Things changed, slowly and by degrees. Refs called more ticky-tacky penalties, and most long-yardage plays had flags come out. This, along with interminable "instant replay" delays" slowed the games down. The NFL added Sunday morning games in Europe, and Sunday night games to their schedule. Mondays were no longer locked-in from 9 to midnight, they added an extra game here and there. Thursdays (beyond Thanksgiving) were added in, and the games weren't broadcast on National TV. I began to lose interest.
Bob Costas insisted on lecturing us on his current political fad, and BO showed up on telecasts to pimp his latest thoughts. That really turned me off, never mind whether I agree or not, I want to see football, not more politics.
So, when Kapernick (and others) did his thing last season, I started to pull away from it. Kept a finger in, watched a few games, including one of the better Super Bowls of all time, but it was more out of habit than anything else.
This year, nada. The politics turned me off completely, and the fact that the players, owners, and top brass (Goodell) told me, and everyone like me, to "Kiss Off" when we complained, proved that it was the right decision. My old favorite team is probably going to make the playoffs, but I've not seen more than a few minutes of them playing.
Honestly? I thought that I'd miss it more.
I'm not Boycotting, that would imply that I might go back if their behavior changes. Nope, I'm "indifferent", which for the NFL is much, much worse. For instance, quite often this season I've completely forgotten about the Thurs/Mon night games. I can't even tell you the two teams that played last night, or the score, or even if they played - it was Christmas, after all. I don't even give the game a thought until just now, something that would have been totally inconceivable two years ago.
My indifference has been a while in coming. However, this year's political foolishness just proved that I made the correct decision.
Political stands, including Susan G komens search for the dollar, Concussion protocols and rule changes, including extra points from the 60 yard line...just a little sarcasm there. Too high of pay, high ticket prices, the act of the league joining into the common cause of BLM and never Trump. Last and most importantly, the ripping away of the facade of “The game”. It is impossible to go back and be transformed from a week of responsibilities to that awe, wonder and purity of “THE GAME”. They destroyed a myth, like telling us Santa doesn’t exist every day of the year. Then telling us the Elves are oppressed.
Huh? There's not that much football, especially when you compare the football season to the practically never-ending baseball season. Before this year, I watched at least two games every Sunday (or Monday, Thursday, etc.), and never grew tired of it because I knew the season ended for most teams in late December. This is more wishful thinking by those who still don't understand how most of us view the shameful behavior of the multi-millionaire spoiled brats and thugs who play the game.
NFL - Not For Long.
Let it all eat itself and die.
They continually compare 2017 to 2016. But wasn’t 2016 down from 2015 as well?
Unless Step 1 is to ban on field protests and discipline those involved, they will not get me back.
The league has shown that they have no love of this country, and that all of their patriotic posturing over the past 50 years is just cynical marketing. I feel betrayed and lied to.
I will not be coming back.
1. Too many good high-profile players lost for the sesason, namely Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz.
2. Historically good franchises like the Giants and Broncos doing really poorly this this season and the Cowboys and Raiders having disappointing seasons.
Have really hammered the league's popularity. And there is now real fear that the league may lose even more popularity because historically good players like Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Drew Brees are within a few seasons of retirement.
In short, the NFL is facing some very serious challenges.
Football used to be about football. Strategies, plays, athleticism & good sportsmanship.
Now most replays are of penalties and the celebration faces & dances.
“I’d be stunned if any single factor contributed more than 2 percent to the ratings decline,”
The more the NFL "plots" and tries to "finesse" this shameful issue—and the less sober-minded reflection on the actual facts—the worse things are going to get for these idiots.
Nothing short of an abject and heartfelt mea culpa—by the players, the team owners, and the league management—will save the NFL at this point.
The NFL is apparently too conceited to understand what's going on—that anything can happen in America. The current and former fans could drop the league in a heartbeat, like some rotten hot potato, if given the opportunity of consuming a superior entertainment product.
Hey NFL: you don't own the fans—the fans own you. You live and die according to our whims. You got that, bitch?
America is the land of unlimited possibilities. Eventually, some shrewd entrepreneurs will come along, seize this golden opportunity, and completely change the course of football history.
With the avowed goal of getting back to actually playing the game of football—and conducting the business of entertaining fans—instead of spitting on them and insulting their country—someone, somewhere is going to take advantage of this situation and—by doing do—Make Football Great Again...
“...analyzing precisely what caused all of this...”
De-professsionalize the game:
Get average players who love the game.
Bring good-sportsmanship back.
Discourage injuries.
Stress team play instead of star players.
Give the game back to the fans.
Let the whole thing collapse.
Figuring out the decline is pretty simple. Find out what the attendance is for collage teams vs. the NFL and see what’s different. Really surprised collage athletes aren’t taking knees considering where they are at.
The NFL is useful if you are home on a Sunday afternoon and you want to take a nap, especially when you get stuck with the worst early game and the least interesting play-by-play crew. Around here, we always get stuck with those games, so naps are easy.
If people don’t want to come to the game, how are you going to stop them?
—Yogi Berra
America is doing well while the NFL is sucking an egg, this is how it should be.