The NFL is six years behind both MLB and the NBA. At least, perhaps, in terms of technology freedom. In two years’ time, though, it might seize the initiative and leapfrog those other leagues.
When the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association negotiated the current collective bargaining agreement in 2011, a host of major companies either didn’t yet exist or were still just tiny, inconsequential dreams. That list includes startups like DraftKings, Lyft, and Snapchat. The lawyers who wrote up the CBA would have had little idea of the impact those new tech companies might have on the world, and any ability to cover their scope won’t come until a new CBA is drawn up in 2022.