Are you losing interest in the NFL ?

[BarleyNY]

7 hours ago, HOUSE said:

I wrote this long thread naming over 30 reasons why I am losing interest in the NFL but I deleted the entire non coherent mess because the issues are all to obvious.

 

Should we find out that an NFL owner truly attempted to pay a coach to lose then all credibility is lost. IMO

 

Are you losing interest and what are your issues with the NFL ?

 

Rants are welcome here...

 

 

 

 

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Yup.  I absolutely love football, but the mess the NFL has become only slightly resembles it.  With the money now involved and knowing what we know about CTE I doubt we will ever see the game I loved again.  Those who love the current iteration are welcome to it. 

[Niagara Bill]

After 17 yrs a season ticket holder, I swore during the Jauron era J was finished. Fans were 100% more passionate than that wet blanket. 

Slowly I was dragged back in, but never never ever will I allow myself the full passion I once felt. 

Josh has given me opportunity for hope and enjoyment loses still hurt but nothing like pre Jauron. 

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

Not for the Bills..

But when it was just games on Sunday at 1:00 and 4:00 and Monday night, it was more “must watch”.

Now with games on Thursday and Sunday night...there is always another game so I just pick and choose now.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

39 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Yup.  I absolutely love football, but the mess the NFL has become only slightly resembles it.  With the money now involved and knowing what we know about CTE I doubt we will ever see the game I loved again.  Those who love the current iteration are welcome to it. 

Player safety as a reason to not want to watch the NFL is pretty selfish.  There are lots of reasons to dislike the NFL, but player safety rules shouldn't be one of them. I have issues with the variability in which the player safety rules are enforced, but that is an officiating issue. Next time Josh gets nailed in the head or below the knee ask yourself if that is truly the game you loved?

[nedboy7]

1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Well then you're going to hate Wednesday night football which is being discussed. 

hows that even possible?  Will both team have bye weeks prior? 

[TheFunPolice]

I have no need to see head smashing Steve Atwater type hits.

 

I want to see the best players playing in the league. Football is still plenty physical, and there are ways to play the game with physicality that don't involve purposely inflicting head trauma to your opponent. 

 

I'm already looking forward to the NFL free agency period, draft, etc. 

[nedboy7]

2 hours ago, RyanC883 said:

 

I think you may be completely overboard here.  What you are suggesting is that all these games are fixed.  That seems odd given the blatant PI non-call on Higgins when the Bengals scored a TD.  True, the refs only found their whistles in the last 2 minutes of the game, and that's maddening, but the Rams still had to get the ball into the redzone to draw the questionable PI call, which could have been a makeup for the non-call on Higgins.  

 

 

the call on Higgins was to make the game close.  Then IMO they gave the game to LA.  Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so. 
 

they don’t “fix” games. They gently manipulate them at key moments.  And not every game.  It’s very subtle and intelligent the way they do it. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by nedboy7

[Malazan]

1 hour ago, TheFunPolice said:

 

I think a big part of the NFL's popularity is that most games are on Sundays. It allows for things like fantasy football, Sunday Ticket, Red Zone, etc. to dreally thrive because it OWNS the day and you've got fans glued to the action all day long. 

 

The more you dilute that the more it get spread out. Suddenly Sunday Ticket and Red Zone (both of which make the NFL big $$) are less meaningful because a good number of that week's games are on national TV anyway. 

 

Other sports can play all nights of the week because there are a gazillion games each season. NFL teams only play 17 games, so it's tougher to spread out without Sundays feeling light. 

 

We'll see. People have been predicting the NFL over-reaching for like 50 years now and their revenue just keeps going up. Maybe if people predict it long enough, the Earth will blow up and they can then proclaim they were right. 

[wjag]

Just the opposite.  This year's playoffs were the BEST EVER.  The SB was a bit anticlimactic for a Bills fan, but it still went down to the wire.  

[boater]

8 hours ago, colin said:

im still a die hard bills fan, but outside of the bills (and like the odd playoff game, but that's even slipping) i don't care too much.  3 hours a week to watch the bills is all i like to spend watching.  i browse this board, but that's cuz im at my desk at work.

I want your job. I work in a call center. They work us like slave dogs.

[MAJBobby]

Yep has been gone long ago. 
 

Watch the Bills. That is it. 
 

SuperBowl ignored the entire game except for the Halftime show. 
 

I have become more interested in the Offseason, Draft, Cap etc. that all fascinates me. Maybe because of 2 decades of Suck that is what I looked forward too so became passionate about it. 
 

but watching other games besides the Bills nope couldn’t care less 

Edited February 15, 2022 by MAJBobby

[Big Blitz]

No.

 

And soon football - camp, preseason games, regular season games, playoffs - will take up 27 weeks of our time (18 reg season games 2 pre season and the SB ending Presidents Day weekend.  

 

Add to those 27 weeks:

 

Beginning of free agency 

The draft 

OTAs

 

NFL Football will occupy a roughly solid 35 weeks of the year.  

 

Goodell turning every part of the off season into WWE like events has been genius.  The NFL is a well oiled money making machine. 

 

 

That said, from weeks 1 thru 10 the officiating was an abomination.  Whatever they did in December and January - do that all the time.  That's the solution.  

 

It's never going to be perfect but as they put the flags away you'll have heinous non calls like the Higgins TD.  I'm perfectly good if after that play the following logical discussion happens...

 

Officials get together after seeing replay and hearing from NY:  Fellas, bad non call.  When the Rams need it, if it's even remotely egregious and in a big spot - gotta call it.

 

You get the holding call on Kupp.

 

Totally good with this.  Becomes kinda like officiating in playoff hockey.  

Edited February 15, 2022 by Big Blitz

[transplantbillsfan]

Not at all.  The NFL is more exciting than it ever was... as proven throughout the playoffs and Super Bowl and especially in the Bills game in the divisional round.

 

Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Buffow are some of the most exciting QBs to watch in decades... the NFL is in good hands.

 

I just wish we could come out on the winning end of these important games.

[TampaBillsJunkie]

It's a weird combo. My interest in the NFL is waning due to the politicizing, pandering and general attitude of the NFL's top brass and the idiots who broadcast it. If I never hear Collinsworth speak again, it wouldn't bother me.  And please keep "The Rock" away from any microphone. 

My interest in the Bills is as strong as ever because of the qualities, leadership and team first mentality that has been fostered here. The Bills are at an all-time high while the NFL is at an all-time low. I just hope we win a Super Bowl before it all implodes.

[TheBrownBear]

Yes, but not because of the product, player safety or any of third rail political or social issues that are often brought up.  I'm just older and busier with kids/family/work and other hobbies, so I limit my sports intake to Bills games and sports involving my alma mater.  

[TBBills]

I am on here all the time so that is a no

[WhoTom]

NFL football is still the most popular sport overall, but it looks like the younger generation is more inclined toward basketball.

 

https://www.statista.com/chart/15869/favrotie-sports-league/

 

Quote

According to recent findings from Statista's Global Consumer Survey, the NFL remains the number 1 among major professional sports leagues in the U.S., at least for now. While 52 percent of self-declared sports fans follow the National Football League, compared to 42 percent for the NBA and 31 percent who follow the MLB, looking at the youngest group of respondents reveals a worrying trend for NFL executives. Among 16- to 25-year-olds, the NFL only plays second fiddle to the NBA, with just 33 percent of young sports fans following the league. The NBA reaches 40 percent of Gen X fans, who are overall less likely to follow any professional sports leagues than their older compatriots.

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by WhoTom

[Paup 1995MVP]

8 hours ago, DallasBillsFan1 said:

No, now that the Bills have JOsh and are good, I am hooked.  But I did think that the Superbowl as really just a boring Sunday 4pm game.  I do feel the real action was on the AFC side.  Those games were exciting and gave fans what they are looking for ... high scoring games, intrigue, 13 second comebacks, etc ...  This years Superbowl was a polished turd.  But I still watched it.

I said the same thing about the Super Bowl.  It seemed like just another mediocre 4pm mid season game.  Nothing special.  

 

I do love the game of football.  I love the Bills.  But college football on the whole is more exciting then the NFL.  Not being able to pound the QB has taken some of the steam out of the game.  I don't think D Lineman attack with nearly the ferocity they used to for fear of being penalized.  The NFL does not promote its violence like they used to.  And that is what made football special.  A softer game in a much softer world.  (Can you see Ronnie Lott playing in today's NFL?  LOL) Thanks to Roger for that.  But I will always watch it.  Football and Nascar.  That's where I am in my sports love in my mid 50's.  Baseball and basketball who cares.  Hockey is a nice diversion at times.  But the Sabres are still terrible.  (Watching the Blues win the Cup a few years back was cool.)

1 hour ago, TheFunPolice said:

I have no need to see head smashing Steve Atwater type hits.

 

I want to see the best players playing in the league. Football is still plenty physical, and there are ways to play the game with physicality that don't involve purposely inflicting head trauma to your opponent. 

 

I'm already looking forward to the NFL free agency period, draft, etc. 

I could not agree w you less.  Steve Atwater hits were what made football so dam popular.  Sure its great to see guys making big plays running down the field.  But I sure would not have minded seeing someone close line Cooper Kupp.  

[Nitro]

No.  There better be real evidence on the attempt to tank.  

[BarleyNY]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Player safety as a reason to not want to watch the NFL is pretty selfish.  There are lots of reasons to dislike the NFL, but player safety rules shouldn't be one of them. I have issues with the variability in which the player safety rules are enforced, but that is an officiating issue. Next time Josh gets nailed in the head or below the knee ask yourself if that is truly the game you loved?

You misunderstand me.  I am not saying that at all.  I guess I wasn’t clear.  Football used to be a game played by big, tough men.  Then it grew into a game played by physical freaks.  Advances in fitness and nutrition (and pharmaceuticals) coupled with the economics involved led to what we have today.  The physical damage done by NFL players to each other has necessitated changes in the game.  The combination of those very prudent rule changes along with the still very brutal game are both reasons I like it a lot less than I used to.  Also maybe because I’m older I know what that punishment leads to down the road.