Does the NFL have a problem?

[Valuist]

There was some exciting games last weekend, but I hear after two weeks, TV ratings are down. No Peyton Manning.....Brady is suspended. But they have other issues: big market teams that are not only bad, but boring and bad. The Rams, the Bears, the Niners, the Cowboys (yes, Prescott isn't as good as the media makes one think), and the Dokphins. Yeah, the Eagles are 2-0 but beating the Browns and Bears doesn't prove too much.

[barn32]

Originally Posted by Valuist

There was some exciting games last weekend, but I hear after two weeks, TV ratings are down. No Peyton Manning.....Brady is suspended. But they have other issues: big market teams that are not only bad, but boring and bad. The Rams, the Bears, the Niners, the Cowboys (yes, Prescott isn't as good as the media makes one think), and the Dokphins. Yeah, the Eagles are 2-0 but beating the Browns and Bears doesn't prove too much.

Boycott the NFL (as many are) until that ass**** stands up for the National Anthem.

[barahona44]

Originally Posted by Valuist

There was some exciting games last weekend, but I hear after two weeks, TV ratings are down. No Peyton Manning.....Brady is suspended. But they have other issues: big market teams that are not only bad, but boring and bad. The Rams, the Bears, the Niners, the Cowboys (yes, Prescott isn't as good as the media makes one think), and the Dokphins. Yeah, the Eagles are 2-0 but beating the Browns and Bears doesn't prove too much.

Two things NFL teams don't do anymore:
1) The vertical passing game
2) Run the ball.

Everything is safe 5 yard passes and 'ball security', so runners don't run with the same abandon as in days of old.And can't anybody run block anymore?

The sameness of offensive game plans throughout the league has turned a spicy pizza into a bowl of oatmeal.And if fantasy football starts to decline in interest, the NFL will also start to see similar declines.

They're hardly going out of business but the glory days of the very recent past may be behind them.

[_______]

NFL viewership is now down to levels that any other entity would kill to achieve.

Monday nights game had the lowest viwership since 2011. And absolutely dominated it's time slot. How do you think the NHL would feel about achieving 1/2 the audience the NFL got Monday night? Or any new TV show?

Just trying to place some perspective on the "decline" in viewership.

I suspect the rollover (if that's what it is. It's a small sample) has more to do with people cutting the cord than any political stance or lack of star power. If it happens, it will leave the NFL as a dominant TV force for decades.

What is amazing is that you have a product that has steadily increased viewership. Where else besides the NFL has TV viewership increased so much for so long?

[JustRalph]

So many teams suck!

It's a battle of attrition every season now. They finally reached the point where the game is so violent the players can't hold up anymore.

By week 13 there are so many injured players the 3rd stringers are playing

[NJ Stinks]

If I wasn't in a pool that includes all games each week where one must predict who is going to cover, I wouldn't have spent 5 minutes watching the NE/Houston game last night.

Of course, if I could legally bet - like if I lived in Nevada - I would be a lot more interested each week. But I have no strong must have interest these days in using a bookie or looking for somebody to bet with head to head without any juice. Because the truth is that I prefer playing the horses on Sunday afternoon and checking the NFL scoreboard when I feel like it.

Anyway, IMO the college football game has been much more entertaining than the NFL for many years now.

[Robert Fischer]

I'll go ahead and take a contrarian (to this thread's flow).

NFL is doing fine.

Any MNF metrics from Eagles and Bears should be expected to be on the low side. They are nice markets, but aside from fantasy and gambling, (and geeks such as myself wondering about Carson Wentz's potential), was not a must-see game.

May be totally unrelated, but I find it semi-interesting = the way people watch is gradually shifting as well. More viewers are catching games while multi-tasking and 'streaming' a feed on their mobile device. It seems that sports bars/restaurants are thriving with cheap transportation such as Uber expanding the options of patrons. Things are in flux.


The NFL has some risk of losing control of the players, with Kaepernick being the first in a while to place his beliefs in front of his (money) job security and sponsorship. That risk remains near-zero, as everyone else likes not being blackballed, and having contract extensions and sponsorship, more than they like politics.

Overall, it has turned out pretty well overall.
Kaepernick's jersey is selling better than the MVP candidate's jersey. People can't stop talking about the NFL and the anthem.
It is NOT all good, and it is an increased risk to the very sponsorship that drives the league, but it has actually generated revenue streams and social media coverage thus far this season.

NFL is thriving.

[ReplayRandall]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

I'll go ahead and take a contrarian (to this thread's flow).

NFL is doing fine.

Any MNF metrics from Eagles and Bears should be expected to be on the low side. They are nice markets, but aside from fantasy and gambling, (and geeks such as myself wondering about Carson Wentz's potential), was not a must-see game.

May be totally unrelated, but I find it semi-interesting = the way people watch is gradually shifting as well. More viewers are catching games while multi-tasking and 'streaming' a feed on their mobile device. It seems that sports bars/restaurants are thriving with cheap transportation such as Uber expanding the options of patrons. Things are in flux.


The NFL has some risk of losing control of the players, with Kaepernick being the first in a while to place his beliefs in front of his (money) job security and sponsorship. That risk remains near-zero, as everyone else likes not being blackballed, and having contract extensions and sponsorship, more than they like politics.

Overall, it has turned out pretty well overall.
Kaepernick's jersey is selling better than the MVP candidate's jersey. People can't stop talking about the NFL and the anthem.
It is NOT all good, and it is an increased risk to the very sponsorship that drives the league, but it has actually generated revenue streams and social media coverage thus far this season.

NFL is thriving.

I liked your post RF, but I wouldn't say it's thriving any longer. Other posters have given opinions that the NFL has peaked. I agree with them, as the NFL will continue to slide as long as Roger Goodell is Commish.....It's a simple fix, the owners need to fire Goodell, he's a buffoon....I don't need to give any detail, as anyone who's followed the game in the last 3 years, knows exactly what I'm talking about.

[Robert Fischer]

agreed, time for a new commish

[Secondbest]

The ratings for the Sunday 1 and 4 games have not declined. It's the Sunday night and Monday night games which are down. Last week was worse than the week before.Ithink it's just too much too watch from 1 until 12. Just burnout after 2 day games. I know that I watch
Less than I used to.
.

[MutuelClerk]

More commercials should do it. The game is slow, boring. The NFL pretending to care about their players has hurt it too. All the flags. The only thing saving it is fantasy football. Thank god for the redzone tv.

[Jess Hawsen Arown]

There are more gambling options. The game became the "fan" favorite when gamblers decided it was the best game to gamble on.

On opening day, Draft Kings had a $3 game where you could win a million bucks. I played and finished in 108,000th place. Yes, those are the right amount of zeroes. And guess what -- that was good enough to win $7!

While winning $7 is nothing to brag about, can you imagine any other gambling opportunity where you are beaten by over 100000 players -- and win money?

[_______]

Originally Posted by Jess Hawsen Arown

There are more gambling options. The game became the "fan" favorite when gamblers decided it was the best game to gamble on.

On opening day, Draft Kings had a $3 game where you could win a million bucks. I played and finished in 108,000th place. Yes, those are the right amount of zeroes. And guess what -- that was good enough to win $7!

While winning $7 is nothing to brag about, can you imagine any other gambling opportunity where you are beaten by over 100000 players -- and win money?

Betting to show on a horse that finishes first in the Derby?

I dropped out of Fan Duel/Draft Kings last year when news broke that they provided data to big bettors not available to run of the mill players. The vig is bad enough. The fact that whales are analyzing player trends and building multi-ticket plays with lesser used players was enough for me to decide I couldn't beat it given the effort I was willing to put in.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by barn32

Boycott the NFL (as many are) until that ass**** stands up for the National Anthem.

Wonder if that has an effect? ESPN radio this morning was blaming lower ratings on QB play, No Brady, Rodgers struggling, no more Peyton, and 2nd and 3rd stringers starting. Of course ESPN is far left and would probably fire anyone who said players disrespecting the flag caused people to tune out.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by Jess Hawsen Arown

There are more gambling options. The game became the "fan" favorite when gamblers decided it was the best game to gamble on.

On opening day, Draft Kings had a $3 game where you could win a million bucks. I played and finished in 108,000th place. Yes, those are the right amount of zeroes. And guess what -- that was good enough to win $7!

While winning $7 is nothing to brag about, can you imagine any other gambling opportunity where you are beaten by over 100000 players -- and win money?

I don't play or much understand Fantasy Football, could you have bet $300 and won $700 under the same circumstances?