The NFL 2016 Season

Thats a tough one for us Lions fans. A loss by GB really helps solidify Detroit’s grip on the division but a loss by Seattle moves the Lions into the #2 seed and they still have a shot at GB later on. Hmmm, perhaps we should root for a tie?

Maybe, maybe not. We have quite a few sacks this year, but have struggled to get pressure the last couple of weeks. Maybe that will be better with Bennett having a game under his belt, who knows. Carolina also kept a ton of guys in to protect, which GB won’t. And let’s face it, GB has a MUCH better QB.

I always root for the tie, in every NFL game. Just because it’s so dumb that it still exists.

So figured I’d watch a little MNF even though it’s not the best teams…I turned it off after 15 minutes when the Colts scored their second TD with the Jets D looking like the Three Stooges started a football team. Just embarrassing to watch.

Pretty easy to see why ratings are down. MNF was a terrible game and Sunday Night was also a terrible game. There are just too many bad games, too many low-scoring close games. And it’s on too much. Thursday night. Sunday morning London games. Sunday afternoon. Sunday night. Monday night. And then talking heads talking football all week long on the sports channels. It’s too much.

That much I agree with, especially Thursdays, but there have been tons of close games this year.

I think this is a big part of it. Oversaturation of the product has diluted its watchability. It used to be that Sundays were for football and there were 2 exceptions, one Monday Night game that was usually a marquee match up and Thanksgiving day games. Now its on 3 nights a week plus the usual sunday afternoon and late afternoon games. There is no longer anything special about Monday Night Football and Thursday is a joke and should be eliminated.
They need to get back to what made them great in the first place.

Yeah, making Sunday night ostensibly the premiere game of the week instead of Monday was a mistake, IMO. MNF was a big tradition. Now it’s just another game.

And the worst part about football every Thursday is that it no longer feels special on Thanksgiving.

It’s all about money, of course. They got a bit greedy and have diluted the product as a result.

Yes, and if I watched football on Sunday already, I’m a bit fatigued of it by the time Sunday night rolls around. MNF was an event. The players liked it too. Now, like you say, it’s just another game.

One of the problems is they have five different networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network) showing games now, and there are only so many premium games to go around. A lot of the prime time games end up being dogs.

I am not sold on any one reason as to why NFL ratings are down.

Cord cutters are obviously a factor, but the ratings being so markedly down this year? I don’t think its all because a lot of people are dropping providers. Although I do think that is the primary reason.

Over saturation is a problem. Thursday, Sunday, Monday. Thursday games being generally worse than the other games in terms of competition. That is a problem. The NFL needs to get rid of the Thursday games.

Also, I do think politics is a problem for the NFL. As in, most NFL fans are center-right and things like players boycotting the anthem and ESPN’s hard left turn over the last few years don’t help ratings.

Cordcutting has probably taken some viewers away too. I don’t even know what channel the games are on anymore. Can only watch the prime time games because I have Verizon on my phone.

Since I moved to California, I go to reddit.com/r/nflstreams and struggle to find a good, stable stream of the Patriots game, all the while cursing the NFL because I’d gladly pay them some reasonable about of money to see the game in quality HD, but they remain stuck in the 70’s.

Fuck those guys.

If most cord cutter who watch football are like me, they have a decent antenna for OTA signals and watch their local teams in HD. I havent missed a game this season. Im sure cord cutting has made a dent but theres an easy solution for that. OTA.

As far as politics, Olaf, I think youre allowing your regionality and personal politics show. I dont believe that most NFL fans are center-right. Although you would probably be correct that there are less football fans at the far left, I dont think that demographic has changed much nor affected viewing in a substantial way. Most of the rabid football fans I know are either left or center. Im sure most of the football fans you know are right or center. Now players boycotting the anthem would probably affect those right wing fans but has it really been enough to get them to walk away from football? I will say that politics has likely had a larger affect in viewership this year as opposed to others simply because of the hotly contested national elections and the fallout from those elections.

Like you said there isnt one single reason for the drop in viewer ship this season, its a combination of things. IMHO oversaturation is the biggest issue for the NFL.

NFL fans do indeed average center-right, to about the same degree as Pro Bull Riding fans do. Then again, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from political affiliation, because in the case of sports, I’d expect demographics are a much stronger indicator than politics; e.g. the NBA’s fanbase is more Democratic-voting than the US average because it’s more black than the US average, and I suspect monster truck fans lean slightly Democrat because, at the time the chart was made in 2012, the white working class leaned slightly Democrat.

Personally, I don’t have cable so Monday Night Football is generally a no-go for me. Plus, I often end up having to work late enough on weeknights that I’d end up missing a pretty sizable chunk of that and TNF. I do sometimes catch the tail end on the radio on my commute home, however.

The whole anthem thing is a bit baffling to me. I love the sport, but there are few things I could genuinely care less about than what the players do during that.

Yep. I dont get the outrage over that. Its their constitutional right to express their views by kneeling or what ever during the anthem. I find the outrage over people exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest far more disturbing than the posturing of some over entitled athletes. The funny thing is, ignore it and it goes away, screaming and railing about it only validates it and gives it life.

I love sports, and I love the USA, but I don’t understand why they play the national anthem at all at sporting events. It’s not a governmental event, and I don’t see the relationship between men running around chasing a ball and patriotism. The addition of military themes is even more grating.

Heck, they do it before every concert at my local symphony. Some people like it, and then at that point it’s a tradition you’re stuck with.

I’ll take the anthem over the Lord’s Prayer before every game.

<- grew up in the south

Just a reminder, there’s a hugely important game tonight for the Chiefs and Raiders in their division. This will likely determine who gets in through this division with a bye and who gets in as a wild card.

Come on Chiefs!

So I’m really happy that this is going to be on NBC. They definitely have my favorite commentary team.