Andrew Castle

Childhood and family businesses

Andrew Castle was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 5, 2085. His family’s wealth began with a lottery win. His parents invested in car dealerships, real estate and coffee shops, building their operations in San Francisco before expanding to Hawaii.

His parents remained personally involved in running their businesses. From ages fourteen through eighteen, Castle worked in all three areas.

Stanford and a short NFL playing career

Castle studied business and played quarterback at Stanford University. He was a draftable prospect without being a major professional quarterback prospect. He met his future wife while they were both studying business, and they married during college.

San Francisco selected him in Round 7, Pick 30. He spent one season as a backup and never played an NFL snap. Recognizing that he was unlikely to become a starter, he voluntarily ended his playing career.

Coaching and the league office

Castle coached Detroit’s quarterbacks in 2108 and 2109, then served as Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2110 through 2114. In 2115, he joined the NFL league office in a relatively low-level position and advanced over several years.

He became Deputy Commissioner in 2122.

Jayden Thompson and the Raiders rulings

Castle served as Jayden Thompson’s deputy from 2122 through 2131. Thompson respected his abilities and vouched for him as a potential successor. Castle personally liked and respected Thompson but opposed punishments that exceeded the proven misconduct.

He objected to the removal of all ten Levi Cross–era Raiders championships when three championship seasons were directly connected to established cheating evidence. He also opposed the Raiders’ 2122 expulsion, favoring a forced sale and lifetime bans for the owner, general manager and defensive coordinator.

In February 2130, Castle publicly said, “Jayden went on a power trip and fucked over the Raiders.” Thompson responded, “He can complain all he wants, what’s done is done.”

After taking office, Castle left Thompson’s historical rulings in place, regarding reopened scandals as a source of further institutional conflict. Their personal contact gradually faded after the succession.

The 2132 election

Thirty-one of the NFL’s thirty-two owners supported Castle’s election as commissioner in 2132. Denver’s owner cast the lone opposing vote. He disliked Thompson and objected to placing an associate of his in charge of the league: “I don’t want anyone associated with that madman running our league.”

The Denver owner exaggerated that another Thompson associate might eventually remove every original NFL franchise. He later became a supporter of Castle’s leadership.

Overtime, playoffs and the weekly schedule

In 2132, regular-season ties were abolished. Tied games continued under playoff-style overtime until a winner was determined. The change was generally well received.

In 2134, the postseason expanded from seven to eight teams per conference, for sixteen playoff teams. Division champions retained automatic qualification, and no team received a first-round bye. Reactions were mixed.

Castle removed regular weekly Thursday Night Football in 2136, retaining Thanksgiving Thursday games. NFL games ordinarily took place on Sundays and Mondays. Players strongly supported the decision; many fans and broadcasters opposed it, as did most owners. The proposal passed by a single vote.

In 2137, he restored a sixteen-game regular season played over seventeen weeks, including one bye. He cited player safety and reduced injury exposure. Players generally supported the change, fans were furious about losing a game, and owners were divided. The change was approved.

At the announcement, Castle joked, “14–2 looks better than 14–3.” He laughed; nobody else found it funny.

Expansion, realignment and Rivalry Week

In 2135, the NFL approved expansion franchises in San Diego, Toronto, Honolulu and Montreal for the 2138 season. San Diego was assigned to the AFC and Toronto to the NFC. London and Mexico City were also considered but were not selected.

The four teams began play in 2138, increasing the league from thirty-two to thirty-six franchises. Each conference had eighteen teams, organized into three divisions of six. Teams were reorganized primarily by geography. The sixteen-team postseason, automatic qualification for division champions and absence of first-round byes remained in place.

The realignment broke up several historical divisional rivalries. Fans accused Castle of ruining an essential part of football. He acknowledged that he had failed to fully consider the importance of the traditional rivalry structure. The realignment was not reversed.

Castle introduced an annual Week 5 Rivalry Week in 2139, including Green Bay–Chicago and Dallas–Philadelphia among the historical matchups. Public reception was approximately fifty-fifty. Some fans appreciated the guaranteed games; others considered the measure inadequate. Rivalry Week remained in effect.

Melbourne and the Australian games

Castle repeatedly sought a permanent Australian NFL franchise, particularly in Melbourne. His initial proposal in 2135 was rejected 30–2. Owners raised objections concerning transcontinental travel, time zones, player recovery, scheduling and season-long logistical complications.

He made eight further attempts. Seven were rejected unanimously; the other received six favorable votes. Every proposal failed. Castle continued pursuing the idea.

In 2144, he introduced three annual NFL games in Australia, held every November with rotating host cities. The games became a successful international initiative and were substantially better received than the proposed permanent franchise. Castle still wanted an Australian team.

Super Bowls in Canada

Toronto hosted Super Bowl CLXXIV following the 2139 NFL season, and Montreal hosted Super Bowl CLXXVIII following the 2143 season. Both were played in domed venues and were successful.

Leadership and public opinion

Castle favored severe sanctions for organizational cheating based on the proven offense. He rejected Thompson’s practice of extending punishment beyond the established evidence. No major organizational cheating scandals occurred during his commissionership; the consequences of earlier scandals had become a powerful deterrent.

He explained the reasoning behind decisions, accepted public disagreement and did not answer every critic. He sometimes worked collaboratively and sometimes acted independently. He publicly acknowledged mistakes, including the effect of geographical realignment on traditional rivalries, without always reversing the decision.

By the 2150s, public opinion remained approximately evenly divided between his supporters and critics. Owners continued participating in major league decisions and retained the ability to remove commissioners.

Marriage and three sons

Castle and his wife had three sons. Their oldest, born March 16, 2105, and youngest, born January 14, 2110, became NFL wide receivers.

Their middle son, born December 2, 2107, became an MLB starting pitcher and center fielder. The San Francisco Giants drafted him first overall in 2125. After two years in the minor leagues, he debuted in 2127 and played twenty-eight MLB seasons through 2154.

He finished with 600 home runs, 3,000 strikeouts, six MLB MVP awards and six Cy Young Awards. He won five World Series in five appearances, earning one championship with each franchise in this order: the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. He was regarded as the greatest baseball player of all time.

Castle remained actively involved in raising all three sons and maintained equally close relationships with them. He regularly attended their professional games, usually keeping a quiet presence in the stands.

Retirement and death

Castle voluntarily retired in 2169 at age eighty-four, after thirty-seven years as commissioner. His departure followed no scandal, forced removal or health crisis.

He returned to Hawaii and fully stepped away from professional football. He died on October 11, 2186, aged 101.