Average NFL salaries and USPS package volume, both climbing for nearly two decades. Two completely unrelated American industries on the same upward path: one paying more to a smaller workforce, one shipping more for a larger population.
Average NFL salaries grew from about 1.4 million dollars in 2005 to over 3 million by 2023 as the salary cap rose and broadcast-rights revenue compounded. USPS package volume grew from about 1.4 billion in 2005 to over 7 billion by 2023 as e-commerce displaced bulk-mail volume and the Postal Service became a last-mile e-commerce backbone. Two completely unrelated growth stories sharing a window because the same eighteen years rewarded both an elite-sports compensation curve and a parcel-delivery infrastructure.
Two completely different American industries scaled in the same decade. The contract and the box, both more numerous.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “USPS package volume” vs “Average NFL player salary” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
