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.
I think the 24/7 saturation of The NFL Network and ESPN (the worst thing ever to happen to sports) plays a part, as well.
This Amoral generation is to busy on Xbox or other Vid games to be active. I’ve a 15 yr old grandson, who is over weight dare I say OBESE, 5’ and 230 lbs and lazy to boot. Only reason he gets good grades is his dad yanks the game box and phone for a month. His mother allowed this to happen, they are separated. No at 15 he can decide who he wants to live with, and it is NOT her crazy as a loon.
12. Too many long commercial breaks on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday games when the NFL (and the advertisers) think they have a captive audience. What should be a seamless change of possession, turns into a 4 minute commercial break. Many of us change channels and forget to turn back.
13. Pink shoes and other accessories. Football is still primarily a man’s sport, yet the league is constantly trying to shove health and social issues down our throats. Its not that we don’t care about breast cancer — we do, because we all have wives, daughters, girlfriends, and mothers who have died or suffered from the disease or are at risk. But we don’t need to be saturated with this every time we tune into an NFL game. I would feel the same about prostate awareness month, where all the players where brown shoes and accessories. (BTW - Why doesn’t the WNBA and the Women’s PGA show their support for the fight against prostate cancer?)
13. The salary cap. As a result of the salary cap, significant numbers of players are pushed out door each year, and in my opinion, the high turnover erodes fan loyalty.
“12” should read “Sunday, Monday, and Thursday night games.”
Thanks for sharing. You hear these stories, but I’m an Oldster like you but without any family, so I don’t know from first-hand experience.
When I was a kid (and probably you, too), post-WW II, I couldn’t wait to get outdoors for sports and general misbehavior (by today’s silly standards). Spent countless hours playing pick-up games of touch football (and even tackle, without pads) and pick-up baseball. Soccer? What the h*ll is that!
Camping out, too... and BB guns... had my first .22 as a teenager... wow, don’t even mention that sort of thing these days - you can get arrested!
The world has sure changed...
Lefty commentators and pink sneakers in October don’t help.
Sports should be an escape from the pukish PC world.
If it weren’t for getting the NFL Directv ticket free every year, there would be no other reason to watch the Dolphins lose.
I have a disgust for Roger Goodell and the October dressing of football players in bright sissy pink.
And now that Kappernick and his bull shit started, I have even less of a reason to watch it.
Boring kickoffs. They return from a commercial to watch a guy kick the ball 10 yards out of the end zone and then go back to a commercial. Ugh.
Any punt or kick that IS returned usually results in a “block in the back” or “holding” call.
DB’s can’t play. There is no such thing as “incidental contact” anymore. Plays on 3rd and 18 are specifically designed to try to draw the defensive penalty for crying out loud.
The Browns continue to suck. I mean c’mon how can you possibly suck for this long? The leaves are changing color, pumpkins are on sale, the apples are at the orchards. How can I continue to blow my Sunday afternoons watching a game where the end result is already known? Driving through the park listening to the postgame show on the radio is more entertaining than watching the game itself.
I stopped watching the NFL when the Rams moved to St Louis in the mid 90s. Before that, I was a 20 year season ticket holder and had been going to Rams’ games since I was a small child. The NFL almost had be back with the Rams moved back. Then Colin Kaepernick took a knee and my Sundays remain free.
I watch my football on Saturdays now.
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