Posted on 10/19/2016 2:13:20 AM PDT by raccoonradio
No dynasty lasts forever. If the Holy Roman Empire could fall, so can the NFL.
NFL ratings are down 11 percent from last year across the board and by double digits in prime time. Sunday night's Colts-Texans game drew just 12.9 million viewers, a 38 percent dip from last year's Patriots-Colts tilt. One game airing opposite a Presidential debate barely cracked 8 million viewers.
The NFL's numbers may remain enviable to virtually everyone, but that doesn't change that they've fallen. So what's to blame? Everyone has a theory. With some help from WEEI's Mike Mutnansky, who discussed this at length on the air on Tuesday night, here are 10 that make sense.
1. Oversaturation
This was Mark Cuban's rationale in a 2014 interview when he castigated the NFL for greedily expanding to Thursday nights. "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered," Cuban memorably opined while predicting a drastic decline in the league's popularity.
Guess what? He's right. With games all day Sunday, as well as on Monday and Thursday nights, the NFL no longer feels like a clear-your-schedule event. Following every game is officially work, and the NFL has diluted signature products like Monday Night Football.
It's possible to have too much of a good thing. Three nights of football is at least one too many, and those hogs are looking mighty tasty.
2. Entertainment consumption
Frankly, it's a surprise it took this long. Virtually all forms of entertainment have taken a beating from the On Demand culture that now pervades our devices. We watch what we want when we want to on screens that fit in our backpacks or back pockets. Being held hostage by a three-and-a-half-hour broadcast simply doesn't fly.
In 1994-95, ER and Seinfeld both averaged over 19 million viewers a week, while 30 shows topped 11 million, including forgettable fare like, "Me and the Boys," and "Dave's World." Today, there are only five non-sporting events averaging even 10 million viewers a week, led by NCIS and Big Bang Theory at around 15 million apiece.
DVRs make commercials feel like a personal affront. Streaming allows us to watch on the go. Binge-watching on Netflix rewards gluttony.
In this universe, sitting through an NFL broadcast without being able to fast-forward to the good parts feels like torture. (I know, I know -- we're a bunch of Chilean miners).
3. The election
NFL owners have latched onto this in a desperate bid to deny the inevitable. No NFL matchup is as compelling as Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump and the league has fought the juggernaut debates head-to-head with little more than a Vontaze Burfict cheap shot for its troubles.
Sports are entertainment, and the stakes of Panthers-Falcons feel impossibly low compared to the fate of the free world.
4. The games stink
Let's not gloss over this one. When ESPN's Sean McDonough ripped the officiating in Monday night's slog between the Jets and Cardinals (bless him), he highlighted a glaring issue -- the games are boring.
Except it's not the fault of the officials so much as the schedule-maker. This season has already given us Bengals-Dolphins, Cardinals-49ers, and Texans-Patriots (without Tom Brady). Jags-Titans, Browns-Ravens, and Bengals-Texans loom.
Yawn.
5. Parity
The beauty of parity is everyone has a chance. The downside is there's no compelling team to capture the imagination of the viewing public a la the late-90s Yankees or the current Golden State Warriors, whom I'd watch 60 nights a year if TNT broadcast them.
The Patriots are the league's only marquee team and that's great, but they've got no foil. Peyton Manning's retired, Ben Roethlisberger's hurt, and the Seahawks can't seem to get out of their own way.
Fans may say they want a level playing field, but that's a lie. We want super teams, and the NFL lacks tent-poles.
6. Trust in leadership
The league has embarrassed itself for years now, whether we're talking concussions, domestic violence, or Deflategate.
Each scandal erodes public confidence in the shield, and Deflategate cast a particular pall over the last two years, sidelining one of the league's marquee players for what felt like nothing (and this from someone who believes Brady's hands aren't clean).
The NFL feels dodgy and stodgy. That's a bad mix.
7. Colin Kaepernick
This one sadly fits the tenor of our current election cycle, where any perceived aggression on the part of a minority toward the institutional power structure (ie., white people) is derided as anti-American, anti-troop, anti-flag, etc. . . .
Kaepernick's kneeling anthem protests take great courage, considering the backlash he has received. They also have undeniably alienated fans who view them as disrespectful or out of place. It's a controversy the league would prefer to silence, except trampling Kaepernick's right to free speech would backfire and create a civil rights furor.
There's no winning this one.
8. Rules changes
The 19 penalties whistled on Monday earned McDonough's understandable rebuke, but what really makes the league feel old is its pointless insistence on limiting celebrations. Robbing the league of its personality is never a good idea, especially in a sport where everyone wears helmets. Stifling individuality in this context feels dated and stuffy.
9. Red Zone
This channel is amazing, but it encourages a fractured viewership, because why watch one game when you can watch them all, and with limited commercial interruption? If you're interested in scoring plays, Red Zone has you covered.
Also, with games ending simultaneously across the 1 and 4 o'clock starts, respectively, Red Zone lets you catch the final frantic minutes all at once without actually tuning into a broadcast.
10. Kids don't play
This is totally anecdotal, but in my circle of friends, we've got kids that play hockey and lacrosse and a lot of soccer, but not a single football player. With parents concerned about concussions and other violent injuries, letting a child hit the gridiron feels irresponsible.
It should come as no surprise, then, that this factor -- along with the others mentioned above -- might influence our viewing habits.
Silver spoon punk CEO of the ‘49ers, Jed York, has endorsed CK’s actions. Sound like CK may have got it cleared ahead of time.
Landry :) wow, the 80s :)
i’m 48 but i recall the steelers and cowboys mixing it up a few times
Imagine you're a 15 year old white kid in high school. You're big enough and athletic enough to play football.
Would you join a sports team with 90% black guys, that are bigger and stronger than you, in this racial environment?
I think the younger generation is tuning out the NFL.
Another reason:
The games ARE boring. A football "game" lasts almost 4 hours, with about 10 minutes of actual sports being played.
The rest of the time it just a bunch of guys standing around interrupted by commercials.
Not entertaining.
... anyone who thinks that disciplining him would violate a civil right does not know what a civil right is....
Anyone who thinks you have free speech on the job does not know what free speech is and who it applies to.
The average lineman in Knute Rockne’s day was about 200 pounds. Now the average is well over 300. The hits have way more force behind them, from elementary school age on up. It’s just a matter of course that the injuries will be way worse.
1. There are still plenty of boys playing youth football. Perhaps not so much in sissy communities but youth football is alive and well. Injuries are massively exaggerated compared with falling off a bicycle among other things.
2. The NFL has embraced the gangster culture similar to the NBA. That may appease ESPN and the players’ union but it upsets the fan base.
3. There are too many commercials.
4. The NFL rules are unnecessarily complicated compared to NCAA rules.
5. There is saturation not just of NFL games but also of college games. Vastly more opportunities to watch football is going to dilute broadcast audiences.
6. The Commissioner is a tool.
Not born in Texas (Pennsylvania), never been a Cowboys fan (Steelers) but I always had great respect and admiration for Coach Landry.
Has the writer checked to see the race of the sitting president for the last eight years? The Attorney General? The Secretary of Homeland Security? You don't get much more 'institutional power structure' than that.
There is nothing 'perceived' about minority aggression, which has seen cops targeted by snipers, thugs and, of course, media types. It has caused riots, arson and further lawlessness in cities already hollowed out by criminality.
Kaepernick's kneeling anthem protests take great courage, considering the backlash he has received.
Logically and chronologically fallacious. The protests came before the backlash.
It's a controversy the league would prefer to silence
Based on what evidence? As many have pointed out, the league monitors the most minute details of their 'product' especially uniforms, broadcasts, availability of video highlights, etc. If they wanted the protests stopped, they would stop.
except trampling Kaepernick's right to free speech would backfire and create a civil rights furor.
This is the lazy, naive formulation of lefties, especially sports types. KAEPERNICK IS AT WORK. Are McDonald's employees allowed to wear political buttons? Do grocery clerks give you a political lecture when ringing your purchases? Does the mailman kneel in front of your house if you have a Trump sign in the yard?
If civil rights supersede all other considerations why can't we carry our firearms to work?
So not standing for the flag isn't anti-American? What is then?
The anti-flag rant’s started by a QB did the damage for me. I would have watched it 7 nights a week. Heck I even spent 17-days with OJ Simpson in Florida while on a Medivac from South America watching football and talking pain every day; football was never second place until the QB Protests - Screw the NFL. Cancelled NFL Package and wrote DirecTV, the NFL 4 times and the 49’ers, plus ESPN twice - done, done, done.
Courage would be him standing up to the racist hate his girlfriend is spouting.
Sure, just when my Cowboys are looking like an actual football team. Sheesh...
I'll say. It's a game that is supposed to be a diversion for a couple of hours on a Sunday.
Last I heard, the ratings for college football were doing quite well. Hmmmmm....
“It’s a controversy the league would prefer to silence, except trampling Kaepernick’s right to free speech would backfire and create a civil rights furor.”
“I can’t watch the NFL they won’t let them protest during the anthem!” Said nobody. Maybe the real reason is the all the black players would protest and get the union involved.
“...but what really makes the league feel old is its pointless insistence on limiting celebrations. Robbing the league of its personality is never a good idea, especially in a sport where everyone wears helmets. Stifling individuality in this context feels dated and stuffy.”
What really makes the league feel dorky is that they actually need lame rules to stop swishy celebration dancing and chest slapping displays because the cool players can’t or won’t simply self police the jerk players. Modern penalties and replay and there only being 16 games makes each game too important to risk losing over gross fruity gyrations. It became too popular for sportsmanship.
Freegards
I have consciously decided to not watch games when in the past I would have for the heck of it. Even my home team I have sat out. Sick of this league.
We should all refuse to watch until the NFL "looks like America."
Michael Sam pushed in our faces
Public Service Ads with players lecturing men to not beat their wives
I've spent a few rainy days watching videotapes of old games from the 1980s during the height of the 49ers, Redskins and Giants dynasties. If you put the top teams in the NFL today back into that league, and adjusted the talent level to account for the better athletes today, you couldn't find a current NFL team that would do better than 8-8 in that era.
I'd make the case that the NFL hasn't had a "complete" team (multi-faceted offense, strong in all areas of defense, etc.) since the Dallas Cowboys of the mid-1990s. The salary cap and the NFL's idiotic strategy of forcing parity among the teams is the culprit there.
I started losing interest when the NFL imposed the salary cap and free agency. It simply became impossible to generate any kind of enthusiasm for a team when I knew that 50% of its roster would be turning over every season.
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