For years, the NFL has played all games, besides the Super Bowl, in one of the team’s home stadiums. This could have changed this year when there was a possibility that the AFC Championship would be played at a neutral site due to the called Bengals-Bills game. It ended up not happening but the NFL is reportedly still excited about the idea of a neutral site conference championship. Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy is not a fan of this idea.
Mark Murphy Slams Idea Of Neutral Site Conference Championship
Murphy is not in favor of the idea. “I have never heard the topic of neutral site championship games discussed at a league meeting and think it would be a big mistake,” Murphy wrote in his monthly Q&A for Packers.com. He went on to explain his reasoning.
“Teams play the entire regular season with the goal of making the playoffs and hosting home playoff games,” Murphy said. “Playing conference championship games at the home team’s stadium is great for the home team’s local economy, the fans, and the players, and obviously provides a competitive advantage to the home team.”
His point is that teams strive for the no. 1 seed in order to be able to play at home. Teams should not play the whole season to be the best and then not get a competitive advantage.
Defending The City Of Green Bay
The city of Green Bay is one that would be hurt the most by this. Murphy mentioned in his comments that the local economy benefits from home conference championships. Green Bay would never be chosen as a neutral site game meaning there would never be another conference championship in the city. This would be a disappointment as Green Bay is full of football history.
It will be interesting to see if this gets any traction in later seasons. Murphy mentioned that it has not been a topic of discussion in league meetings. If it is something that gets discussed, Mark Murphy will be opposed.
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