The NFL is back, America feels right again

The NFL is no longer America’s pastime. It’s our national obsession.

It’s the Great American Campfire. We’ll gather around for the next six months, enjoying the competition, the camaraderie and the civic pride. For the action and the vices. For the fantasy points and the parlays. For the warmth, and to get toasted.

Questions abound: Will Josh Allen and the Bills finally win a championship after unveiling a new stadium, the way Charles Barkley and the Suns almost did in 1993? Will the Rams be the rare superteam that looks as good on the field as it does on paper? Or is the path to a championship wide open, where 16 of 32 teams have Super Bowl odds of 25-1 or shorter?

Parity is king. Since the advent of unrestricted free agency in 1993, only four teams have repeated as Super Bowl champions (Dallas, Denver, New England, Kansas City). The Chiefs were annihilated in their unprecedented shot at a three-peat in the 2025 Super Bowl, and most people agree they are either a washed-up team with closed windows of opportunity; or ready to reclaim all that’s been lost in the past two seasons.

The NFL was prescient in its wisdom to share revenue equally between 32 teams. The league almost mocks Major League Baseball, where small to mid-market teams often compete for championships and playoff berths. Compare the Steelers to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Or the Chiefs to the Royals in Kansas City. Or the Dolphins to the Marlins in Miami. Or the Packers to the Brewers in Wisconsin.

The NFL offers a level playing field, even if considerable damage occurs between its white lines.

Recently, we learned of horrifying new research, where at least 25% of former NFL players who died between 2016-2021 were diagnosed with severe brain damage (CTE). Yet the NFL shows no signs of slowing down at the box office. To the contrary, extreme violence and inherent risks are the secret sauce.

Back in 2010, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was running an $8 billion a year enterprise. He made jaws drop when he said the league was aiming for $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027. The naked ambition was staggering. Not long after, former NBA owner Mark Cuban predicted a downfall for the league, stating, “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they’re getting hoggy.”

And yet, the NFL claimed $23 billion in revenue in the fiscal year that ended in March 2025, well on track to surpass Goodell’s astronomical expectations.

A new quarter-century of NFL football began Wednesday in Seattle, another day of the week the NFL is looking to conquer, just like it stole Christmas Day from the NBA. The game featured the newly crowned Seahawks and the Patriots, who were the clear champions of the quarter century, winning 70% of their games and six Super Bowl championships.

What team will leave its mark in the next 25 years?

No matter who, we’ll be watching. College football is a chaotic cesspool. The NBA has a laundry list of problems. MLB might be embarking on another work stoppage. And from the World Cup to the Ryder Cup to the World Baseball Classic, our country is too often humiliated on the big stage.

But the return of the NFL makes everything right in America.

It arrives right after the long, hot summer and just before the harsh beauty of fall. It’s the entertainment we crave, our favorite season of all.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

Related

Arizona’s quarterback ghosts could come back to haunt usCardinals take critical step forward with Michael Wilson extensionKetel Marte enters new beginning after getting booed at Chase FieldKetel Marte is ruining his Diamondbacks legacy, and there’s no end in sightWill Ketel Marte torpedo D-backs’ season, Torey Lovullo’s job?Adam Silver has an NBA owner problem