Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman talks streaming, cautions league

Former NFL star Shawne Merriman appeared on OutKick's "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" about the future of the league.

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The picture the NFL wants you to have of America's most popular sport is that this is a steamroller crushing it at every turn, with revenues, ratings, salaries, and, of course, entertainment and drama breaking through one ceiling after another in a seemingly endless streak of success.

And much of that is indeed an accurate portrait.

But there's another snapshot the average fan is increasingly seeing and that's of an NFL that is taking more out of your wallet than ever, whether you're headed to games or watching at home.

It's the NFL that was born in America but is looking to export games to feed fans abroad – obviously at the expense of packed stadiums at home.

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Sam Darnold calls plays t the line of scrimmage

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) calls a play at the line of scrimmage against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field on Jan. 17, 2026. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)

And, it is the NFL that has partnered with gambling conglomerates as a way of increasing revenue and interest, perhaps at the expense of feeding addiction.

So, yes, the NFL is America's reality show. It's fun and captivating, but it's also unquestionably troubling at times. 

So how did the NFL behemoth get here?

"When I started in the NFL, it was the most popular sport," said former San Diego Chargers team doctor David Chao, who worked 17 seasons for the team. "By the time I was done, it was more popular than all the other sports combined.

"And what's the fundamental difference? You go to a sports bar during baseball season. It's all men watching games. You go to a sports bar on Sunday during football season, it's half women watching games. They've doubled their audience. And they added fantasy. But what is fantasy? It's personal ownership and stake. It's personal stake in the games."

Chao points out that fans years ago asked him whether a player was available for a game because they wanted the Chargers to win. Fans still care about their teams, but the league has added new fans that want to know that information because they want to set their fantasy team to win.

Or they want to have their gambling bets win.

The NFL's ‘Existential Threat’ 

Gambling has become a revenue source for the NFL that simply didn't exist a decade or so ago. 

The NFL has shifted from outright opposition to active commercial partnership with the sports betting industry. Caesars Entertainment now serves as the league's official casino sponsor while DraftKings and FanDuel are official sports betting partners.

These agreements allow the partners to use NFL trademarks, promote betting activities in league media and engage fans with NFL-branded betting experiences. And while the NFL maintains boundaries designed to protect the integrity of the game, that is a too-thin line for anyone who understands how potential betting information works.

"It's a disaster, it's the existential threat to football," said famed NFL agent Leigh Steinberg, whose career was Hollywood's template for Tom Cruise's character in the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire." "All it takes is one inside piece of information being leaked to a gambler that's trying to do a prop bet or an athlete that actually shaves performance, and it's a slippery slope to having a true contest, and it starts to resemble wrestling.

"Gambling is maybe good news for revenue, but it's bad news for the integrity of the game and continued fan interest."

SEN ERIC SCHMITT PUSHES FOR LEGISLATION TO TACKLE RISING SPORTS TICKET COSTS

NFL Feeding Gambling Addictions

Sportsbook in Las Vegas

The sportsbook in the Circa Resort & Hotel ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 10, 2024. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Steinberg is the author of four books, including his latest, due out March 24, titled "The Comeback: A Playbook for Turning Life's Setbacks Into Victories." Part of that book details Steinberg's battle with alcohol addiction, and he's concerned that the NFL's ties to gambling could have a terrible effect on some of its fans.

Beyond likely losing a lot of money, that is.

"They're going to create a whole new generation of gambling addicts," he said. "Because certain people can't handle this. Second of all, if you don't feel the games are played on a level playing field with equal officiating, rules, every player trying his hardest … If you introduce into the fan's brain that there's a possibility that something else is going on other than what they see on the field, it's a disaster."

There is already a faction of NFL fans on social media who refer to the NFL as scripted. Some NFL staff even publicly joke about this narrative. But all it takes is one player, innocently or not, sharing injury information that gets leaked into gambling circles as to affect betting lines, and the NFL would have a scandal on its hands.

NFL Exporting Games Around Globe

Daniel Jones in action

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) carries the ball against the New York Giants in the second half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

But none of this is so far slowing the NFL from its steady, seemingly inexorable expansion into becoming a global game.

"In today’s world, we have to be global," Commissioner Roger Goodell told fans in Ireland last season before the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings played in Dublin. "Every time we play an international game, fans say they want more. I really, truly believe our game can and will be global. Our job is to share our game with the rest of the world."

The NFL will play a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums: 

  • London, U.K. (Two games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, One in Wembley Stadium)
  • Madrid, Spain (Bernabéu Stadium)
  • Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
  • Mexico City, Mexico(Estadio Banorte)
  • Munich, Germany (FC Bayern Munich Stadium)
  • Paris, France (Stade de France Stadium)
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Maracanã Stadium)

Paris, Melbourne and Rio are new additions to the International slate. And they won't be the last, if things go according to plan.

"We would like to get to 16 games, so everyone is playing one game a year internationally," Goodell said.

Players Do Not Want 18th Game

But every game that is exported is a game that leaves the United States. 

Well, the NFL has a long-range plan for that which may appease some fans but will surely displease players and that is adding another game. Even though Goodell cautioned during Super Bowl week that adding an 18th game was "not a given," he added that NFL owners want to discuss such an expansion with the NFL Players Association. 

That's because the NFL definitely wants to some day offer an 18-game regular season and two bye weeks that begins on or before Labor Day and ends on the Sunday prior to President's Day. That plan would include two preseason games to give each team a dry run for a home and away game.

"Our members have no appetite for an 18th regular-season game," NFL Players Association interim Executive Director David White said during the union’s annual Super Bowl week news conference in San Francisco.

But the players' union has balked at additional games in the past. And then it has given in to additional games in collective bargaining in return for more money. So the league believes one more game can again be negotiated.

Cam Skattebo on his back in pain

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) reacts after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

More Games Cost YOU More Money

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    扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度


    两张海报,一份初心:让保险与保障更有温度

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    扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度


    作为国内互联网保险领军企业,泰康在线秉持“让保险更安心、更便捷、更实惠”的理念,聚焦带病体人群的保障需求,持续完善“好效保”系列保险产品矩阵。截至目前,“好效保”系列已完成乳腺癌、肺癌、甲状腺癌、淋巴瘤等多病种的布局。其中,作为行业标杆的“好效保·粉红卫士”乳腺癌复发险历经6次迭代,迎来产品五周年,累计为4万余名患者提供保障,真正实现了从“保健康人”到“保人健康”的跨越。

    扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度


    专业为基,服务为本:让“好效保”不止于一份保单

    海报上的温暖承诺,背后是泰康在线扎实深厚的专业底座。

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    在产品创新上,泰康在线持续拓展“好效保”产品矩阵,为更多带病人群提供精准保障。2026年1月,全新升级的“好效保·松青卫士”2026版正式上市,针对淋巴瘤患者实现多项突破:承保年龄开创性扩展至2-70周岁,填补了儿童与高龄患者的保障空白;保障从“目录内”迈向“治疗所需”,创新覆盖干细胞移植前后30天全部合理药品费用,并将CAR-T、双特异性抗体等前沿疗法纳入可选责任,动态更新药品目录,确保患者第一时间用上临床急需的创新药。通过灵活定制的保障方案,“松青卫士”为淋巴瘤患者构建起了覆盖诊前、诊中、诊后的全周期守护。

    在药品保障上,泰康在线“好效保”不仅致力于将临床急需的创新药及时纳入保障,更用实实在在的理赔兑现守护承诺。35岁的李女士便是这一承诺的见证者:她于2025年2月投保“好效保·粉红卫士”乳腺癌复发险,同年10月不幸确诊复发后,泰康在线迅速启动绿色理赔通道,一次性赔付45万余元,为其后续治疗提供了坚实的经济支撑。从药品目录的持续扩容,到理赔服务的快速响应,“好效保”正通过“保险+服务”的深度融合,让每一份保障在风险来临时真正成为患者的底气与希望。

    正是这套多维度的专业底座,让“好效保”成为一套贯穿诊前、诊中、诊后的全周期健康解决方案。从“救命钱”到“医疗用药解决方案”,泰康在线用行动证明:我们交付的不只是一份理赔款,更是患者康复路上的希望与底气。

    扎根荆楚,守护民生:与城市同频共振的发展答卷

    作为从武汉起步并快速成长的互联网保险公司,泰康在线始终将自身发展融入湖北建设大局,与荆楚大地同频共振。2025年,其连续第六年荣登“湖北民营企业100强”榜单,这不仅是对其综合实力的肯定,更是其扎根武汉、服务本土的最好注脚。

    扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度


    在业务布局上,泰康在线与湖北省“能级跨越”“产业倍增”等战略高度协同,推出的“泰企保”系列产品,在湖北省内精准服务2000家小微企业,为本土小微主体的稳定经营构筑起安全网;同时聚焦新市民与小微企业群体,为外卖骑手、网约车司机等超60万名新市民提供适配保障。

    在武汉,泰康在线更与泰康同济(武汉)医院深度协同,推出“一站式结算”服务,让患者实现医保与商保同步结算,“签字即走”,从根本上解决了患者垫资压力大、理赔手续繁琐的痛点。同时,泰康在线还持续以科技赋能,不断开拓互联网场景,服务普惠金融优势,为本地居民提供实实在在的保障。截至2025年,泰康在线在武汉累计纳税15.58亿元。

    扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度


    此次地铁大屏两张海报的同时亮相,既是泰康在线品牌温度的集中展示,也是其深耕武汉、服务大众的又一次深情表达。从“粉红卫士”到“好效保”品牌,泰康在线正以更全面的保障体系,守护每一位奋斗者的健康与梦想,为筑牢民生健康防线贡献来自家乡的保险力量。

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    免责声明:本文为本网站出于传播商业信息之目的进行转载发布,不代表本网站的观点及立场。本文所涉文、图、音视频等资料之一切权利和法律责任归材料提供方所有和承担。本网站对此资讯文字、图片等所有信息的真实性不作任何保证或承诺,亦不构成任何购买、投资等建议,据此操作者风险自担。 


    声明:凡本网站注明“来源:沃保网”的文章,版权均属沃保网所有,如需转载,请先阅读《内容转载授权说明》,按照相关规定获得授权。未经授权,禁止转载、摘编,如有违反,追究法律责任;资讯内容中如有提及保险产品信息仅供参考,具体请以保险公司官方正式条款为准;" alt="扎根武汉,守护健康——泰康在线地铁大屏传递“时刻在线”的温度">
  • 广西新闻网-广西日报南宁讯(记者 玉智威 钟文昌 通讯员 蓝艺)记者从自治区体育局获悉,当地时间9月23日,在2023年贝尔格莱德摔跤世锦赛男子古典式摔跤第二个决赛日中,广西籍运动员曹利国获得60公斤级第三名,为中国摔跤队赢得该级别巴黎奥运会入场券。同时,这也是广西健儿获得的首张巴黎奥运会入场券。在结束世锦赛之旅后,曹利国将转战杭州亚运会,迎接更大的挑战。

    作为巴黎奥运会门票争夺赛的世锦赛,高手云集,竞争惨烈。四分之一决赛,曹利国遭遇2021年东京奥运会亚军、3届世锦赛冠军日本选手文田健一郎,以1∶3的比分不敌对手。由于后者进入了冠亚军争夺战,曹利国获得复活赛资格。在复活赛中,他以9∶7的比分淘汰2021年世锦赛冠军、摩尔多瓦选手乔巴努,闯入季军争夺战,对手是亚美尼亚选手加里比扬。开局对方消极被判跪撑,曹利国抓住机会先得3分。下半场比赛,曹利国被判消极,比分来到3∶3。距离比赛结束不到一分钟时,双方仍在僵持。在对手后得分的不利情况下,曹利国仍努力找机会进攻。比赛仅剩最后2秒时,曹利国一记转移得分,绝杀对手,以5∶3拿下铜牌,获得直通巴黎奥运会的资格。同时,这枚铜牌也是广西古典摔跤在世锦赛上获得的首枚奖牌。

    在结束世锦赛之旅后,曹利国将跟随国家队马不停蹄地转战杭州亚运会。“在小级别古典式摔跤方面,亚运会其实比世锦赛还难打。”广西重竞技运动发展中心古典式摔跤主教练易善军表示,小级别古典式摔跤世界排名前六的选手基本都在亚洲,可以说亚洲水平就是奥运会水平。因此,此次亚运会之旅,曹利国将面临更大的挑战。“这次亚运会,大家水平都很接近,要想取得好成绩,就看谁更敢想、敢拼,少犯错误。这几年曹利国进步很大,希望他在比赛中继续放手去拼,拼出一个好成绩。”

    据介绍,曹利国将于10月4日出战杭州亚运会男子古典跤60公斤级的比赛。

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