body Size and Composition of National Football League Players

The purpose of this study was to present a profile of body size and composition of National Football League (NFL) players prior to the start of the regular season. Fifty-three members of the Indianapolis Colts professional football team were measured for height, body mass, and percentage body fat using the BOD POD air-displacement plethysmography system during summer camp of the 2003 football season. These data were categorized by position for comparison with previous studies of NFL football players. The relationships observed were as follows (= represents nonsignificant; > represents p < or = 0.05): Height: Offensive Line = Defensive Line = Quarterbacks/Kickers/Punters = Tight Ends > Linebackers > Running Backs = Wide Receivers = Defensive Backs. Body Mass: Offensive Line = Defensive Line > Tight Ends = Linebackers > Running Backs = Quarterbacks/ Kickers/Punters > Wide Receivers = Defensive Backs. Percentage Body Fat: Offensive Line > Defensive Line > Quarterbacks/ Kickers/Punters = Linebackers = Tight Ends > Running Backs = Wide Receivers = Defensive Backs. Comparisons to teams in the 1970s indicate that body mass has increased only for offensive and defensive linemen; however, height and body fat among player positions have not dramatically changed. Furthermore, the body mass index is not an accurate measure or representation of body fat or obesity in NFL players. These data provide a basic template for size profiles and differences among various positions and allow comparisons with other studies for changes in the NFL over the past 3 decades.

Changes in Blood Electrolytes and Plasma Volume in NFL Football Players During Pre-season Training

0371 Preseason training for football teams in the National Football League (NFL) consists of several consecutive weeks of two practice sessions per day during the hottest months of the year. Due to the large body surface area (BSA) of these football players (FB) sweat, and therefore electrolyte losses can be high. PURPOSE: To measure blood electrolytes and changes in plasma volume (PV) in NFL players during pre-season training in a warm, humid environment. METHODS: Six NFL veteran players (age = 25.5 ± 2.6 yr., height = 186.3 ± 5.5 cm, weight = 104 ± 17.6 kg and BSA = 2.28 ± 0.19m2) participated in the study. Venous blood samples were drawn from subjects for baseline (BL) measures upon arrival to camp and prior to the morning practice on Days 3, 5, 9 and 11. Blood sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg++), calcium (Ca++) and pH were determined by ion-selective electrode and percent change in PV was calculated using hematocrit and hemoglobin. The players underwent physical testing on Day 1, practiced two times per day on Days 2 through 4, and then alternated one or two practice sessions per day for Days 5 through 11. Pre-season training camp for this NFL team was held in Eastern Pennsylvania where it is warm and humid during July and August. Data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Blood Na+ was lower on Day 3 (136.9 ± 0.55 mmol/l) compared to BL (140.35 ± 0.38 mmol/), Day 9 (140.28 ± 0.35 mmol/l) and Day 11 (140.61 ± 0.82 mmol/l), p < 0.01, but was not different from Day 5 (138.05 ± 0.59 mmol/l). Blood K+ was higher on Days 5, 9 and 11 (4.16 ± 0.13, 4.36 ± 0.08 and 4.42 ± 0.07mmol/l) compared to BL (3.77 ± 0.15mmol/L). A significant linear trend was found for Mg++. It rose from 0.5097 ± 0.032 mmol/l at BL to 0.561 ± 0.012mmol/l on Day 5 and then fell to 0.462 ± 0.043 mmol/l by Day 11. No differences were found for blood Ca++ or pH. PV was lower on Day 3 (4.9 ± 2.39 % below BL) compared to Day 5 (4.5 ± 1.89% above BL). CONCLUSIONS: Blood Na+ levels decline in NFL players by day 3 of preseason training and appear to be maintained at low normal levels (136 mmol/L) at the expense of a contracted (−4.5%) PV. Na+ supplementation may be necessary in professional FB players prior to and during the first few days of pre-season two-a-day training. Blood Mg++ also declines to low normal levels by the second week of pre-season training camp and may also need supplementation. The rise in resting levels of blood K+ in FB players on Days 5, 9 and 11 may indicate muscle cell damage due to the physical stresses of practicing football in the heat. Supported by a faculty development grant from West Chester University.

Testing for statistical and market efficiency when forecast errors are non-normal: the NFL betting market revisited

This paper examines the efficiency of the National Football League (NFL) betting market. Previous econometric work on the subject has been based on least squares estimators, and has been marred by non-normal errors, which have cast doubt on standard hypothesis testing procedures. It is found that the negative binomial distribution provides a good description of points scored in NFL football games, but no significant departures from market efficiency were discovered.