Kellyto83TD Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 This is true. No sport will ever push the NFL out of its overwhelmingly dominant position of popularity in this country. There will never be enough parents of elite athletes pulling thier kids out of the sport to affect the talent pool the NFL has to chose from. I cannot conceive of this happening. Really? About a decade or so ago Baseball was hands down the #1 sport. I know you can't concieve of it happening, but the facts are it is happening.
Chandler#81 Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Really? About a decade or so ago Baseball was hands down the #1 sport. I know you can't concieve of it happening, but the facts are it is happening. 'about a decade ago'?? Wow! Try 5 decades ago. I know. I lived through it.
silvermike Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I'm not certain that a shirking talent pool will affect things much. They'll be playing against other guys coming from a diminished talent pool. The slower receivers will get open against cornerbacks whose reflexes are off. I don't think the average fan will notice. And in any case, fans certainly like college football just fine, despite the lower quality of play.
shibuya Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Pro football is currently the most popular sport in the US. However, it may have reached its peak of popularity. Because of the inherent physical dangers of the sport, the NFL has recently changed many of its rules with regard to contact. As a result of these rules (which are subjectively enforced), the quality of the sport is likely to decline in the future. Also, with more information about the risks of playing the sport, less parents will allow their children to play football. This may lead to a smaller population of superior athletes who play the sport in the future. Kids today are playing more and more soccer. Kids who grow up loving a sport tend to play that sport in high school and eventually college the game of football is so expensive many kids will never go to a pro game because their parents can not afford it. therefore the passion for the game cannot be built up in many of today south Therefore kids who grow up with soccer, and have cheaper access to pro soccer games are going to take their athletic talents and play the sport they grew up loving. this will eventually put a major talent drain on sports like football and it will take a big hit over the next 3 decades. Bottom line as the big 3 American pro sports become more expensive, More of the population will be supporting it less and less, and thier children will not be brought up on these sports the way we were. I;ve seen this reality coming for a few years.
CodeMonkey Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 This is true. No sport will ever push the NFL out of its overwhelmingly dominant position of popularity in this country. There will never be enough parents of elite athletes pulling thier kids out of the sport to affect the talent pool the NFL has to chose from. I cannot conceive of this happening. It is pretty easy to conceive actually. What Americans call soccer, and the rest of the world calls football, is by far the most popular sport in the world. I'm not sure there is even a close second, and if there is it certainly is not tackle football. More and more kids are playing soccer now in the US. In fact in my area baseball diamonds are being torn up and replaced with soccer fields due to the increase in participation in soccer and decrease in baseball. As these kids grow up with soccer, and fewer with football, as a sport they participated in then footballs popularity will inevitably decrease. Tackle football has been a mainstay in America for a very long time, and it has withstood the external pressures from soccer up to this point. But the change is happening, albeit at a fairly slow pace. I think talking about footballs "demise" is premature to be sure. But to think it will not and can not decline and lose it's place as the #1 sport in America is thinking more with your heart than your head in my opinion.
Lurker Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Are there numbers to back this up? Of course not...but it felt good to say it!
White Linen Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Kids today are playing more and more soccer. Kids who grow up loving a sport tend to play that sport in high school and eventually college the game of football is so expensive many kids will never go to a pro game because their parents can not afford it. therefore the passion for the game cannot be built up in many of today south Therefore kids who grow up with soccer, and have cheaper access to pro soccer games are going to take their athletic talents and play the sport they grew up loving. this will eventually put a major talent drain on sports like football and it will take a big hit over the next 3 decades. Bottom line as the big 3 American pro sports become more expensive, More of the population will be supporting it less and less, and thier children will not be brought up on these sports the way we were. I;ve seen this reality coming for a few years. Well you're bringing up two different topics. One is viewership and the other is participation. Viewership has little to do with those that actually played or played with any longevity. Being more expensive may be a valid point but I think with different creative ways it has been more affordable or there's help for those that can't. In saying that soccer is less expensive but will never over take football based largely on that.
silvermike Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 ANd on the other hand, who cares? If football sinks to be as popular as hockey - a huge collapse - it won't be any skin off my back. It'd likely be relatievly more popular in Buffalo than other places, but it might put some downward pressure on ticket prices. I don't care how much money the owners and players make. I just want to be able to watch the games, and I'm not worried that the NFL will be so short on talent it can't field 32 teams.
NoSaint Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) Really? About a decade or so ago Baseball was hands down the #1 sport. I know you can't concieve of it happening, but the facts are it is happening. its been a solid 20 years or so, and a strike and steroid scandal. couple that with an attention spans being 30 seconds on a good day lately and baseball being a leisurely marathon of a season... something i rarely see discussed is that football is short, repetitive bursts of action - it fits the twitter generation nicely. additionally your team only has 1 game a week and it doesnt outlast its welcome with a long season so every game, every play, every bounce matters enough to hold your attention. i think itll take either a huuuuuuuge scandal or a change in society to alter that. baseball has seen both of those since it was at its peak. Edited April 24, 2013 by NoSaint
Mango Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 It comes down to the ability to insure youth programs at a reasonable rate. If the NFL loses this suit of previous knowledge, the sport becomes impossible to ensure at most scholastic and public levels. This will then effect,overtime, the ability for colleges to afford it, as most don't make a profit off of it. The issue will never be popularity, it will be the ability to financially prepare for catastrophe at the sports most average levels.
papazoid Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 nonsense football will keep it's lofty status for at least another 20 years. it's biggest threat in the USA will then come from the other game known as Futbol.
947 Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Fantasy Football took the NFL from just 1 of the 4 major sports, to being head & shoulders above the others. The game is waaaay too popular now that almost all males play fantasy football. Average fans don't care about players' safety as much as they do about their fantasy team. The NFL will be just as strong, if not stronger, in 25yrs as it is today.
Mr. WEO Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) Really? About a decade or so ago Baseball was hands down the #1 sport. I know you can't concieve of it happening, but the facts are it is happening. My new favorite quote!! Kids today are playing more and more soccer. Kids who grow up loving a sport tend to play that sport in high school and eventually college the game of football is so expensive many kids will never go to a pro game because their parents can not afford it. therefore the passion for the game cannot be built up in many of today south Therefore kids who grow up with soccer, and have cheaper access to pro soccer games are going to take their athletic talents and play the sport they grew up loving. this will eventually put a major talent drain on sports like football and it will take a big hit over the next 3 decades. Bottom line as the big 3 American pro sports become more expensive, More of the population will be supporting it less and less, and thier children will not be brought up on these sports the way we were. I;ve seen this reality coming for a few years. It is pretty easy to conceive actually. What Americans call soccer, and the rest of the world calls football, is by far the most popular sport in the world. I'm not sure there is even a close second, and if there is it certainly is not tackle football. More and more kids are playing soccer now in the US. In fact in my area baseball diamonds are being torn up and replaced with soccer fields due to the increase in participation in soccer and decrease in baseball. As these kids grow up with soccer, and fewer with football, as a sport they participated in then footballs popularity will inevitably decrease. Tackle football has been a mainstay in America for a very long time, and it has withstood the external pressures from soccer up to this point. But the change is happening, albeit at a fairly slow pace. I think talking about footballs "demise" is premature to be sure. But to think it will not and can not decline and lose it's place as the #1 sport in America is thinking more with your heart than your head in my opinion. Come on!---Soccer?? Kids play soccer because it's easy and everyone gets to play. As a professional spectator sport, soccer has been around in this country for decades and it is still less watched than even the NHL. "Futbol" will never threaten the NFL's ever increasing popularity in this country. Edited April 24, 2013 by Mr. WEO
San Jose Bills Fan Posted April 25, 2013 Posted April 25, 2013 Pro football is currently the most popular sport in the US. However, it may have reached its peak of popularity. Because of the inherent physical dangers of the sport, the NFL has recently changed many of its rules with regard to contact. As a result of these rules (which are subjectively enforced), the quality of the sport is likely to decline in the future. Also, with more information about the risks of playing the sport, less parents will allow their children to play football. This may lead to a smaller population of superior athletes who play the sport in the future. In the mid-20th century the most popular sports in America were baseball, boxing, and horse racing so yes, pro football could decline in popularity. As for the rules designed to increase player safety and shed legal liability, they will have zero bearing on my enjoyment of the sport. None of the NFL's safety initiatives have affected my love and enjoyment of NFL football at all. If anything I like the game more because the game was getting too violence-oriented for me. When players go for "kill shots" and have zero regard and respect for each others health, then there's something wrong, IMO. I enjoyed the sport immensely 20 years ago when our Bills were among the best and if the violence returned to those levels I'd be perfectly good with it. I suppose there are those that like gratuitous violence and will spend more time watching the carnage in MMA… until that sport is tamed to more civilized standards. I believe that people who truly love football will continue to love it. Maybe it will lose some fans… the kind of fans who watch hockey for the fights and who like seeing wrecks in auto racing. As for participation of youngsters in football, that's a separate issue from the popularity of football from an entertainment standpoint. And I don't think the talent pool in this country will dry up… especially when efforts are being made to make the sport safer for participation.
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