Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner, and I thought you might need a bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio for the upcoming Super Bowl.

We recently put out a new episode about the economics of the running back position in the NFL.

This episode, which we first published in 2023, looked at NFL teams as employers.

We've updated facts and figures as necessary, although the team rankings we discuss are from the 2023 report card.

So stick around to the end to hear what changed in 2024.

As always, thanks for listening.

When I say the words workplace environment, where does your mind go? If you're like most people,

you might think about an environment like this, or like this. Maybe even something like this.

Stand clear with the closing doors, please.

What you probably don't think about when I say workplace environment is this.

But if you are one of the is this.

But if you are one of the roughly 2,000 men who play in the National Football League,

that's your office.

I mean, it's business.

Like, let's not get it wrong.

It's business.

The NFL Players Association, or NFLPA, is the union that represents the players.

And in 2023, they conducted their first ever employee survey about workplace conditions.

I would never have thought to ask, are there rats in your locker room?

And they gave letter grades to each of the league's 32 teams.

This is really about, are we giving you the inputs you need to be as productive as possible?

The NFL is the richest and most successful sports league in history.

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