SAN FRANCISCO—The headlines hit in a persistent stream this season, and the onslaught only grew steadier as the Super Bowl approached.
Concussions scrambling the brains of current and former players.
Fantasy football under siege.
Poor officiating. Ugly football.
A commissioner still not fully trusted by the players and public to handle it all.
And yet, with the 50th edition of the NFL’s title-game extravaganza on tap Sunday, the league has never looked in better shape.
The values of TV contracts are still rising. The league is bringing at least one, and probably two, teams to Los Angeles and getting new stadiums in Minnesota and Atlanta. More than 110 million people are expected to tune in to watch the Broncos play the Panthers for the title, and when the game is over, an offseason filled with the mundane business of contract negotiations, scouting combines and training camps will draw as much or more interest than all the other U.S. sports.
