By Adam Roberts – 3/5/2021
In an era of apparently ever-decreasing attention spans, sports leagues have been experimenting with a number of different ways to attract viewers and new fans. Some proposals, like those instituted in baseball last season have drawn eye-rolls from many. As for the NFL, it seems every season brings some slight tweak to the way the game is played, be it penalty changes, instant replay fixes, or other less-visible things. With this latest proposal, it would be hard to miss.
The NFL is looking at a number of possible changes to overtime, including one that would be truly revolutionary. The Baltimore Ravens have proposed a spot-and-choose approach with one team choosing the yard line where overtime would begin and the other team deciding to play offense or defense. The Ravens also propose teams playing a full seven minute and 30-second overtime period, rather than a sudden-death format.
Another proposal would restore overtime to its original sudden-death format, with the team that scores first winning, showing that there’s at least mild interest for a return to the old way.