The NFL's ratings crisis

Don't forget that shrinking ratings are not just for the NFL -- it's all broadcast and cable TV. The biggest prime time hits today get ratings that would've earned cancellation 25 years ago. As long as the NFL gets ratings that are strong compared to other programs rather than in terms of absolute numbers, they will not lose too much in broadcast rights because whenever the contract comes due, one of the networks is last in the ratings, and the NFL will be a quick if expensive fix.

 

I've given up on the NFL become unwatchable to me.
I was once a big fan; however, the rule changes, the increase in replay and other stoppages, the dumbing down of the product in the pursuit of a larger audience - these things have driven me away.
Why I think you, as a current NFL fan, should be concerned about declining ratings is because you should expect more of the same.

Expect more artificial inflation of offense at the expense of the overall quality of the game.
Expect more dumb, pro-wrestling type hype.
Expect louder yet blander 'analysis.'
Expect less interesting games wrapped up in more packaging.

 

Oh, Twitter or some service will offer $20 billion to stream Wednesday night games, and the money will somehow keep pouring in.

 

Are the ratings for Red Zone available?

 

There's no defending the Shield. College football is better for so many reasons. Am I missing any?

1. College football has tons of great rivalries: The best the NFL has is...Giants/Eagles.
2. College football is fine with a nearly eight-month offseason...The NFL is around so much, it needs a restraining order. The Draft was better before it was a three-day mini-series. The schedule was better before dreadful Thursday Night games.
3. Alabama, USC and Texas wear classic uniforms. The NFL spent over two decades ruining too many uniforms to count (Browns, Eagles, Jaguars, Rams, Cardinals, Bengals, Dolphins).
4. In college football, spring games are an excuse to give child cancer patients (see: Nebraska a few years ago) the thrill of a lifetime...NFL teams treat preseason games as excuses to charge fans full price for tickets, parking and concessions.
5. In college football, Michigan fans revolted against an NFL-inspired atmosphere – Beyonce, jet flyovers, jock jams/rock. In the NFL, that's called "the gameday experience."
6. When an NFL team plays in a college stadium (the Vikings at the Gophers' home field, the Rams at the Coliseum), its kind of cool...When a college team plays in an NFL stadium (Syracuse at MetLife, Pitt at Heinz), it kills the atmosphere.
7. In college football, The 12th Man (Texas A&M) is original. In the NFL (Seattle Seahawks), it's copyright infringement.

 

Sounds like colleges should be paying their players if it is such a better game.

 

1. Are the Eagles even the Giants' biggest rival? I thought it was the Cowboys. You missed quite a few, such as Steelers-Ravens and Packers-Bears.
2. You are free to ignore the stuff you don't care about.
3. Yawn. Who cares? If you are watching for the uniforms, you are doing something wrong.
4. Spring games are a glorified practice. This is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
5. Again, who cares? This has nothing to do with the quality of the game.
6. The NFL in college stadiums is far more rare. Yet another comparison that is not apples-to-apples. To address one of your examples, a big part of what Pitt lost with home games at Heinz Field is that the stadium is no longer on campus. It makes a big difference when your students can walk to the games.
7. Is it copyright infringement when fans wave towels at games, too?

To each his or her own. I prefer the game that has better players.

 

I like the one where the players get paid.

OOP and I must be the only NFL fans around.

 

1. Pats vs. the rest, Steelers vs. Ravens and/or Bengals, KC vs. Oakland are as good as anything in CFB.
2. I take it you don't follow recruiting and/or the Signing Day hoopla?
3. That's dictated by the equipment providers and/or teams. And it's creeping into CFB more and more. See this weekend's Arkansas Razorbacks uniform designed to honor Jerry Jones.
4. Yeah, preseason games suck. So does having to "donate" $10,000 every season to get good CFB tickets.
5. Yes, we never see flyovers or hear jock jams at CFB games. Never ever.
6. I'm not sure how that's a slight against the NFL. If anything, it's one against CFB fans. And given the atmosphere we saw in Atlanta's new stadium on opening CFB weekend, it's not true either.
7. The 12th Man didn't originate with A&M, they just popularized it.

 

I think college games are clearly more fun to attend. Even if only for the tailgating/ambience/female scenery factors.

 

I enjoy college well enough and I covered it. My son, who is 8, especially loves it.

But it's the JV.

 

Women in sundresses and cowboy boots are always a good choice.