Even John Harbaugh notes that the salary cap has lead to talent dilution because you have to pay your several stars and then you have to skimp on the rest.Is there a talent dilution though, or concentration? Obviously, some very good players have retired early, but not enough for a league wide effect, and I can't imagine the concussion research has reverberated through high schools and Pop Warner yet to have an impact on the pro ranks.
ESPN Goalline is more or less RedZone for college. If there isn't a compelling game on it's what I watch on Saturdays.I can't speak for anyone else, but I've had season tickets for about 25 years. For a solid 15 year period, I missed a total of one home game. Over the past 5 years, I'm averaging about 3 games a year (but it's not like my seats go unused), but I still consume football at an insane level. I'm just consuming it differently now. I no longer watch the most of the primetime games (except Pats games and a few other exceptions), but instead, I follow them online while watching/doing something else. During the non-Patriot Sunday block, I am glued to the Red Zone channel, and most everyone I know that used to watch football all day, is also watching Red Zone. I have no idea what their ratings are like, but I can't imagine they aren't taking a fairly sizeable chunk of the crowd that used to watch whatever game was on that Sunday. I think between the red zone channel, and the ability to follow the games in real time online, it explains a very big dip in the ratings for the games. Why watch Arizona/Seattle right now when the game stinks, and I can get immediate fantasy updates a million different ways, and frankly, at this point in the season, that's the only reason I care what happens between those two teams (and I'm guessing the non-fantasy playing, but instead betting public is along the same lines).
I think the concussion stuff, the national anthem stuff, the rules/no fun/penalties, etc. stuff is all window dressing. Sure, there are some folks out there that no longer will watch because of those things, but I think the vast majority of viewers they are losing are being lost to consumption in another way. I watch college football all day on Saturday the same way, except there is no Red Zone channel for that, so I have the app open on my TV, which allows me to keep a box open that tells me where every game is and what the score is, and I just click the game, and it takes me to that channel, and I'm following every other game online at the same time. The computer killed the television. The computer and the Red Zone channel.
Heh.I have to say I'm enjoying this Seahawks-Cardinals game (3-0 in 4th qtr). Both defenses are flying all over the field and making some tremendous plays. It's been a long time since I've seen a game like this where it's not a pass-happy track meet. It doesn't happen to the same degree in the NFL, but I'm tired of the 55-52 games you see in the Big 12 these days- that's not football. This is intense and it's fun to watch, even if it's sloppy from an offensive standpoint.
Much better this than a desultory 20-14 game between two mediocre teams.
The data I had seen showed the exact opposite in yearly trends, but I'm having a tough time sourcing where they got their info from as it doesn't match up with the PFR or ESPN data. I know that like MLB there is some discrepancy on butts in seats vs purchased tickets and I'm wondering if that other site used actual attendance vs sold seats? Either way the data was crap clearly, so thanks for clear data.If a trend is clear from the Pro Football Reference data set, it's that attendance has been slowly but steadily rising except for a slight decrease last year. But through the first six weeks of this year, that dip has already been overcome.
Could something similar be happening here? Is this a blip or a trend? Are changing viewing habits simply leading people to watch in different ways or is the vast smorgasbord of football on offer throughout the season finally starting to give viewers indigestion as the endless stream of action becomes a blur?
well... This isn't good
mulvihill79
Update on year to year NFL viewership through Week 7 Regionalized FOX: -1% CBS: -9% Non-Regionalized TNF: -18% SNF: -19% MNF: -24%
10/25/16, 10:09 AM
FTFYI couldn't be happier about the ratings decline. I really hope it changes their behavior and makes the game more watchable, like it used to be.
Goodell being summarily executed on national TV would be the cherry on top.
MNF is Bears-Vikings. Another great matchup!!I'm sure the Jags-Titans game in a couple of days will turn those TV numbers right around.
Hope it's a rematch of last year's "piss vs. water" showdown!Screw the game, I'm tuning in for the color rush uniforms! They add so much excitement to the game!
I don't know, maybe give them Gulden's mustard.Hope it's a rematch of last year's "piss vs. water" showdown!
Not arguing but curious- which changes would those be?I couldn't be happier about the ratings decline. I really hope it changes their behavior and makes the game more watchable, like it used to be.
Goodell being fired would be the cherry on top.
The thing about the color rush uniforms I don't get is that they're always described as a "money grab" by the NFL, an attempt to sell more jerseys or whatever. But seriously, who the fuck is actually buying these things? Has anyone here ever seen or heard of anyone ever actually purchasing or wearing a color rush jersey? I don't know if they release sales numbers, but I'd be amazed if they sell in any kind of significant numbers.Screw the game, I'm tuning in for the color rush uniforms! They add so much excitement to the game!
Yes. I bought one of the Pats' jerseys.The thing about the color rush uniforms I don't get is that they're always described as a "money grab" by the NFL, an attempt to sell more jerseys or whatever. But seriously, who the fuck is actually buying these things? Has anyone here ever seen or heard of anyone ever actually purchasing or wearing a color rush jersey?
It looks like you're wearing a Texans jersey then.Yes. I bought one of the Pats' jerseys.
I bought it as a gift.It looks like you're wearing a Texans jersey then.
Make commercial breaks for national games the standard length, not 1-2 minutes longer, eliminate TV timeouts, less commercials between extra points/kicks/turnovers/etc.Not arguing but curious- which changes would those be?
Right, just like Breast Cancer Awareness Month, another NFL scam:I bought it as a gift.
Also, 100% of the proceeds are supposed to go to the NFL Foundation, so it's not a straight cash grab.
Just the NFL sticking up for women once again! Let's all sell some pink gloves, jerseys and hats!According to data obtained from the NFL by Darren Rovell of ESPN, the NFL “takes a 25% royalty from the wholesale price (1/2 retail), [and] donates 90% of royalty to American Cancer Society.”
In other words, for every $100 in pink merchandise sold, $12.50 goes to the NFL. Of that, $11.25 goes to the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the NFL keeps the rest. The remaining money is then divided up by the company that makes the merchandise (37.5%) and the company that sells the merchandise (50.0%), which is often the NFL and the individual teams.
Then consider that only 71.2% of money the ACS receives goes towards research and cancer programs. After everyone has taken their cut, only 8.01% of money spent on pink NFL merchandise is actually going towards cancer research (emphasis mine).
You obviously have never changed a diaper of a teething baby.Hope it's a rematch of last year's "piss vs. water" showdown!
My son's piss-colored Blake Bortles shirt arrived today.Has anyone here ever seen or heard of anyone ever actually purchasing or wearing a color rush jersey?
Damn. That's child abuse.My son's piss-colored Blake Bortles shirt arrived today.
If they have too many sponsors, why do I see the same ads fifteen times a game, including back to back breaks ?Make commercial breaks for national games the standard length, not 1-2 minutes longer, eliminate TV timeouts, less commercials between extra points/kicks/turnovers/etc.
In theory if ratings go down, sponsors will pay less. There's too many sponsors now, so hopefully instead of 100 spots or whatever to fill, they have 75 and can sell the 75 for a premium rather than just diluting the product and the advertising with a million ads.
I have 0% hope of this happening but it'd make the paying sponsors more relevant and the games better to watch.
Interesting article in The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/the-nfl-is-becoming-more-disturbing-than-appealing-and-tv-viewers-are-tuning-out/2016/10/31/71466610-9f95-11e6-a44d-cc2898cfab06_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories-2_jenkins-0605pm:homepage/story
Author takes a position that the league has let marketing get in the way of the game. Resulting overemphasis on brand and shield have led to increasingly petty attention to discipline and uniformity. On the field this means more penalties and play stoppages (holding penalties and defensive pass interference have increased 43% and 45% respectively since 2011). Off the field bungled discipline issues are turning potential viewers off.
Selfishly I hope the increased media attention to declining ratings leads to the end of the Goodell era however I don't have much confidence that the owners would replace him with anyone significantly better.
5) Shoot Goodell in the head.So if you were the emperor of the NFL, how would you try to turn the ratings thing around?
My first moves would be to:
1) Change the pregame protocol so that players are in the locker room for the national anthem (impossible in real life for political reasons), and;
2) Simplify the catch rule so that there isn't a replay required for every catch/no-catch call
3) Loosen up the rules on pass defense so that PI and defensive holding aren't technically happening on every single play, and so that they are clearer to see/call when they do happen
4) Eliminate replay except during the last few minutes of a game, and make everything reviewable during that time
#1 is really dumb and has zero bearing on anything.So if you were the emperor of the NFL, how would you try to turn the ratings thing around?
My first moves would be to:
1) Change the pregame protocol so that players are in the locker room for the national anthem (impossible in real life for political reasons), and;
2) Simplify the catch rule so that there isn't a replay required for every catch/no-catch call
3) Loosen up the rules on pass defense so that PI and defensive holding aren't technically happening on every single play, and so that they are clearer to see/call when they do happen
4) Eliminate replay except during the last few minutes of a game, and make everything reviewable during that time
Agree with you on the national anthem, except I don't think it's infeasible. Start the anthem 10 minutes earlier and combine it with some super-awesome tribute to the troops, or first responders, or whatever. Have the players take the field at the end of the big patriotic celebration, then move straight to the coin toss, then the kickoff. I'd go to great lengths to stop my players from using work time to make a political protest that hurts my business.So if you were the emperor of the NFL, how would you try to turn the ratings thing around?
My first moves would be to:
1) Change the pregame protocol so that players are in the locker room for the national anthem (impossible in real life for political reasons), and;
2) Simplify the catch rule so that there isn't a replay required for every catch/no-catch call
3) Loosen up the rules on pass defense so that PI and defensive holding aren't technically happening on every single play, and so that they are clearer to see/call when they do happen
4) Eliminate replay except during the last few minutes of a game, and make everything reviewable during that time