Last week, the scientific community focused on the discovery of seven earth-sized planets that orbit the star TRAPPIST 1, three of which may lie in the “Goldilocks Zone.” Alluding to the fabled character, the Goldilocks Zone is the area around a star where conditions are just right -- not too cold or too hot -- to encourage life.

As the hype for The Show ramps up, I thought about the Goldilocks Zone and how it might apply to sports games, specifically franchise modes. You see, when trying to play through multiple years of The Show, typically, one of two things happen: I finish one full season right before Madden comes out and then quickly switch sports, or I get antsy to play out the offseason and give in to the “sim temptation.”

Neither of these outcomes are the fault of The Show, which has demonstrated consistent excellence. Instead, it’s an inherent problem when trying to play through the MLB season: simply too many games. In other words, it lies outside the Goldilocks Zone.

To be honest, this hurdle is one that has grown with me. As a job, spouse and child have entered my life, game time has declined. At one point, I was a lock to play at least two full games in a night; now, I sometimes struggle to get two games in during the workweek. You may be in a similar chapter of life.

All of this lead me to analyze some of the strengths and weaknesses of our modern franchise modes. How many games are too many? What about roster size? Length of regulation games?

In the end, the question becomes: What franchise mode best encourages multiple seasons? In other words, what’s the Goldilocks Zone look like?

Season Length

For me, some of the most fun that can be had when taking the reins of a virtual pro team occurs during the offseason. Free agency, contract extensions, drafts, trades...this is the stuff of amateur GMs' dreams. Sometimes getting to that point can be laborious, especially if the season is tremendously long.

I would guess the large majority of OS users sim at least one game of a 162 game MLB season. In other words, baseball can easily be eliminated from the discussion here. Even half of that number can be a struggle, so I’ll say NBA and NHL are too long as well.

On the other hand, the 16 game NFL season can feel too short. Go 0-3 and you are probably not going to the playoffs (only an handful have ever done it in real life).

The sweet spot for me would be around 30 games.

Game Length

I’m going to look at actual game time here, and not adjusted quarter length. I love that the NBA 2K series makes (relative) statistical accuracy a thing in short quarters, thanks to the normalization feature. But if you want to get multiple real length games in one sitting, what’s ideal?

It’s probably not football, where even a quick-paced Madden game on 12-minute quarters can take more than an hour. Likewise, NBA and NHL games with real clock will push that length.

Surprisingly, for all of the talk about speeding up the actual game, I can routinely get through a 9-inning game of the Show in around a half hour, using the quick play broadcast option. It’s not the optimal experience, but without a clock the MLB isn’t bound to a set period of time.

So I would say getting an accurate game in around 30-40 minutes encourages multiple games in an evening, at least for this employed father.

Roster Size

There is something special about taking over as a GM in a text sim like Out of the Park and surveying the vastness of your roster. From the low minors to the 40 man, juggling each of these pieces is a welcome challenge.

But in games where you “are” the players, the focus shifts a bit; a large roster can lead to micro- and mismanagement. It can become too easy to trade players with abandon or forget about who exactly you drafted in the third round. I enjoy the questions that develop when evaluating third-string linemen, but if the goal is to get through as many seasons as possible, it’s better to focus on fewer but more impactful decisions.

It’s why I like the 14 or so roster size of NBA games. You can focus on finding that perfect starting five, developing five or so prospects, and filling the rest with need-specific pieces. While this may seem small, it also makes each of your decisions count that much more.

Final Thoughts

So, my personal preference would be a sport that featured approximately 30 games in a season, each taking 30-40 minutes to play. Rosters would be finely tuned, with approximately 15 players on a team. What lies in the Goldilocks Zone?

Well, I’ve already ruled out the big four professional sports. Baseball’s season is just a bit tough to get through. NFL teams carry a large roster and realistic games take too long, even though the season can feel short. The NBA and NHL sort of ride the fence, with smaller rosters and shorter seasons, but game times that force a commitment.

What’s left? FIFA comes close. While your main roster is 11 starters and a few subs, there are still developmental players to consider. And while a regulation game is 90 minutes -- too long for what I’m looking for -- you can get decent stats using 15 minute halves.

Herein lies the tragedy: for me, personally, NCAA basketball hits my marks with perfection. Real length games that take around 40 minutes. A roster that, while technically not limited, sees approximately 15 players. 30-ish game seasons, plus the allure of March Madness. Unfortunately, the last great college hoops game we got was way back in 2007 (College Hoops 2K7), nearly 10 years ago.

It’s why I still fire up that game in my Xbox 360 to this day. I’m not the biggest or most knowledgeable college basketball fan, but it’s a game allows me to get through multiple seasons with relative ease.

Here's hoping we get a new NCAA basketball game before we explore the planets of TRAPPIST 1.