The Big 4 leagues playoffs are too big!

The Den
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So now its the Post Season for NBA & NHL and how big those playoffs are now. I was wondering how many lower seeds have really advanced far into the playoffs.

I went back 10 seasons excluding covid years
2019-2020 & 2020-2021 for NBA & NHL
2020 & 2021 for MLB
and 2020-2021 for NFL

NHL has had 16 teams with the top 3 in each division and 2 wild card per conference for those 10 seasons

NBA has had top 6 of each division with 4 playin wild card teams per conference

MLB has had 3 division winners with 3 wild card for 4 years 2 wild card for 6.

NFL has had 4 division winners with 3 wild card for 5 years 2 Wild card for the other 5.

In that span. Its pretty common to have a lower half seeded team to advance to the next round (Final 8 team)

However advancing to the Final 4? (conference /league finals)

The lowest 2 seeds have only ever done it
3x in the NHL (2023 8seed FLO lost in SCF)
2x in the NBA
2x in MLB*
3x in NFL.

Mlb*. 5&6 seeds only even when there was only 5 teams

What that tells me is all 4 leagues should be AT MOST a 6 team per conference playoff format.

NFL go back to pre covid. 2 wild card teams play the lower 2 division winners.

NBA Top 2 in the conference get a bye. Other 4 play each other in a playin game.

NHL. 2 division winners get a bye. 4 wild card play in a playin game.

MLB stays as is.

But it will never happen because so much more revenue is generated. Even if they are garbage teams.

But i also like playin style games more than an expanded bracket. Because no one wants to watch an 8 seed get destroyed by a 1 seed.
But watching a 6&7 seed play eachother for the final spot? Thats entertaining.

So for the NHL & NBA this year.

NBA.
DET vs (CLE/TOR)
BOS vs (NYL/ATL)
OKC vs (LAL/HOU)
SAN vs (DEN/MIN)

NHL
CAR vs (MTL/BOS)
BUF vs (TBL/PIT)
COL vs (MIN/UTA)
VGK vs (DAL/EDM)

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More playoff teams = More playoff game TV revenue + More interest in the regular season, due to more teams being “in the hunt” than before.

They don’t care about the playoffs being competitive. They care about the playoffs being lucrative.

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OP-

Thats A Black Man GIF by Neesin

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i agree. go get that done.

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Absolutely thats why it will never happen.

Too much money in playoffs

Even the NFL with all its Nationally televised games. (~100 games). Still is only 80% of its revenue (excluding the Superbowl)

The playoffs make 20% of it’s revenue. And that excludes the super bowl.

Include the superbowl and the playoff are nearly 1/3 of its revenue!!!

So yea its never going backwards

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I agree with you and as much as I also wish it to happen, it won’t ever go back unless they somehow lose money. It sucks. The regular season for all of them is too long too. Just heard NHL is going to 84 games starting next year, I must have missed that when it was announced. NFL eventually being 18 games is insanity to me.

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Yea last year when the NHL agreed on a new CBA. The old CBA didnt expire till after this season. It was announced way back then. Although they have a valid reason. To balance the schedule since expanding to 32.

4 games vs Division
3 games vs conference
2 games vs non con.

(They should have shrunk it to 76) but you know $$$

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Expanding playoffs/more playoffs are the biggest reason for my loss of enjoyment in sports. Not the only reason, just the biggest one.

Big deal, I know. I’m just one guy. But the regular seasons are becoming more and more useless. Individual games are meh. We only have to barely go .500 and we’re in.

But i can’t decide if it’s just me getting older, or legitimate issues. I suppose since most sports are chugging along, it’s way more a me issue. Get with the times or move aside. I think I’m moving aside.

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Man that’s the same way I feel. They’ve talked about expanding rosters in the NFL, the problem is the talent gets watered down. Look at the Red wings game the other night - that was basically an AHL game. It happens in football too, injuries pile up and basically watching a preseason game. What’s sad is when the actual starters resemble the talent of minor leagues, which is happening more and more often. Longer seasons just makes it worse. And I agree about pointless regular seasons - if everyone makes the playoffs what is the point?

I dunno, I was happy to read your post and see it’s not just me who feels that way.

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I didnt think this needs its own thread but with the NFL wanting to go with 18 games i thought of a unique way of doing the Bye Weeks

No random bye weeks for teams what we will get instead is 2 bye weeks spaced out

Preseason 2 games

The schedule would go like this

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Bye Week

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Bye Week(Thanksgiving Week)

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

You give teams a bye week for thanksgiving to spend time with family(Goddell would hate to lose the money from the primetime games)

Now the big question is how to balance teams playing overseas and that but overall would be a interesting style of schedule

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The nfl will never do a league wide bye. 0 football = 0 revenue.

They will just have 2 bye weeks.
First bye between weeks 4-10
Second bye week 12-17
(Week 11 is thanksgiving where everyone plays)

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I wonder who will be the first rogue coach/front office person that forces rest games upon these players . Load management .

NFL players will never do it, they are wired differently than the NBA princesses.

But I could see a coach implementing this…

I just don’t know what it would look like.

Problem is NFL players at end of games blowouts and against weaker competition do not want to come out … that’s when they pad stats. That’s when they get $$$$

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Not exactly load management as in sitting a healthy player for a week, but situations like Decker last year when he could’ve played but was held out an extra week, I think it was the Bengals game when they let Manu start.

Football is different but it’s a good question and it may already happen in certain ways, just not like or as blatant as the NBA

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