NFL fans praying Roger Goodell doesn’t copy money-spinning World Cup feature, ‘Would just sit out’

The World Cup sees a third-place playoff fixture just before the final.

England and France met in what became a chaotic 10-goal thriller that saw the Three Lions earn their bronze medals.

AFP

Soccer fans have been fiercely debating the necessity of the World Cup’s controversial third-place playoff.

Similar to the Olympics, minus the podium and medals, FIFA requires a game be played so that the top 4 finishers are settled in the global rankings.

After all, at the conclusion of England’s victory, FIFA walked away with another huge broadcasting and ticketing payday.

NFL fans have sent a clear warning to commissioner Roger Goodell in case he had been inspired by the fixture.

“Luckily this won’t ever happen (I hope), I think the players would just sit out,” one said.

“The NFL doesn’t need a pointless third-place game, and adding one would be madness. The last thing anybody wants to see is star players getting injured in a game that they don’t even want to be playing in,” a second added.

“Players would opt-out or fake injuries, don’t do it Rodger, it’s not worth your time,” a third commented.

“It’s really quite a dumb idea, in soccer and the NFL, but wouldn’t surprise me if Rodger did it,” a fourth said.

“Rodger, don’t be a greedy f*****, leave our game as it is,” a fifth said.

Did the NFL ever have a third-place game?

From 1960-69, the Playoff Bowl, also known as the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, was the NFL’s official third-place game.

Getty

Getty

Held annually at the Orange Bowl in Miami, the contest pitted the runners-up from the NFL’s Eastern and Western conferences against one another.

Over the decade it ran for, it raised over $1 million for the players’ pension fund.

The game took place the week after the NFL Championship. Players and coaches viewed it as a glorified, meaningless exhibition that extended the season and invited unnecessary injury.

Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi was it’s biggest critic with the NFL legend referring to it as the “S*** bowl, a losers’ bowl for losers.”

The game was ultimately scrapped following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. As the league expanded to create more meaningful postseason matches, it became unnecessary.

Would the NFL re-introduce the third-place playoff

The NFL is known to be aggressive in searching for revenue streams, but the chances of Goodell resurrecting the game are low.

AFP

The regular season is a grueling 17 contests before the playoffs, and with the possibility of expansion, there could be 18 on the ledger.

Adding a meaningless, high-risk postseason fixture would be faced with severe criticism, with players not afraid to share their opinion on matters.

With the end of the World Cup on the horizon, NFL players are calling for grass fields to be made a permanent fixture given their success at preventing injury.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has stood his ground, but enough voices in the right places could see change implemented soon.

A record-breaking 16 international matches will also bring in additional revenue.

In a sport defined by severe injury risk, no NFL player is risking his career for a bronze medal.

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