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.
Step 1 - re-hire crony, media, tone-deaf insider Goodell at $40 million/year
Step 2 - FAIL!
Liars. The primary reason is anti-American players taking a knee.
Just how I want to spend my time, watching the Antifa vs BLM.
Gak~
End of season games are not as well attended if there is nothing at stake, like a playoff spot.
Would anybody pay to see a Browns 49’ers game?....................
Excellent point.
Why the effort? The NFL claimed all is well.
Stretchy Pants Losers!
Form a Negro Football League and allow their own kind to support their fat salaries; purchase their gear; and, line up their advertising.
Poetry readings.
Preferably from Maya Angelou.
If not, then interpretive dance by the players.
They are lying to themselves if they think some big market teams having poor seasons is the reason. The Bears and Jets have been perennial middle or bottom of the pack teams and this year is no different. The Cowboys and Giants have had bad seasons before and the Rams are having a surprisingly good season. Also, this lack of attendance and ratings has been there from game 1, before any team had time to establish a record. Like the story of the King with no clothes, everybody is ignoring the obvious.
Fire the SOBs!
I am of the opinion (as a consumer of NFL Football) that their loss of viewership is primarily due to their craven behavior regarding the kneeling of players during the National Anthem.
They are going to deny it until the cows come home and attribute it to everything else under the sun but that.
And their cowardliness is on full display, in that they don’t show the National Anthem being played anymore. That is their fix. They think that if they can somehow keep television audiences from seeing it, then...it isn’t happening.
Almost as annoying to me is the push by the NFL to show how much the league “appreciates” the military and veterans. It is blatantly transparent pandering, and the only reason I try not to disparage it, is that our military and some veterans get both recognition and perks from it.
There are two things the NFL could to that would immediately help their ratings:
1.) Make it a requirement that players in uniform, wearing the NFL logo as mandated, must stand with hand over heart during the duration of the national anthem. And show it on television, while vigorously punishing those who don’t comply with severe fines and suspensions. No exceptions.
2.) Rescind their pledge of $80 million dollars to social justice causes.
I bet if they did those two things, viewership would jump right up.
Want some answers?
All politics OUT. No Bob Costas assaholic comments about
guns. No kneeling players. No BLM crap.
Then a return to the 70s. No long hair hanging out of helmets, etc.
No more coaches trying to be junior players..icing the kicker and other unsportsmanlike crap, etc.
No more pink October...I watched the NFL to escape life for 2 hours, not to be reminded of dreaded diseases.
No more retarded animated football robots playing guitar on TV etc.
The superbowl should be more like the late 60s, and not some nutty Hollywood extravaganza.
All other games have also way overdone the glitz and fluff crap...football has become an afterthought.
No women in locker rooms and on sports sideline commenting.
NFL is for Sunday and Monday nights...period.
No NFL game should be in England or Mexico city.
College ball is Saturday, Friday is high school.
I don’t want NFL every random day of the week.
Fire Goodell.
But this and other needed fixes will now happen, and they will continue down this road to their destruction.
Well, looks like the NF’nL finally figured it out and the stands will be full from now on...
(/snarkasm)
Funny, I read the entire article and found no such thing as a “plot” to cure sagging sales and vieiwership...
Plan “B”
Rip out about half of the existing seats and claim games are sold out and arenas are filled to capacity.
“Almost as annoying to me is the push by the NFL to show how much the league “appreciates” the military and veterans. It “
If DOD wasn’t an advertiser, and didn’t provide them flyovers, color guards, etc for free... how long would that “appreciation” be shown?
Same here. I thought I missed something.
That aside, I agree, but I think they would use it as a prop nonetheless.
And there are a huge amount of people in the active military who are crazy about football and don’t see this kneeling activity as anti-military.
I don’t either, but I do see it as anti-American, which is why the NFL espousing its support for the military seems transparently like pandering to me. To them, I think it is a tool.
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