Word: nfl
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Since no realignment plan has actually been approved, the NFL isn't showcasing potential pairings on every other commercial, yet everyone seems to have a pretty good idea what's going to happen...
...matter what happens, no team is going to get exactly what it wants (except Dallas). In the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Pittsburgh, Cleveland [the present-day Baltimore Ravens], and Baltimore [the present-day Indianapolis Colts] all had to be coaxed to switch into the AFC. Once that was taken care of, the NFC alignment was determined by picking one plan at random out of five possibilities...
...upcoming realignment is much less complicated and contentious, however. The NFL has far surpassed its fellow professional leagues in terms of egalitarianism and fairness towards all. A committee of seven owners, one from each division, (the AFC Central gets two because it's bigger and better) has been working out the details...
Although the NFL plans are different, they will certainly disappoint those who wanted a more radical plan. Among those ignored suggestions is team grouping by nickname. NFL.com writer Craig Ellenport suggests such groupings as the Bird Division, Cat Division, and the Old West Division. My personal favorite is the Fighting and Plundering Division, featuring the Buccaneers, Patriots, Raiders, and Vikings...
...stability is a good thing, and I appreciate the NFL's tendency not to change its look too rapidly. Be happy that these days the NFL is "expanding" only into markets where it has failed before. For those of us who stare at the NHL standings every day and still can't quite fathom where all those awful southern teams came from, the NFL is a welcome sight...