One of the big problems is not being able to relate to a team. Outside of the QB and maybe one or two other players, the rosters turn over every year.
OT: Is NFL viewership in a downward spiral?
- Thread starter GeorgeStreet
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I don't mind that. It's like that in every sport including college sports. For me, the amount of commercials during a televised football game is completely absurd. My kids play soccer and have gotten into watching MLS and EPL. I've been watching it with them and, despite having no soccer background to speak of, I find the games much more enjoyable to watch than an American football game. Add to that the prevailing scumbag Persona of football, even at the Pop Warner level (see Edison's Mighty Mites for example), and it is really starting to feel embarrassing to care about football at all.
Bingo. The claim is that the NFL is exciting and fast. In reality, about 13 minutes of the 3.25 hours of TV time are actual plays. The over 3 hours of TV and walking around on the field can get tiresome. Thank you Tivo.
Totally agree. Add in disrespecting the National Anthem and Flag for ignorant political reasons based on lies and the NFL will have me recording only the Eagles and skipping the commercials. And even that might not last forever.
I stopped watching NFL regularly long ago, not related to anything going on now though. Reading some of the posts in this thread makes me wonder if you can take for granted that in the future sports will be as "dvr proof" as they had been in the past. I think it'll still likely be the best content to capture a live audience but will it be as rock solid as the past?
I think football fans as a class are more conservative then the average American, particularly fans who are fanatical enough to want Sunday Ticket. So I'm not surprised that the person handling Caliknight's call said there had been other cancellations for the same reason.
I think there are many reasons why people seem turned off to the NFL, and that the protests are probably a relatively small factor. Keep in mind that everyone here is primarily a college football fan, and watching games both Saturday and Sunday leaves little time for actually living life.
I think there are many reasons why people seem turned off to the NFL, and that the protests are probably a relatively small factor. Keep in mind that everyone here is primarily a college football fan, and watching games both Saturday and Sunday leaves little time for actually living life.
There is also a whole lot of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) going on in social media:
Dinner and painting classes.
Pumkin/apple picking.
Spartan racing.
Music festivals.
Craft beer festivals.
Food trucks.
Rock climbing.
Mountain climbing.
Trips to Europe.
Religious trips.
Cruises.
New movies.
Haunted houses.
Get into shape (Crossfit, Zumba, etc.).
Museums.
Brazilian Jujitsu.
Retreats (religious).
Political activism.
I haven't even mentioned kids activities yet.
There is just so much stuff competing for time and money these days and social media is really a game changer. It's opening eyes up to different new experiences and it allows us to make plans with friends with similar interests.
Dinner and painting classes.
Pumkin/apple picking.
Spartan racing.
Music festivals.
Craft beer festivals.
Food trucks.
Rock climbing.
Mountain climbing.
Trips to Europe.
Religious trips.
Cruises.
New movies.
Haunted houses.
Get into shape (Crossfit, Zumba, etc.).
Museums.
Brazilian Jujitsu.
Retreats (religious).
Political activism.
I haven't even mentioned kids activities yet.
There is just so much stuff competing for time and money these days and social media is really a game changer. It's opening eyes up to different new experiences and it allows us to make plans with friends with similar interests.
o_O.I'm ok with varying opinion and thoughts about the kneeling and the National Anthem but the bolded is about as scary as it gets in this country..
disagree, twitter and other social media was on fire when RG opined and approved of the protests. I haven't really watched a game on tv yet this year and I was beyond diehard Steelers fan to include several game played articles of clothing, cleats, etc etc. I simply will not watch now
I think I said it in this thread earlier, if not another. The protests and general attitude/behavior of the players is part of it. Not the biggest part of it. The biggest challenge the NFL has is how people view now. Devices are fast over taking traditional network television. Network advertising as compared to online is dollars to cents. With more people viewing truncated versions of games/highlights on their devices, it is clear that the NFL has a huge problem. Their revenue model is already changing. They sure squeezed every cent out of it they could along they way though.
To protest point though, that has to be factored into the equation. People tune into sports to get away from this stuff, particularly when there are opposing views on what is really happening around this issue.
The NFL actually promoting this turned a lot of people off.
Soccer is so much more eye pleasing. The game flows, and it takes the amount of time a person typically is able to focus on something- 2 hours. Now that they have figured out a better way to monetize it (streaming ads during the game), it is so much better. The MLS isn't among the best leagues in the world, but it is definitely getting a lot better. Viewership is on the rise, as the NFL falls.
Is it really their right to protest on work time? I am not sure that is true. At best it up for debate, though in most any other profession, that would be considered highly unacceptable.
What is more absurd is the people who are mystified at the people exercising their clear right to not watch it.
agree that this is part of it but to the extent we are seeing. I know so many people that simply are so turned off by the NFL over the constant rule changes that have changed the game, the political nonsense, the showboating, the salaries but the anthem thing really is like the wave over the wall for some; myself included.
Not as scary as your hyperbole and ignorance on the subject.
"Hands up don't shoot" - proven lie.
People absolutely have their choice to watch. What gets me is that those people didn't choose to stop watching when murders, rapes and other things as such were happening.
You do have a point about the workplace but it then leads to ask why the National Anthem is played at their workplace. It's not played at mine...
That my friend, is where you are wrong. Have you raised black sons? I'm not going to get into details but I have experienced this situation first hand. Please don't talk to me about ignorance of the subject.
The Anthem thing is a fair question, but it is played. It is to be respected. If it wasn't, then it wouldn't be an issue. But it is.
As to the rapist/murders, I think it is accumulative. I have been growing disinterested more and more every year. In large part because there are a lot of bad dudes in that league, and I don't mean that in a good way. I have been around a number of them over the years, as I know you have. This isn't a secret.
The anthem thing just pushed it over the top, and it wasn't just the players demonstrating, it was also how the league handled it.
Football is entertainment, no different than anything else. Once it stops being entertaining, for any reason, then it stops being what it is supposed to. I have walked out of movies I thought sucked and I can turn off a football game (as long as RU isn't playing, that is emotional, lol) without a second thought.
The protests just happen to be about racism.
I think perhaps you're a little too close to the situation to be unbiased.
What if this protest was anti-porn in nature and its negative effects on men and society as whole?
Wouldn't you think the whole thing out of place?
I mean, my kids aren't old enough to really explain the problems of racism just yet. However, my eldest is old enough to see players sitting out the anthem and question why.
It's a rather awkward topic I would have preferred to tackle when he was quite a bit more mature.
I think perhaps you're a little too close to the situation to be unbiased.
What if this protest was anti-porn in nature and its negative effects on men and society as whole?
Wouldn't you think the whole thing out of place?
I mean, my kids aren't old enough to really explain the problems of racism just yet. However, my eldest is old enough to see players sitting out the anthem and question why.
It's a rather awkward topic I would have preferred to tackle when he was quite a bit more mature.
Road House? Like, with Patrick Swayze? As in "it's just pain and pain don't hurt"?
If the protest was anti-porn, we'd have to kill the protesters. I mean, there would be no choice, really.
And what negative effects on men and society as a whole?
It was just an example of another controversial topic that is rarely spoken about.
Not gonna derail the thread though. Just google "porn addiction" and "side effects" if you're really interested.
Exactly. Once free agency started roster turnover, I was done. Soo much better when guys like Carson, Taylor, Jeter, Van Pelt, played their whole career on your defense. Now, they come and go and you're rooting for the color of the Jersey and little more.
Also, too many penalties in the NFL. They need to amend the pass interference rule.
so are you saying that you have to raise black sons to have an educated opinion on the matter?
In his defense, I get frustrated with folks who comment on parenting in general who have no kids so I kind of sympathize, FWIW...
I'm sorry, but I have *never* been able to get into soccer. To me, it's a bunch of folks running around, and then someone makes a mistake and a team scores.
That's exactly how I used to feel, and I dressed varsity for a team that was a state cup contender when I was in HS.
There are few games as player focused as soccer. [Edit]: Off the top of my head, baseball is similar.
Meaning you must know the capabilities of the players in order to enjoy the drama.
Sort of like if you don't know who Larry Fitzgerald and Richard Sherman are, it's hard to appreciate the match-up.
Except you need to know all 11 on both teams...
That is no more true than it is in American football. Only in soccer the action is constant and the flowing. There are incredible plays being made every game at the highest level.
I used to discount soccer until I had the opportunity to watch a US England match from the field. I was amazed at the speed, skill, and physicality of the sport. The bs acting stuff gets annoying (mostly done by Mexicans/Central/So. Americans and a few select Euros) but is being phased out of the game.
Soccer is an incredible sport of skill, speed, and physicality at its highest level.
I think if soccer started scoring goals as 10 points each, it would make Americans more interested.
I was responding about someone saying I was ignorant on the subject. It would equate to a poster on SN explains the mechanics of throwing a 15 yard out pass to an NFL QB. One could have an 'educated' opinion and one actually experiences it. One's theory and opinion does not override a person who deel with it first hand.
I have actually raised white sons and black sons of similar age. It gives me a pretty good perspective of racism.
The kneeling during the National Anthem is something Americans have every right not to like. To say the issue is based on lies is ignorance.
I am just waiting for the day when America's most agile and athletic people devote themselves to soccer instead of football. It is going to be a complete Bloodbath on the world stage when America clicks it on.
There's no way around it. Football is going to be greatly marginalized in the next 50 years.
There's no way around it. Football is going to be greatly marginalized in the next 50 years.
We sit around for three and a half hours to watch the ball in play for 11 minutes of that time. The rest of the time is spent watching commercials and Huddle's where we are bombarded with promos for network television.
I think part of it for me, Cali, is that soccer is a continuous-flow sport. In baseball and football, you can think along with the coaches and players about, say, what pitch should be thrown next or whether the next play should be a pass or a run. Even in basketball, there is the gap after each basket in which one can think about what the team on offense should do next. Soccer lacks that for me -- but possibly this is just because I don't know what I'm really looking at when I see a soccer match. I don't see plays develop the way I do in other sports.
You took me much too seriously. I was attempting to be funny, but apparently failed once again. :)
Like almost any sport, the more one knows about the tactics and strategies and individual skills involved, the more one can appreciate the sport. I can watch the same 0-0 result, but well-coached and well-played, soccer match repeatedly. Where a person w/little knowledge of the game would be bored to tears by that same game.
There is the continuous display of artistry in the players ability to control the ball. There is the delicious precision with which players recognize the cues for and then execute various combination plays (e.g. wall-passes, overlaps, take-overs), or execute various small and large group tactics, both offensive and defensive, throughout the game. There is the brilliance of eleven players working together to realize the strategic vision of the coach for that particular match.
Soccer is actually very formulaic and there are many repeating patterns. Some of the patterns are fairly coarse and most people recognize them (sometimes incorrectly). But the best are more subtle and will be completely missed, even sometimes by people who have played the game. A great deal of what's great about soccer is stuff that happens away from the ball.
I've been saying this for years.. the NFL is ruining it's own product. I think it's fair to say everyone, sans the owners, hates Roger Goodell. I also think the NFL is just a joke, pretending to care about domestic abuse/players safety and their arbitrary rulings/fines. I am a die hard EPL fan, 2 hours for the game, very rarely longer (tournament matches).. so enjoyable. The NFL its just all commercials to me. A typical series of events. Touchdown- Commercial- Kickoff (which sucks now)-Commercial- Drive- Commercial Sprinkle in flags and timeouts/ reviews. Why? Defense is almost impossible to play..did anyone watch the Cardinals game last Monday? The amount of flags thrown was absurd, it's not fun to watch and provides no continuity to the game. I basically watch NFL because of Fantasy Football, if it wasn't for that I would watch the Giants games and be done.
Many reasons given in this thread all contribute to lower viewership.
I think a number of them such as penalties, commercial breaks, player movement and overexposure have all greatly contributed.
But mostly, society is simply changing. All you have to do is watch how people drive and go about their business. Everybody is running around 100 mph. We live in a different world than when my Dad sat down for a Sunday of football and was treated like a king by my stay-at-home mom. Life in America has been changing rapidly for the past 20 years but I sense lately (the past five years) that things have been accelerated.
How many homeowners with families don't have at least 1/4 of the season disrupted by weddings, funerals, religious activities and other obligations? We are going into November and I have had two Sunday's where there wasn't some place I had to be at or some obligation I have had to fulfill. And with DVR, my wife is totally unsympathetic to me staying home.
Sunday football is going the way of family dinners.
I think a number of them such as penalties, commercial breaks, player movement and overexposure have all greatly contributed.
But mostly, society is simply changing. All you have to do is watch how people drive and go about their business. Everybody is running around 100 mph. We live in a different world than when my Dad sat down for a Sunday of football and was treated like a king by my stay-at-home mom. Life in America has been changing rapidly for the past 20 years but I sense lately (the past five years) that things have been accelerated.
How many homeowners with families don't have at least 1/4 of the season disrupted by weddings, funerals, religious activities and other obligations? We are going into November and I have had two Sunday's where there wasn't some place I had to be at or some obligation I have had to fulfill. And with DVR, my wife is totally unsympathetic to me staying home.
Sunday football is going the way of family dinners.
Yuck. Don't sicken me with the thought of soccer becoming a viable sport or the MLS actually competing with the NFL. I'd rather watch paint dry than watch soccer. I'd rather watch a Lifetime Abused Women Movie marathon than watch soccer. I'd rather watch CNN discuss the election (yes, it's THAT bad) than watch soccer.
