Nationalization might improve coach pressure on players, but I don't see how you can square "even higher pay" with athletes being willing to report concussions that will force them to resign. Median NFL salary is almost a million dollars; people are just going to lie to keep their jobs. Guarantee some sort of pension? Either it's too little, so they under-report, or it's too much and they do soccer-style overacting for an easy retirement. You have to do so much to salvage this sport, it's like trying to make boxing safe.