Game-day daycare boosts players' satisfaction, NFLPA survey shows
NEW YORK, Feb 26 (Reuters) - More NFL teams are investing in daycare programs and other family services, driving up player satisfaction, the NFLPA said on Wednesday, as it released the annual team report cards.
The third edition of the survey, completed by 1,695 respondents, ranks teams on a scale of "A+" through "F-" on categories ranging from training staff to facilities and food, offering a glimpse at players' quality of life.
The Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings earned top marks on the NFL Players Association team report cards released on Wednesday, while the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots got the worst scores on the survey of working conditions.
One key area of improvement across several teams was family services, including game-day daycare, family rooms and other amenities.
The Washington Commanders, who ranked last a year ago, moved up to 11th in the rankings after making an array of changes including the addition of daycare, new family staff and more family events.
"Those are small investments that make a huge difference," said JC Tretter, who served as NFLPA president from 2020 to 2024.
The union said that the team report cards have served to improve conditions for players by making public some of their key grievances.
While support for working parents has been a hot topic in women's sports in recent years, the survey released on Wednesday showed it was front of mind in the hard-charging world of men's tackle football, too.
Just three of the 32 NFL teams failed to offer game-day daycare during the most recent season, with several franchises adding the service after receiving poor "family treatment" marks a year ago.
The Super Bowl championship-winning Philadelphia Eagles are one of those three and ranked 22nd overall on the list.
The Indianapolis Colts introduced game-day daycare for players' children during the most recent season, the NFLPA said, and players improved their "treatment of families" rating to a B- from a D a year ago.
The Kansas City Chiefs saw a "notable boost" in their family grade by also introducing stadium daycare for day games.
The Patriots, who received an "F-" last year for their treatment of families, made "immediate improvements," hiring a family services staff member and adding daycare during day games.
"These changes were well received, and players believe that family support is now the team's biggest strength," the NFLPA said.
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