That's not an accurate comparison. If you reduce the NFL schedule, different teams would have been eligible. If MLB schedules were reduced, you would see different roster construction. Likely shorter rotations and teams would spend even more on starting pitching. The issue, no team in the NFL has a competitive advantage. Regardless of the length of schedule, teams in MLB will have competitive advantages. That means a lot of fanbases seasons will be over before they start whereas the NFL has teams that are competitive in non big markets that keeps fan interested. The Chiefs are way more popular than the Royals because they are able to keep the best player in the league on their team. The Royals would never be able to get the best player on their team.