Setting Aside Politics A Bit

[PA Cowboy Fan]

I'm right there with you on all of that. I only watch the Cowboys games and even that is become a task. If Roger the Clown ever does get his way and Zeke does get suspended 6 games, it will make my decision so easy to be done with the NFL. I left MLB in 1994 because of its own ridiculousness and I never returned so leaving the NFL will be easy.

That's about the time I left baseball too. Except for an occasional WS game I haven't watched it since. If Zeke gets suspended I might just boycott the whole year. The season will be over anyway. The NFL is making it easy for people on the edge to just walk away. If it wasn't for all those memories (42 years) , I'd probably already be gone.

 

[Nightman]

I think it's a little of everything. My interest has been waning for a couple of years now. The politics is just the final straw. I haven't watched a non Cowboy game since it all started a couple weeks ago. But there are just too many bad games being played. The officiating is awful. I hate the Thursday games. I can't stand the Commish and all this nonsense with Zeke has been turning me off. Also the game just isn't the same game I grew up on. Maybe it's great for fantasy football but I was never into that. It's hard for me because I at one time really loved the NFL. I would watch it all day on Sundays and Monday night.

Even Fantasy Football has reached the Tipping Point

I have been an avid player since we had to do scoring from Monday's boxscores in the newspaper and interest is waning......my 2 main leagues contracted and the level of trash talk, trade offers and waiver wire is waaaaaay down

The quality of the NFL is not helping.... plus too many RB by committees, devasting injuries and bad QBs and TEs

Legalized gambling may be the only thing to raise interest quickly......... otherwise it is too much like the WWE to me ............. too corrupt, too scripted and too far gone

 

[Hardline]

You can cite polls and statistics all you want. The overwhelming majority of people tuning out is because of politics. It's undeniable and undebatable.
I don't know a single person that's boycotting for any other reason and I know many.
Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong while I literally laugh at you.

 

[EST_1986]

You can cite polls and statistics all you want. The overwhelming majority of people tuning out is because of politics. It's undeniable and undebatable.
I don't know a single person that's boycotting for any other reason and I know many.
Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong while I literally laugh at you.

I highly doubt it’s overwhelming but I’m sure it is a factor. Football as a product between kickoff and the end gun is just not a good anymore. Too much tinkering by Goodell and co., too much saturation, I’d never stop watching football but I rarely watch on Thursday, it’s just too much to sit aside 3+ hours 2-3 times a week.

 

[DIAF]

You can cite polls and statistics all you want. The overwhelming majority of people tuning out is because of politics. It's undeniable and undebatable.
I don't know a single person that's boycotting for any other reason and I know many.
Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong while I literally laugh at you.

"Forget your actual verifiable year over year viewership and revenue figures and listen to my anecdote"

 

[DanteEXT]

Seems inevitable that the upward trend of ratings, revenue, popularity, etc. was going to plateau or even reverse course at some point for a variety of reasons, many of which were probably listed by Reality earlier in the thread.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think it's attention span. More people tune in for a few minutes and then tune out. Catch it on mobile phones, watch it later on NFL Channel etc.

 

[ROUSH8692]

It's down 8% this year as opposed to 7% last year. You want to grandstand on 1%?

Yes he does, and so do I, because the 7% was attributed, falsely, to the election and the attention it got. This was not the case.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Yes he does, and so do I, because the 7% was attributed, falsely, to the election and the attention it got. This was not the case.

Prove it. And if it was falsely attributed then what difference does that make?

 

[DFWJC]

Rating are down cuz the Playboy channel slashed its rates. Ahem, at least that what @waldoputty Told me. Lol

That explains it!

 

[Nova]

The NFL is just boring now.

The talent is just too diluted due to the cap and expansion teams.

To make the NFL interesting again, blow up the cap (at least for a few years) and get rid of the 4 poorest performing markets.

Let every team expand their teams 4 roster spots and let them draft all the players from those eliminated teams.

That would obviously never happen but would be great.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Down a few rating points or few fans boycotting, the NFL value comes down major networks and what they're willing to pay. Every few years the value of these contracts skyrocket ( $27 billion from the last one ) and that's leaving a player ( another network) or two on the sideline who didn't bid high enough or at all. As it stands now looks like they'll likely see more record-breaking numbers with next deal 2022.

http://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/nfl-due-changes-next-tv-contract.html

The NFL could be due for some changes in the next TV contract
Could we see one or two NFL packages go online in the next media rights contract?

CBSESPNFOXNBCNFLONLINE OUTLETSSTREAMINGTECHTURNERBy Ken Fang on 05/14/2017
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Since 2006, the NFL has been in a period of stability with its media partners. From television with CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and NFL Network (of course) to radio with Westwood One and satellite with DirecTV, the NFL has kept the same organizations in place.

From 1987 through 2006, the NFL had brought either brought on a new partner or changed networks in attempts to find new money and play them off one another. Let’s go over the changes:

• 1987 — Created an eight-game Sunday Night package and went to cable for the first time by bringing ESPN on board
• 1990 — Expanded the Sunday Night package to a full season by awarding TNT the first half of the season while ESPN kept the second half.
• 1993 — Fox is awarded the NFC package after CBS had been the network dating back to the 1950’s.
• 1998 — CBS comes back to the NFL by buying NBC’s AFC package. ESPN takes the full season of Sunday Night Football and TNT is out.
• 2006 — NBC returns to the NFL by taking Sunday Night Football, making it the premier primetime package. Monday Night Football goes to ESPN after being on ABC since 1970. NFL creates an eight-game Thursdaay Night Football package for NFL Network which would become 13 games in 2013 and 16 in 2015.

 

[ROUSH8692]

Prove it. And if it was falsely attributed then what difference does that make?

I dont have to prove it, the fact that it is at 8% this year proves it lol

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I dont have to prove it, the fact that it is at 8% this year proves it lol

1% is a statistically insignificant difference. You have proven nothing and your assertion is as of this point discarded.

 

[shabazz]

The NFL is just boring now.

The talent is just too diluted due to the cap and expansion teams.

To make the NFL interesting again, blow up the cap (at least for a few years) and get rid of the 4 poorest performing markets.

Let every team expand their teams 4 roster spots and let them draft all the players from those eliminated teams.

That would obviously never happen but would be great.

No doubt, as someone recently noted the rules changes have emasculated the game. Other interior and exterior gestures have forever changed how the game and players are viewed. Future ratings and sales will bear this out. Pretty sad when a guy with the talents of Devin Hester will no longer be relevant in the NFL because of kickoff rule changes among other things.

 

[ROUSH8692]

1% is a statistically insignificant difference. You have proven nothing and your assertion is as of this point discarded.

What about the other 7% ? Lmao.

There is no election this year and it stayed consistent. Do you know how to read?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

What about the other 7% ? Lmao.

There is no election this year and it stayed consistent. Do you know how to read?

Again, you have yet to prove causation much less quantified it. I know you want to credit all of the decrease last year to the election but TV ratings have been going down for years.

I know how to read just fine. You need to keep up with the argument so I don't have to repeat myself and learn about the context.

 

[haleyrules]

I think it's attention span. More people tune in for a few minutes and then tune out. Catch it on mobile phones, watch it later on NFL Channel etc.

The on field product is simply not that good any more. The owners have taken most of the defense out of the game. Parity is killing the sport along with Free Agency and far too much money and greed. People aren't fools. Teams can't keep fan favourites. Players and owners only interested in self promotion. Money..Money...Money.

 

[diefree666]

Tipping point. Sometimes you cannot identify it until years afterwards.

Clearly the NFL despite the best tries of some shills here is in trouble. They know it. Their entire structure is founded on GROWTH. It is no longer growing. The attempts to make American football popular overseas has been a miserable failure in most areas. Other revenue streams have not been shown to be successful.

Despite the article posted earlier there will be no large increase in the next NFL contract for the simple reason the Networks will not be able to afford it. Ad revenue is down. Across the board. Not likely to change. The Networks up to this point could rob Peter to pay Paul by cutting costs in other areas and concentrating on sports and the NFL as the most reliable ratings attractions. that is no longer possible.

Most of the Networks are currently losing money. And some gomers think the golden goose has no end. Well it does.

The only place the NFL can now go that has new money is those companies like Netflix and others.

That means in the end pay to play. For us it means pay to watch. The slow but certain end to watching the NFL free. No more broadcast games; only on cable, sat or streaming.

 

[diefree666]

I think Reality pretty much hit on every factor behind the decline. Those that keep trying to claim disgust and disappointment with the NFL is not the primary factor are delusional. Sure streaming is a factor but not that big of one yet. The great majority of those cutting the cord and streaming are NOT NFL viewers.

As several have pointed out everything has a peak. Baseball had it decades ago; the NBA arguably the 80's and 90's. Hockey- well questionable if it every had one really; and its now virtually a minor sport a lot of that due to the joint stupidity of both owners and players. The NFL has probably peaked as well.