Short the NFL?

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

I love the game, but hate the league if that makes any sense.

 

[Charlottebillsfan2]

53 minutes ago, LA Grant said:

I think an easy solution would be to add one or two more Bye weeks for teams. Everyone in the NFL agrees the current schedule, especially with TNF, is far too grueling for players.

 

Giving players more time to recover = fewer injuries = more star players = better games. The length of the regular NFL season would be longer, but more palatable for players, and a longer season means more ratings for the TV carriers.

 

Adding 1-2  more Bye weeks is an easy, moderate solution, but I think you could go even further and have teams only play every other week, meaning they get a week off between each game. Split the NFL schedule in half, basically -- every game that week gets more attention then. For scheduling purposes, sometimes teams would need to play two weeks in a row, but somehow you could make it work so every team has an equal number of weeks off. 

 

Obviously this would double the length of the season, so you'd need to start earlier and end later, and there's less time in the offseason, but I think this makes sense for everyone too -- easier for players to stay in shape, and fewer injuries related to poor conditioning.

 

 

 

So I heard an interesting take from Bill Polian about the Bye week. He basically said that he was part of a committee that approved it in 1990. He said the bye week had zero to do with player injuries and they still really have no information that having a week off helps players.

 

He said the bye week was put in place to make the NFL tv contract worth more money because in essence your adding another week of programing.

 

If you add another one or two weeks your giving fans a longer season and more weeks of football. I think that would contribute to more oversaturating the product.

[Watkins90]

3 minutes ago, Charlottebillsfan2 said:

 

So I heard an interesting take from Bill Polian about the Bye week. He basically said that he was part of a committee that approved it in 1990. He said the bye week had zero to do with player injuries and they still really have no information that having a week off helps players.

 

He said the bye week was put in place to make the NFL tv contract worth more money because in essence your adding another week of programing.

 

If you add another one or two weeks your giving fans a longer season and more weeks of football. I think that would contribute to more oversaturating the product.

Not if you took away Thursday night games in the process. It would make Monday night more meaningful. 

[Nick the Greek]

How can you short the NFL? That statement doesn't make any sense. It's a privately owned business. You short the stock market, commodities, etc. Not private businesses.

 

Anyway, is the NFL on the decline? Maybe. But what I wanna know is what's gonna replace it? Personally, I can't get excited about other sports leagues. 

 

I mean, watch baseball? I'd rather watch paint dry. The NBA? BOORING! Hockey? Please. The NFL is awesome. It RULES!

[Jauronimo]

7 minutes ago, Idandria said:

How can you short the NFL? That statement doesn't make any sense. It's a privately owned business. You short the stock market, commodities, etc. Not private businesses.

 

Anyway, is the NFL on the decline? Maybe. But what I wanna know is what's gonna replace it? Personally, I can't get excited about other sports leagues. 

 

I mean, watch baseball? I'd rather watch paint dry. The NBA? BOORING! Hockey? Please. The NFL is awesome. It RULES!

You create a synthetic short on the NFL by short selling BUD, F, and U.S. Treasuries.

[row_33]

I have never taken anything seriously that Michael Lewis has written, great writer though and I think I've read everything by him.

 

 

[Saxum]

Flex games IMO hurt teams sales.  It might help tv ratings a little but for fans travelling to games this means additional factor which needs to be accounted for (i.e. planning on flying out next day).  Once a fan misses a game due to move a fan is unlikely to want to pay for a game if it could happen again.

 

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

[Alphadawg7]

4 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/michael-lewis-author-moneyball-short-nfl-135810598.html

 

Author of Moneyball points out the NFL is having problems in its business model.  Primarily states that viewership is down and sentiment is becoming problematic due to CTE and protest issues.

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I think this is the VERY reason why Jerry Jones is threatening a law suit to block Goodells contract extension.  I don't think the NFL is going to see any of the issues get better with him as the commissioner and the owners know that too.

 

When a big public company starts seeing its business slip and value fall, the first thing they do to instill share holder confidence is a change in leadership.  I think Goodell's days are numbered, and once he is gone things will get better.  Never seen a guy try and take the fun out of his sport as much as Goodell.  Not to mention drag a sports brand through so much unnecessary legal nonsense.  

[Fadingpain]

3 hours ago, wiskibreth said:

For me, it's the sheer volume of commercials and advertising, bad rules that imbalance the game on top of bad officiating and poor announcers.  The player's risk of CTE and protests don't enter into my viewership decision making at all.

The games are so disjointed with commercials they become difficult to watch.  The officiating is horrible and slows the games down further, the announcing is horrendous, and there are not enough good QBs to go around and make me say "this should be a good matchup, I think I'll watch!" if it is just a neutral game involving 2 teams other than the Bills.

 

I couldn't care less about the CTE or national anthem stuff.  It's the other stuff, which is nothing new...

 

The overall package of what is entailed in watching an NFL game has enough negatives that I'd rather do something else, depending on the matchup.  It has to be what I think will be a really good game to tune in.

 

ALSO!  The games are way, way too long now.  

 

I shouldn't have to lose an entire day to enjoy 2 games...but that is a 1pm to 7:30pm affair these days. 

 

Soccer really is the beautiful game.  90 minute games, no matter what, and no commercials!  NFL games can almost be annoying to watch in comparison.

 

 

[Gray Beard]

Look at NASCAR.  15 or 20 years ago it was at a peak.  Now the stands are empty, sponsors are bailing, races are on obscure TV channels.  They keep tweaking the rules to make things more exciting, which isn't working.  Now it takes too much money for new teams to compete, drivers keep changing team from year to year, and the cars are all the same with different logos.

I see a lot of parallels between football of today and NASCAR of 15 years ago.

[transplantbillsfan]

39 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

The games are so disjointed with commercials they become difficult to watch.  The officiating is horrible and slows the games down further, the announcing is horrendous, and there are not enough good QBs to go around and make me say "this should be a good matchup, I think I'll watch!" if it is just a neutral game involving 2 teams other than the Bills.

 

I couldn't care less about the CTE or national anthem stuff.  It's the other stuff, which is nothing new...

 

The overall package of what is entailed in watching an NFL game has enough negatives that I'd rather do something else, depending on the matchup.  It has to be what I think will be a really good game to tune in.

 

ALSO!  The games are way, way too long now.  

 

I shouldn't have to lose an entire day to enjoy 2 games...but that is a 1pm to 7:30pm affair these days. 

 

Soccer really is the beautiful game.  90 minute games, no matter what, and no commercials!  NFL games can almost be annoying to watch in comparison.

 

 

 

I think this is interesting, because this is what I always used to love.  Sunday was NFL day.  I loved wasting my day watching football games.

 

I think part of this is just the direction of the world with smartphones and apps and cord cutting and the immediacy of everything destroying patience.

 

 

The NFL's biggest problem, in my opinion, is that it hasn't found its way into the "cord cutting market."  And I'm a guy who still has cable, but truthfully, it's only for sports, particularly the NFL.

[ctk232]

4 hours ago, BringMetheHeadofLeonLett said:

That boy is a P-I-G

 

And I agree with every word

 

Where is Jerry Markbright, and that ref who used to call Hoding

 

Where's Pat Summerall, Don Criqui and Merlin Olson

 

Seriously, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are the top duo on the NFC network???  

 

Between the rules, the refs and the announcers, the game's lost its personality.

 

... or at least strangled it pretty hard.  

I'd agree. I'd say rule changes, too much owner oversight, too many commercials, horrific referees, and pitiful announcers. I only watch the Bills because of my fan loyalties, I care as much about the NFL as an entity as it affects the Bills to be quite honest.

 

Also never thought I'd say this, but at least Romo is an announcer now. He's by far the best color guy I've heard in a very long time. 

Edited November 9, 2017 by ctk232

[JaCrispy]

4 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

I'm losing interest (slowly) due to the lack of parity from the over-reliance on quarterback play which is made worse by the fact that quarterbacks are over-protected and can play well into their 40's.

 

Many fans of certain teams feel they have no hope so what's the point?

Great points Wayne...I feel the same

[reddogblitz]

3 hours ago, joesixpack said:

I love the game, but hate the league if that makes any sense.

 

 

Makes perfect sense. If it weren't for football, I'd hate the NFL.

 

 

1 hour ago, Fadingpain said:

The games are so disjointed with commercials they become difficult to watch.  The officiating is horrible and slows the games down further, the announcing is horrendous, and there are not enough good QBs to go around and make me say "this should be a good matchup, I think I'll watch!" if it is just a neutral game involving 2 teams other than the Bills.

 

I couldn't care less about the CTE or national anthem stuff.  It's the other stuff, which is nothing new...

 

The overall package of what is entailed in watching an NFL game has enough negatives that I'd rather do something else, depending on the matchup.  It has to be what I think will be a really good game to tune in.

 

ALSO!  The games are way, way too long now.  

 

I shouldn't have to lose an entire day to enjoy 2 games...but that is a 1pm to 7:30pm affair these days. 

 

Soccer really is the beautiful game.  90 minute games, no matter what, and no commercials!  NFL games can almost be annoying to watch in comparison.

 

 

 

Unless they have a lot of "extra time" and then it goes to 30 minutes of overtime and then penalty kicks.

 

But yeah it is pretty sweet that the whole game is about 2 hours.  And no commercial time outs.

[KD in CA]

5 hours ago, wiskibreth said:

For me, it's the sheer volume of commercials and advertising, bad rules that imbalance the game on top of bad officiating and poor announcers.  The player's risk of CTE and protests don't enter into my viewership decision making at all.

 

Bingo. 

 

And once again, Instant replay is KILLING sports;  it’s ruined officiating in the NFL and destroyed the flow of the game.  Worst idea ever.

[reddogblitz]

1 hour ago, KD in CA said:

 

Bingo. 

 

And once again, Instant replay is KILLING sports;  it’s ruined officiating in the NFL and destroyed the flow of the game.  Worst idea ever.

 

I agree. It has totally ruined college fooltball because they review everything. NFL is almost as bad. And base ball? As if there's not enough standing around already.

 

Instant Replay was originally to fix the blatant bad calls. Now they scrutinize and slice and dice it to death.

 

If we were up to me, we'd dump it entirely.

[frostbitmic]

The protests and injuries such as concussions don't affect my viewership, what does however is ....

 

Thursday night football ... I work til 9 on Thursdays so it's generally about halftime when I get home and I mostly don't bother turning the game on.

When the Bills aren't playing the 1:00 game on Sunday I find I'm either golfing or watching NASCAR instead of watching other NFL games.

I'm so sick of the patriots that I'll only watch them when they play the Bills. Thurs, Sun, Mon night I won't watch if they're on, and last years Super Bowl I skipped for the first time in 45 years. I had zero interest in watching them win another Lombardi.

Too many penalties are making games difficult to watch. Biased officiating is infuriating as is poor officiating. The two Walts and Hochuli need to be retired.

Too many teams relocating. If the Bills left Buffalo, I'd probably quit on the NFL and just watch college. Syracuse University will never leave Syracuse etc ... I could easily see fans in Oakland, St Louis and San Diego losing interest.

Too many games held out of the country. This year they had 4 or 5 games in London and are having one in Mexico City.

 

 

[zonabb]

4 hours ago, row_33 said:

I have never taken anything seriously that Michael Lewis has written, great writer though and I think I've read everything by him.

 

 

So you've never taken any of his work seriously yet read it all? Gotcha. I never take doctor's seriously but I go all the time and take prescriptions. 

 

Aholes like Jones are most disgusting. That and over-saturation with games 3 days a week and the inability to explain a catch turn me and many others off. Greed killing the golden goose. 

Edited November 9, 2017 by zonabb

[BADOLBILZ]

7 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

I'm losing interest (slowly) due to the lack of parity from the over-reliance on quarterback play which is made worse by the fact that quarterbacks are over-protected and can play well into their 40's.

 

Many fans of certain teams feel they have no hope so what's the point?

 

 

The rules changes/re-interpretations that were instituted at the beginning of this decade to save Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger(and their receivers) from being prematurely concussed out of the league initially created a tide that raised all ships...........7 of the top 25 passing yardage seasons by QB's in NFL history happened the following season......... but longer term it actually created an even larger gap between teams that have good QB's and those that don't.

 

As you said.......they can play much longer because they can stay healthy..........and the longer they play......the wiser and tougher to beat they become.

 

Makes it harder for poorly run organizations like the Bills to get off the mat...........and that wasn't the case when Jim Kelly got knocked out of the league at age 36.

[Jauronimo]

4 hours ago, Gray Beard said:

Look at NASCAR.  15 or 20 years ago it was at a peak.  Now the stands are empty, sponsors are bailing, races are on obscure TV channels.  They keep tweaking the rules to make things more exciting, which isn't working.  Now it takes too much money for new teams to compete, drivers keep changing team from year to year, and the cars are all the same with different logos.

I see a lot of parallels between football of today and NASCAR of 15 years ago.

NASCAR's ascendancy to the pinnacle of American sport and subsequent fall from grace is much more complex than rule changes and team fluidity.  The NASCAR phenomenon is largely attributed to the following:

 

1.  Changing of the Guard: Today's drivers look more like a metrosexual boy band members and accountants compared to the characters of yonder.  Back then NASCAR had personalities as big the engines with colorful names to match like Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Dick Trickle, Dick Passwater, Jim Bob Cornhole, Bob Pisshard, and  Anus McFlappin III.  These guys were larger than life and put asses in the infield.  No one is lining up to Kevin Har-whatever and Danny Ham-and-cheese on white.   

 

2. NASCAR's popularity in the late 80s to mid 90s largely coincided with the golden era of mustaches and mullets.  When high fashion and sport collide, you've got lightning in a bottle.  Think zubaz and football or halter tops and soccer.  After the fad dies the sport tends to follow.

 

3. Shorter Attention Spans:  With our instant gratification, over stimulated, smart phone carrying, ADHD culture where kids can't sit still for 10 seconds let alone a 5 hour race, its a miracle that Americans figured out that people driving cars around to the left isn't really a sport but they DID! They really did.   NASCAR is just asinine and despite all the demands on our collective attention, people actually thought about it long enough to figure it out.  Remarkable.

 

In conclusion, the rise and fall of NASCAR has happened.