On November 3, 1968, I was sitting in Yankee Stadium watching my New York Giants take on the Baltimore Colts.
It was a memorable afternoon—and not because the Giants won. They didn’t. The Colts, one of the NFL’s most powerful teams, beat them 26-0.
I remember the Colts great defense, and I remember the Giants I loved: Fran Tarkenton at quarterback, Homer Jones at wide receiver, Joe Morrison at running back and Spider Lockhart at free safety.
I had no idea then how much the NFL would become a part of my life.
More than five decades later, I’ve covered the NFL as a journalist, interviewed some of its biggest stars and been involved with the league at Fox Sports, AOL Sports and ESPN.
In the 1980s, I covered the San Diego Chargers for the Los Angeles Times. It was the era of Air Coryell and Dan Fouts, when the Chargers’ explosive offense was as good as their defense was weak—and the team that had the ball last often won.
I was also covering the Chargers during the NFL players’ strike of 1987. When the regular players walked out, the league turned to replacement players for three weeks. Suddenly, quarterbacks who had been cut from NFL rosters, played in the USFL or had been out of football were starting NFL games. It was strange, sometimes surreal football—and a reminder that the NFL, even then, was as much a business as it was a game.
Later, at Sports Illustrated for Kids, I interviewed and wrote about players including Joe Montana, Reggie White and Deion Sanders.
I’ve watched the NFL evolve from a sport that largely lived on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights into one of the most powerful sports and media properties in the world.
So, as another NFL season begins, I’m thinking less about who will win the Super Bowl and more about something else:
What will the NFL look like in 2036?
Ten years sounds like a long time. But if the last ten years have taught us anything, it’s that the future can arrive much faster than we expect.
Now imagine the next ten years.
The NFL Goes Global
In 2026, the league will stage a record nine regular-season games outside the United States, across four continents and seven countries, including its first regular-season game in Australia.
That’s a remarkable evolution from the NFL I first knew.
But by 2036, international games may simply be part of the normal NFL schedule.
Could there be an NFL franchise in London? Could Mexico City, Madrid or Tokyo become serious candidates? Could a division eventually stretch across continents?
Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he believes an international franchise is inevitable.
The bigger change may be who thinks of themselves as an NFL fan.
A teenager in London, Tokyo or Melbourne may grow up considering the NFL as much a part of their sports culture as soccer, cricket or rugby.
The NFL may no longer be an American league expanding internationally.
It may simply be a global league. And the Super Bowl might even be played in another country.
The Stadium Becomes Something Else
We tend to think of a stadium as a place where you watch a game.
That may change dramatically.
By 2036, augmented reality could put statistics, formations and replays directly into your field of vision. Virtual reality could let you feel as if you’re sitting on the 50-yard line, standing on the sideline or even seeing the game from a quarterback’s perspective—without actually being in the stadium.
You might watch with friends scattered around the world, all appearing together in a shared virtual space.
Or you could go somewhere entirely new: an NFL experience center that combines live action, virtual reality, gaming, social interaction and entertainment.
Even sports bars could become sophisticated viewing environments where fans choose what they want to see and interact with the game in ways that aren't possible today.
And the stadium itself could become a social, entertainment and technology destination rather than a building used eight or nine times a year.
The best seats may not necessarily be the closest seats. They may be the ones that provide the most compelling experience.
By 2036, will fans experience NFL games somewhere entirely new—neither in a stadium nor on a couch, but in an immersive environment built around the way they want to experience the game?
The Fan Experience Becomes Personal
I’ve lived through newspapers, magazines, television, ESPN, AOL, digital media and streaming.
Each time, the NFL adapted.
The next transformation could be much bigger.
Today, we largely watch the game the way the network presents it.
By 2036, the game may watch us back.
Artificial intelligence could know what kind of fan you are, which players you follow, what statistics interest you and how much time you have.
And perhaps you won't even watch the entire game. Your AI could create a live, personalized version—following your favorite players, key matchups, fantasy implications and the moments it knows you'll care about.
Want to experience the game as if you were standing on the field? Perhaps.
And AI could go beyond explaining what happened. It could simulate what might have happened.
What if the coach had gone for it on fourth down?
What if the quarterback had thrown to the other receiver?
What if your team had made a different draft choice three years ago?
The NFL won't simply deliver content.
It could create an individualized version of the sport for every fan.
And perhaps even the Super Bowl will change. By 2036, could watching the biggest game in American sports require a subscription or premium fee?
How Big Is Too Big?
This may still be the NFL’s biggest challenge.
The league has become enormously successful in part because of scarcity. There are only so many games and only 32 teams.
Every game matters.
But the NFL is already pushing against those limits, with games on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, more international games, more streaming, more content, more fantasy and more betting.
And the league is seriously considering another major expansion: an 18-game regular season.
From a business perspective, the logic is obvious.
From a fan perspective, perhaps it is less so.
Does another regular-season game make the NFL better—or simply bigger?
The Future of the Players
What happens when the league’s appetite for growth collides with the physical limits of its players?
The NFL has spent years confronting concussions and the long-term effects of repeated head trauma. Adding another game makes that conversation even more important.
At the same time, flag football is becoming more popular among boys and girls, men and women.
By 2036, perhaps the NFL will be thinking not only about how to get people to watch football, but how to get an entirely new generation to play it.
That could be one of the league’s biggest opportunities—and one of its biggest challenges.
The Game Will Still Matter
For all the technology and globalization, one thing won’t change.
That moment before the snap, when everything is still possible.
I felt it in Yankee Stadium in 1968. I felt it covering the Chargers. And I still feel it today.
The NFL of 2036 may look radically different.
But I have a feeling I’ll still be watching.
Thanks for reading!
I'd appreciate you sharing The Appleman Playbook with someone who enjoys looking beyond the headlines.
See you next time.
Marc Appleman.
P.S.: I advise sports and media organizations on growth, partnerships, audience strategy, and what comes next. I’m also available for keynotes and executive workshops. Feel free to reach out!