I am strongly considering giving up my fan hood and watching the NFL

[PAPPYDOG]

Never......although I don't get bent out of shape when they disappoint.....been a long 24 years...

 

[ShiningStar]

love the team boycott the league. return when the league gets better, if not, you still ride with the Boys you just show your disdain for the league in a mature way.

 

[Kaiser]

After watching the corrupt NFL hand the game to the GB with 2 phantom "hand to the face" calls against the Lions, in which even the announcers were in disbelief.....i'm starting to truly believe it looks more and more like the WWE every week...almost pre-scripted, based on some algorithm that guarantees maximum future viewership and ad revenue

I don't think the league directs calls for specific teams, even if they clearly favor certain teams like the Patriots and Giants. I do think the officials make calls to keep the games close so fans don't turn off the game, which keeps them from losing billions of dollars in ad revenue if that were to happen.

But this year I'm really starting to wonder if the league has decided that "Aaron Rodgers wins another Super Bowl" is the scenario that makes them the most money.

 

[Kevinicus]

I'm not going to give up my fandom, but I'm definitely not as preoccupied with it as I once was. There are more important things in life.

 

[Diehardblues]

Either you're refusing to read or you're just being argumentative. For the record, I'm not going to go back and forth with you for the next 5 pages so you'll need to find someone else for that entertainment.

The NFL product isn't as good. Personally, I prefer the collegiate atmosphere. I don't care for dome stadiums with piped in music - give me open air and marching bands. At least Texas Stadium had the elements.

As for the Cowboys themselves, I think Stephen is nepotism personified. He's done NOTHING to earn my respect. At least Jerry's a self-made billionaire - I respect that. I don't find the two of them making themselves the center of the act enjoyable. I liked when the head coach was the face I saw, not the owner and his kid. When they're failing to reach the goal for decades, it only gets worse because they're not going anywhere or changing anything. Well, guess what? I don't owe them the rest of my life just because I loved Landry and Staubach when I was a kid.

Not breaking news. It’s been like this for almost 25 years. Why now. And who cares if you leave. Bye.. lol

 

[CouchCoach]

Yes, I could give it up but not because of Booger or how the Cowboys have played or the Razorbacks. I ask myself the question "is this the game I fell in love with, playing and watching"? The answer is not only no but it's not even close.

I used to be able to passively just let the game take me but now I have to actively try and watch and stay engaged. The stop downs for commercials and reviews are taking their toll on my attention and interest.

But, beyond that, the game has changed and not for the better for me. Where it was at one time the ultimate team sport, it has become the sport of individual showoffs like that idiot on MNF getting a sack and laying down like a toddler on the field, that's football? Football, all of it, is all about "look at me, ain't I something". It is not remotely entertaining to me.

The talking heads won't shut up. I love college ball but I cannot stand the incessant chatter of Gary Danielson, I have to turn the sound off. Joe Tessitore thinks he makes a game exciting by yelling. Call me old fashioned but I long for Keith Jackson's "Whoa Nellie" or Dick Enberg's "Oh my" and knowing when to talk and when to shut up.

I grew up with the NFL being about the play on the field, not showing off to the fans and TV. The uniforms were dirty and blood smeared and I could tell those guys just loved the game. The NFC North, like the AFC North today, played all of their games outside in the elements and I would look forward to Vikings games just to see how those fans were dressed in -10 temps to watch a football game, they were as much a part of the game as the players to me. The players stayed with the same teams and I didn't have to keep up with their names because there weren't any, I knew them by their numbers and some just by their walk.

I am closer today to walking away because I no longer have the passion for it I once did. There was a time the commentators for the games wouldn't dare bring up contracts or money and now that's part of it and that stinks up the game for me. They do not have to remind me how much the players are being paid. I realize that's part of the sport but it doesn't have to be a part of the game.

In fact, were it not for you guys, ladies too, on the old DC.com and here on the Zone, I think I would already be gone. You are my passion now, not this team or the game. This place, you people, are far more important to me than football and that's my main reason for staying connected to the game. I have to have some football to discuss to warrant being here but that's not what keeps me coming back here.

 

[CWR]

Me too, wake me up when we are good again.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

It would have been inconceivable to me years ago but I am strongly considering giving up my fan hood and watching any NFL. I know it sounds maudlin and dramatic but I have lost so much joy for the league and have interests elsewhere that I actually think it could happen. I am a hockey maniac so it’s not like there is no winter sport for me. Cowboys aside I hate what this league has done and the games are unwatchable at times. I also have no hope that the Cowboys will re capture their glory as long as the Jones family owns them. I used to think things would be better when Jerry passed on but I think Stephen will be worse is some ways. Watching this team sleep walk through the last 3 games and Jerry defending this clown of a coach has me nearing the end of the line. I went Salmon fishing the last few days so really didn’t pay attention to the game. My buddy and I were actually howling over the Jets beating them. I dropped a note here early last week and all but predicted how that game could turn out. It did.

My doomsday clock is at about 11:50. Where are you guys at? Could you give up football?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I am being serious when I say......No you're not.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I like football as much as ever, but Jerry and Garrett have pretty much killed my Cowboys fandom. Garrett is a weasel and con man, and his boss keeps handing us dog crap while swearing it's chocolate pudding. Doesn't help that the local media have been complicit in never calling Garrett out until lately.

I don't know if I'd come back if Garrett were fired and Jerry made an actual attempt to hire the best coach. I used to think so, but I may be too far gone at this point. This nonsense has gone on for too many years now.

I made up for it by watching more college and the rest of the NFL, and things are perfectly fine..

 

[CouchCoach]

One thing that has really turned me is Fantasy Football. I began playing when it first morphed from Rotisserie Baseball and only points counted up to playing on FanDuel and DraftKings but the latter only to try and inject some passion into myself for the game. That failed to work in 2016 and I haven't played since.

What I didn't like was them changing the rules to appeal to the FF players who really only watch players and not teams. That began to individualize the sport and remove the team aspect of it for me.

 

[LOBO7]

I am a NY Rangers fan. Classy organization that knows what it’s doing.

The Stars are a fun team. Lots of talent with a good goalie. You guys are a contender.

The Rangers have won the Stanley Cup, four times (1928, 1933, 1940, and 1994

Looks alot like the Cowboys. Dont get where you are coming from.

Cowboys 4EVER!!

 

[MonsterD]

It's a game. Why so serious?

 

[Corso]

Ha ha ha ha! Oh my gosh.. that gave me a giant smile.
Thank you!

 

[SoupcanSam]

It would have been inconceivable to me years ago but I am strongly considering giving up my fan hood and watching any NFL. I know it sounds maudlin and dramatic but I have lost so much joy for the league and have interests elsewhere that I actually think it could happen. I am a hockey maniac so it’s not like there is no winter sport for me. Cowboys aside I hate what this league has done and the games are unwatchable at times. I also have no hope that the Cowboys will re capture their glory as long as the Jones family owns them. I used to think things would be better when Jerry passed on but I think Stephen will be worse is some ways. Watching this team sleep walk through the last 3 games and Jerry defending this clown of a coach has me nearing the end of the line. I went Salmon fishing the last few days so really didn’t pay attention to the game. My buddy and I were actually howling over the Jets beating them. I dropped a note here early last week and all but predicted how that game could turn out. It did.

My doomsday clock is at about 11:50. Where are you guys at? Could you give up football?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I would not give up my manhood but my interest are strongly shifting elsewhere because of how Jerry runs this team.

The fans deserve better. Everyone on this forum deserves better.

Though I live in DC, I dont root for the skins but I do root for the nationals and capitals.

I've seen the capitals win a championship in my life time and now right before my eyes I am watching the nationals inna similar situation.

I just feel I will never experience my cowboys in such a situation.

Sadly the cowboys are at the back of my mind atm while I have been enjoying the experience with the nationals.

The city is really live down here.

Maybe the cowboys will be sooner or later.

 

[CouchCoach]

I would not give up my fanhood but my interest are strongly shifting elsewhere because of how Jerry runs this team.

The fans deserve better. Everyone on this forum deserves better.

Though I live in DC, I dont root for the skins but I do root for the nationals and capitals.

I've seen the capitals win a championship in my life time and now right before my eyes I am watching the nationals inna similar situation.

I just feel I will never experience my cowboys in such a situation.

Sadly the cowboys are at the back of my mind atm while I have been enjoying the experience with the nationals.

The city is really live down here.

Maybe the cowboys will be sooner or later.

FIFY, sacrifice is one thing but that made me cringe.

 

[Big_D]

If Garrett is back in 2020 then Jerry Jones officially ruined this team with no hope and no end in sight. I’m done with that.

 

[Corso]

Does this mean this forum is going to get a lot slower pretty soon?

 

[Whyjerry]

I would not give up my manhood but my interest are strongly shifting elsewhere because of how Jerry runs this team.

The fans deserve better. Everyone on this forum deserves better.

Though I live in DC, I dont root for the skins but I do root for the nationals and capitals.

I've seen the capitals win a championship in my life time and now right before my eyes I am watching the nationals inna similar situation.

I just feel I will never experience my cowboys in such a situation.

Sadly the cowboys are at the back of my mind atm while I have been enjoying the experience with the nationals.

The city is really live down here.

Maybe the cowboys will be sooner or later.

Hah. I am in DC today and the weather is lousy. This Nor Easter is going to follow me back up north I guess.

 

[Whyjerry]

The Rangers have won the Stanley Cup, four times (1928, 1933, 1940, and 1994

Looks alot like the Cowboys. Dont get where you are coming from.

Cowboys 4EVER!!

Rangers have lost a couple Cups along the way. I like the young team now. I like management a lot from Sather now to Gorton. The players are largely good guys not like some of the punks in Dallas.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

Emotionally, I will always be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. That's from the heart. Whether the team wins Super Bowls or picks first in the draft, I will be a fan. The cycles of winning and losing don't affect my emotional attachment.

The question is whether I become a fan who keeps up with the results or one who works hard to watch every game possible. And that is not directly tied to the Cowboys (though no need to be a hypocrite; I'm sure I would watch any Cowboys playoff game and certainly Super Bowl). Winning does have a way of cleansing sins.

But I honestly find most NFL games nearly unwatchable, these days. The ball is oblong, and bounces have always been unpredictable, but for the most part, in the past, I would have watched the game without seeing the score or scoring plays and easily known the winner. A team that played a game such as the Lions played Monday night almost certainly would have comfortably won.

The officiating is so terrible and inconsistent, these days, the outcome is affected in many cases. Nobody will convince me otherwise. Yes, the officials always impacted games, but not on a regular, predictable basis. I was nearly certain the Lions would lose, for instance, about midway through the second half -- even though they were playing superior football. It was clear they had to much to overcome. And I didn't have a serious emotional tie to either team.

Combine that with the other hogwash (long stoppages and inconsistent replay decisions; the complete handcuffing of defensive backs, etc.) and the game isn't compelling in the way it once was. Free agency, while good for the players and something of which I strongly approve, has drained something from the game as well. Players aren't Cowboys for life as they once were.

The commissioner is an incompetent fraud, biased to an unthinkable degree and willing to use a pattern of inconsistency as both a weapon and a shield against criticism.

I do not want to watch games in the way I did for most of my life. That is as much a function of the heart -- emotion -- as is my Cowboys fandom. It is not a calculated decision. It simply is what it is. I find myself bored, and when I do watch an entire game, I often find myself feeling that the contest wasn't decided by the players and coaches.

I can see myself watching fewer and fewer games (perhaps almost none). I can't see myself failing to check a sports site for the Cowboys result and being indifferent to that outcome. I loved my father to the day he died, but I didn't live my life in his house.