Posted on 12/26/2017 10:14:39 AM PST by Kaslin
We’re quickly approaching New Years, which is traditionally a time for reflection on the events of the past year and plans for how to do better over the next twelve months. That’s particularly true for the NFL, which has seen both its television ratings and live attendance in many stadiums plunge precipitously in 2017. As the Washington Times reports this week, the leadership in the league is busy analyzing precisely what caused all of this and how they might address it in 2018.
Your first guess might logically be that the National Anthem protests were a big driving factor. That was definitely part of it, but media analysts and league insiders are also seeing a number of other disturbing trends affecting their bottom line, many of which were entirely of their own making.
The NFL is approaching the playoffs looking for a ratings turnaround after a year of record-low television numbers.
Outcry over players protesting by taking a knee during the national anthem isn’t helping, but it’s only one of several reasons fans are turning away from professional football, media analysts say.
Injuries to marquee players such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, teams with losing records in the nation’s largest media markets such as New York and Chicago, a glut of prime-time games, and viewers with other options have also taken a toll.
“I’d be stunned if any single factor contributed more than 2 percent to the ratings decline,” said Andrew Billings, director of the University of Alabama’s Sports Communication program.
So how bad were the numbers overall? In week 15, average television viewership was down 9 percent from the same point in 2016. Week 14 was similarly off. That translates into an average loss of 1.6 million viewers for each televised game overall. And it’s been an ongoing problem rather than a case of a single week here or there when the nation was otherwise distracted.
Some of the drivers of this were, to be fair, beyond the control of the league. Two of their biggest markets are New York and Dallas, and if you’ve been following the fortunes of the Giants, the Jets and the Cowboys you can see how people might be less excited to tune in. Ratings for the Cowboys and Giants games are down by 7% while viewership for New York Jets games is off by, er… 37%. Doesn’t that seem a bit unfair? True, my Jets are stinking up the joint at 5-10 going into the final week, but the Giants have only won two games! C’mon, man.
The league couldn’t predict or correct for the implosion of those popular teams in large media markets, but other factors were definitely under their control. The obvious target of criticism is the anthem protests which the league could have shut down as soon as Kaepernick started all of this. They didn’t do that and they’ve paid the price. If a combination of new rules from the top and a tougher line from the owners can eliminate that problem over the offseason they may begin to recover next fall.
But the other big driver seems to have been market saturation. The NFL Network has simply gotten too greedy, trying to have football on for half the days of the week. (That’s in addition to locking off certain games so they are only available on their own cable network, which not everyone has or wants.) We’re up to four different game slots on Sundays when there’s a game in London (another colossally bad idea), with prime time games on both Monday and Thursday, in addition to Sunday night. No matter how big of a fan you may be, there’s such a thing as too much football. Fans primarily want to watch their own team, and if they’re not playing they’ll watch one or two other games. But now the market is drowning in games and fewer people are making the time to watch.
On the bright side, all of these things sound fixable… except for the Jets fielding a winning team, apparently. Now that Roger Goodell has somehow landed himself another plush, five-year contract, will he make the needed course corrections and turn this around? Money is what makes the league go ’round, so I’m holding out hope that he will.
“I’d be stunned if any single factor contributed more than 2 percent to the ratings decline,”
Every sports media article about the NFL decline ... this has nothing to do with the political activism ... minor ... can’t be more than a very small percent. Step 1 for the NFL to recover is to tell the media guys to quit spinning. People are fed up with the media as much as the players.
Goodell is the worse NFL commissioner in history. He is a hardcore liberal activist. He intentionally took the Cowboys out this season with the suspension of their running back. He is not the least bit concerned about losing “star” players as the article claims.
Jus’ keepin’ it real, man. Showin’ my stuff, man. Don’ like it, ya don’ need to watch it. My “tribe” gets it. Yeah, man!
Jus’ keepin’ it real, man. Showin’ my stuff, man. Don’ like it, ya don’ need to watch it. My “tribe” gets it. Yeah, man!
While its true that viewership and attendance numbers had softened since 2015, they fell off a cliff after the anthem protests began.
The team owners and the league execs are going to fail if they don’t face the true cause of the steep decline in fan interest. Addressing the wrong cause will yield little in the way of positive results, and will only further diminish fan support.
They could start with firing all players who cannot read.
No, wait, that would make them unable to man the field.
Right now they are actively avoiding the truth.
re: excessive celebration.
If I were the coach, I tell the players that ‘unless that was the winning score, it doesn’t mean much at this point.’
Excessive celebration makes it appear that the team is so desperate that they seldom are able to score. [NYG might get a pass on this one this season.]
People who miss the circus? Here's an amusing game that might be amusing: Pittsburgh Steelers who will get to get a bie for the first week of playoffs vs the Browns, whose former fans are planning a parade for if they lose every game this season. What Browns player with any common sense would risk a career-ending injury for that situation?
Hard to watch something when there is a 400 pound gorilla blocking your view which NFL continues to ignore.
They might fill all seats if they start playing at local High School football fields... maybe!
Noooo! Think of the crime rate.
Agree.
Maybe they should just let amazon women play also in fishnet jerseys, with twerkleaders rallying the crowd, with one internet-controlled drone player per team, and cage matches for personal fouls.
I think it goes deeper. The No Fan League has given in to the SJW mentality. Their office of diversity and the latest capitulation to the players demanding $$ for their "social" causes is evidence of this.
Ignoring Capernick's initial protests and allowing, perhaps even fostering, those to occur, was their strategic mistake.
They've been sliding downhill ever since.
Other possible reasons:
1) the criminality of many players
2) the ridiculous salaries paid to 20-something players.
Wait until the number of season tickets goes down by double digits come next season. And I see they have re-signed goodell to another 5 years....what brilliance! / sarc. Lower attendance (despite lower prices), lower viewership, and they keep the same leadership that wrought them it. LOL!!!
Currently, there are 32 nfl teams. I predict that number will go down into the 20’s in the not too distant future.
There is no cure to suicide.
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