everybody google #dienfldie or dienfldie or die nfl die and see if we can get it trending in it's search engine
Posted on 09/24/2017 9:52:05 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
After the first two weeks of the NFL season, there’s a clear storyline that has emerged:
Think pieces about the NFL’s quality of play are en vogue.
From The Ringer’s Kevin Clark to Bill Barnwell of ESPN to that old NFL bible—The Weekly Standard—this week saw a ton of NFL observers examine the league’s quality of play as well as the perception behind that. The headline of Clark’s piece didn’t hold back: How Football Stopped Being Fun.
How does that correlate with NFL ratings, which is more the focus of this column? Well, that depends on how you want to interpret the numbers. The invaluable Sports Media Watch reported that nine of the 13 NFL windows through Week 2 have posted a decrease this season year over year. On a positive note for the league: The Giants-Lions on Monday night game did trend up. It drew 12.3 million viewers, up 1% in viewership from Eagles-Bears last year (12.1 million). But as Sports Media Watch noted, the game was down from the 12.5 million who watched Jets-Colts on MNF in Week Two of the 2015 season.
CBS has suffered early. Per Anthony Crupi of Ad Age, through the first two weeks of the season, CBS's Sunday NFL windows had averaged 13.9 million viewers, down 10% versus 15.2 million last year. Sports Media Watch said CBS’s 8.4 rating for its Week 2 single header lineup was the lowest for a Week 2 single-header since at least 1998.
NBC had a particularly ugly night with the Packers-Falcons. The game drew 20.2 million, well down from last year’s Week 2 game (Packers-Vikings, 22.8 million) and the Seahawks-Packers in 2015 (26.4 million). It was the least-watched Week 2 Sunday Night Football game since 2008. Crupi reported NBC’s three primetime games so far had averaged 22.1 million viewers, down 7% from 2016.
Fox was aided by a massive number for the Cowboys-Broncos game—26 million viewers—thanks to a lightning delay that took the game’s conclusion past 8:00 pm. ET. But that number was down from 2015 when the Cowboys-Eagles in the national window drew much higher. Crupi reported that Fox’s two national windows in 2017 have averaged 24.4 million viewers, down 3% versus 25.1 million for its first two national windows of 2016.
The most positive NFL ratings story so far comes from, of all places, the NFL Network. The network’s opening broadcast (Texans-Bengals) was up 2% in viewership. This vital chart from Sports Media Watch spells it all out.
The league can rightfully point to potential factors for decreases, including Hurricane Irma impacting vital markets. There’s also this stat I saw in Barnwell’s column: Through the first 30 games of the 2017 season, the average contest had been decided by 12.9 points. The quality of games—and quarterback play—has been far higher in previous years.
Is it early too make larger judgments? It is, especially given some of the external factors (e.g. Irma). But the NFL is likely a little concerned. I think you can make some legitimate ratings assessments by Week Four. “It's early yet,” Crupi said. “No need to snort a Xanax.”
NFL and sports TV executives are hoping he’s right.
We had worse team seasons and people still watched the games. This time is different.
everybody google #dienfldie or dienfldie or die nfl die and see if we can get it trending in it's search engine
I think the NFL and the media are taking him to task for his "get that son of a b!tch off the field!" comment because they want to avoid any discussion of the OTHER comment he made -- where he said the NFL has destroyed football by turning into a boring game with penalty flags for silly infractions.
If everyone who is fed up with the NFL pandering to millionaire know-it-alls who seem arrogantly opposed to anyone not sharing their skin color avoids NFL advertisers whenever convenient, it’ll have a real impressive cumulative effect.
This article does not mention anthem kneeling player protest
as being a reason for a decline in ratings.
The NFL and MSM want to sweep it under the rug.
Trump just pulled the rug back to expose the filth
that lies underneath it.
Here’s a theory:
NFL C-level guys see the concussion and injury stuff coming at them like a runaway freight train. They’re thinking about the silicone breast implant lawsuit that almost wiped out Dow Corning, they’re thinking about the tobacco lawsuit, and they’re thinking “it’s only a matter of time.”
So what they do is try to go the SJW route, try to forestall the inevitable by going wall-to-wall virtue signaling.
I don’t know, but I can see it happening.
National Felons League?
No thank you, ever.
I’d like to see all these teams go broke. Then the millionaire crybullies can play in their backyards. But, we all know that eventually most of them would end up playing for their local prison team.
"Truth in advertising"
.
NFL lost their brand to protesters. Ask the U of Missouri how that is going for them. Protesters control the university and enrollment is down. See any parallel?
The NFL very well knows that daily fantasy sports is a huge factor in propping up the league. One wrong comment from these companies and that will immediately destroy daily fantasy sports, and the NFL's popularity will REALLY take a huge nosedive.
When the NFL needed a savior, instead it got a leader who panders to the forces causing its destruction. I wonder how many people who are all-in for this disrespect actually spend money on the NFL.
Fantasy Football was what was keeping the NFL afloat.
Things like “NFL Red Zone” were created exclusively for the Fantasy Football player to track their players.
The NFL has made disrespect of American heritage official policy.
Act accordingly depending on your view of American heritage.
Hence my comment. Can you imagine the owner of Draft Kings or FanDuel saying they support the NFL? They could lose half their accounts in a blink of an eye, and that will accelerate the NFL’s decline.
I have always loved NFL football, but I’m done. Today I will be live-streaming the PBR...you want to see some real athletes? Who love their country? And who thank God every time they get up off the dirt and walk away in one piece? And who don’t wear pink wristbands and virtue signal?
and pink clothing in October
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.