When the American Football League and National Football League merged in 1970 the 26 teams played a six game preseason schedule. In those days, the summer games were referred to as “exhibition” games.
I was in the NFL public relations meetings where it was ordered that we stop referring to these games as “exhibition” and instead title them “preseason” games. The reason was because in those days, as is still true today, ticket holders are charged full price for these scrimmages and the sting of that for a fan would be reduced if they were going to a game before the regular season instead of an exhibition.
It took years for the league to erase exhibition from common football language. Requests from the team public relations departments to call them preseason games instead of exhibition games was first met with laughter from the press. They knew that the summer games were little more than practices against an opponent that the fans were paying as much to see live as a December game with the division race up for grabs.
So, what really are these games which in recent years have been reduced to three?
Do they mean anything?
Do they offer any real insight into which teams are going to advance to the playoffs and those that will end their season referring to the year as a rebuilding period?