My feeling is that the NFL is on a slow downward trend die to a number of factors of which the proverbial last straw has been the Colin Kaepernick saga and the National Anthem imbrologio.
I am 62, and thus I enjoyed what I think was the true golden years of Pro Football when I was kid growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
The games did not drag out and for such a long time they were on only on Sunday afternoons, rarely was there ever a night game, until Monday Night Football.
Today the NFL has milked the product just about dry. Too many games broadcast, games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. They have just unsaturated the market.
Throw in the concussion and injury problems and are the Millennial's really interested in the game and you have to think that the NFL may be on it's way to a slow decline over time. We will have to wait to see what the ratings are for this year, but I suspect they will be down to some degree.
I’d like to see the stats that show how many teens are engaged in the sport compared to previous generations.
The biggest NFL stories are not about the athlete's capabilities....the recent NFL stories are about racism, assault & battery, homosexuality, and willful disrespect of our republic. These are not positive and will not generate new fans, enthusiasm, excitement for the game.
Add in the concussion issue (health) and the largest growing youth sport is soccer, it spells trouble for the NFL.
I loved professional football in the 70's & 80's. It was a better product back then. Announcers talk about football, not politics. The men were tough and the matchups were legendary. Players did not switch teams as frequently as today and they were not overpaid entitlement crowd we see today.
I have not watched a game in years, I have better things to do than watch a product that repeatedly insults me. I find the product, the politics, and the NFL revolting.