General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAs we suspected. Trump had nothing to do with declining NFL ratings.
We see that now. And with the weak Trump ripple as a backdrop, it shows us something that cant be ignored: Team owners completely botched how they reacted to the president, largely because they were unprepared and unaccustomed to being shouted at by someone on a platform they couldnt crush with their own public-relations machine.
But Trumps megaphone created a frenzy inside the NFLs ownership collective. A fraternity that was not only clueless as to how to deal with Trump, but ended up cannibalizing itself by being strong-armed by a handful of members like the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones and Houston Texans Bob McNair who pushed for a harder line against players. Now we know the mistake for what it was: a panicked response to the tip of a political wave rather than a reasoned reaction to the underlying data that was driving ratings.
The rise and fall of the NFLs viewership tide is about the quality of the game. Is was always will be.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nfl-tv-ratings-study-shows-badly-league-handled-president-trump-004752836.html
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)duh! Commercial breaks,geese.
Thekaspervote
(32,606 posts)JI7
(89,182 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,085 posts)Thats basically all it is, except theyre just driving in a circle.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)You get to see what new car models people are driving these days, what food trucks are delivering, marvel at how some cars are still running despite literally being held together with duck tape, etc. That's entertainment.
NASCAR is more boring than that.
hatrack
(59,446 posts)Maybe viewers are protesting those who stand for the flag rather than kneel??? LOL.
Aristus
(66,096 posts)I do that just getting to work.
And if you think I'm minimizing the skill of NASCAR drivers, you've never seen traffic on I-5 at rush hour...
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)The games move slowly enough, but now it seems like every five minutes, another injured player is being walked/carried off the field. By week 8, half of every team's starters are on the IR list. It's fucking ridiculous.
If I wanted to see carnage, I'd watch an MMA match. Even those guys end up in better shape.
obamanut2012
(25,911 posts)You only occasionally have a really horrific injury. The small, lightly padded gloves are a big reason why.
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)Just imagine how badly hurt these guys would get and how poorly the quality of games would be.
It's bad enough they make them play on 3 days rest for Thursday night games.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)but I think they want to play the same over-all number of games - they just want to make 2 of the 4 pre-season games into real games.
Of course, that still adds damage to starters as most of the high-dollar players don't play much in pre-season.
I love football but I would be happy to see Thursday night FB go away. Sunday and Monday and Thanksgiving are just fine with me.
(by my avatar you can see I'm a Cowboys fan but I am not a Jerry Jones fan. I've been a Cowboys fan since the early 70s so I'm hoping to outlast him.)
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)Jones is thinking in dollar signs with no regard for his players short term or long term health.
It's tough for us true sports fans since most of the pro teams are owned by Republican businessmen. Dallas is one of the all-time great NFL franchises. It's a shame they're owned by such a radical right-wing nutbag.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)I have always detested him. I always will. I hope he burns in hell.
I cannot stand to see people maim and harm themselves permanently in the pursuit of "sport". NFL football wasn't like this when I started following it. It's all about "spectacle" now.
In 1975, an R-rated movie called Rollerball was released that predicted a future sport where horrific injuries could happen. That movie was considered outrageous in its day. No way that could ever happen. If you watch that movie today, you will truly wonder what the fuss was all about. It's just another Sunday in the NFL.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)It's an abomination. No team can recover in that time. They are risking not only their careers, but their lives.
obamanut2012
(25,911 posts)1. the hiring of Michael Vick built the coffin
2. the excuse of DV, rape, etc. put the lid on the coffin
3. the CTE coverup hammered the nails into the lid
BlueSpot
(851 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)and KC with Mahomes, wow.
And Drew Brees this year
And...
ProfessorGAC
(64,427 posts)The ratings for EVERYTHING went down some (the NFL less than many others) because they hadn't yet figured out how to measure people consuming the product in ways other than regular TV venues.
Now we've got Yahoo reporting their streaming service numbers, as is Hulu and Roku (and perhaps Sling) and we find out that just as many people are watching the popular things as they did before and it NEVER had anything to do with some silly boycott by "angry white people".
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,041 posts)1. Commercial barrages make it a test of endurance.
2. Substitute refs began the decline in "get it right". (The difference between a football game and a gang fight is the set of rules). Return of real refs didn't return consistent enforcement of the rules.
3. Chickenshit response to TrumPutin and chickenshit treatment of Kaepernick. Many players supported him; owners were cowards. A REAL President would have been the first to speak out in support of exercising one's 1st Amendment rights.
4. Roger Goodell has worked, and continues to work, to hide facts regarding brain injury.
I've been a fan of football since the days of Bart Starr.
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)Correct on all points.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)Too many horrific injuries.
Too many commercials.
The response to people exercising their First Amendment right is crazy.
I still follow football because I love it so much, but I am tired of all of this.
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)trump is trying to take credit for something that he plays no meaningful role in