Is the NFL declining?

[US Egg]

The NFL diluted their product by saturating it. All the while the cash register rings.

 

No small feat.

[Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD]

The NFL is in desperate need of new announcing talent. They have a bunch of old guys with nice voices who don't seem to even care about the game they're watching.

[MJS]

I've said this elsewhere, but I think the league lacks truly elite superstars. We just came out of an era of larger than life superstars, especially at the QB and WR positions. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers in his prime, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Larry Fitzgerald, Marvin Harrison, Calvin Johnson, etc.

 

I just don't think the elites of today match up to the elites of 10 or 15 years ago besides Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Justin Jefferson. There are still some great players, and I think the talent at QB is perhaps deeper. There are more good QB's, but fewer of the truly elite, legendary type QB's. We really were spoiled.

 

We do have some awesome pass rushers today, though. TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Garrett Wilson, Maxx Crosby, etc. are really amazing talents. But we don't have many super elites at CB or safety anymore, partially because of how the game has changed.

 

And the last thing I'll mention is the lack of interest in other teams because the Bills have been so good and Josh Allen is so fun to watch. It really does make the rest of the teams, outside of a few, look boring. It's a blessing and a curse. During the drought, I watched other teams and wished that the Bills looked like them. Now, I watch other teams and just wish I was watching the Bills and Josh Allen.

[Ballhawk]

I think for me when I discovered that the NFL used the "entertainment business" legal defense to anti-trust accusations my interest went down. While I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories that suggest they are fixing games for preferred markets, every time a I see a game that is skewed now remember this is not a sports league, it is an entertainment business (by their own definition).

Ironically this has helped me deal with bad officiating and one sided outcomes just as I don't yell at the TV when my kids favorite wrestler gets hit from behind when the ref is not watching. For me though, it undermines the NFL's credibility, just like their aversion to having full-time refs does.

Also, I find the shameless pushing of gambling on a population that has higher debt ratio and increased cost of living rather reprehensible. I choose to still watch it, but I'm one Josh away from taking a long break...

Interesting read, NFL as an entertainment business:
https://home.ulike.com/blogs/blog/shocking-revelation-nfl-legally-allowed-to-fix-game-outcomes-as-an-entertainment-business

Edited October 18 by Ballhawk

[corta765]

22 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I mean this will be something that is subjective to the person commenting.  For me, it's not down, I think this season is actually great because there is so much more parity to it.  This may be the least "top heavy" season we have had in a long time where it feels like there are a dozen legit teams that if they can get hot at the right time could make a run.  

 

BUT...I do think it may "seem" down for Bills fan specifically though and here is why.  Nothing to do with the Bills themselves, but the Bills had 4 primetime games in the first 6 weeks.  That meant no Sunday games when the bulk of the games are being played.  I know when the Bills are on and other games are on too, I am much more invested in those other games because I am sitting down focused on football.  So I got the Bills on my big main TV and then the other games on my 2 side TV's.  But when the Bills don't play Sunday, I usually take advantage and do still have football on in the background, but I am doing other things like getting stuff done around the house etc.  

 

So I have technically watched "less" this year so far with Bills not playing on Sunday in 4 of the 6 weeks, but not really because lack of interest, but more to take advantage to get more done on those particular Sundays then I typically would with Bills on.  

 

This to the max. Ironically drought era I probably watched more football on Sunday because the Bills were almost always a 1pm slot so you just watched 1 to SNF. But when they are not on Sunday until night or at all I am wayyyy more productive plus with kids now the wife and I just do more stuff out of the house with them instead.

 

I will say I think the NFL hit a really awesome peak between new players, changing of the guard, passing attacks, and overall games from 2018 to 2021. In that time the Patriots got their last title who were a draw because they were hated by most and that last win was when KC exploded onto the scene with Mahomes who almost knocked them out, Mahomes himself urshed in a new group of young guns that included Allen Lamar & Burrow, you had 4 different SB winners NE/KC/TB/LAR so that was cool, Brady did finally fade though which was a thing same with Big Ben which was the last of the old guard, and the offense was insane during that time.

 

The last two years KC has become an immovable object that has stopped a lot of quality teams and QBs from breaking through, offenses are down, and the games themselves have seen running games reemerge which for viewers is not as exciting. Honestly I think the NFL is quietly hoping KC fades in the post season for the next 3-4 years so some fresh faces make it in the AFC to the SB and add some new storylines. I do think they are very close to oversaturation and the streaming piece is not the best thing as it has finally made it slightly tough to find games sometimes.

[Mr. WEO]

11 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

The good officials, get this left for full time jobs with networks or teams.  The crew on Monday looked like deer in the headlights.  They were so quick to wait on review assist they didn't care about making the right calls first.  This is becoming the trend.  

Give each team 3 challenges and move the game along.  No automatic score review.  No automatic turnover review.  No inside of 2 mins automatic review.   Failed challenge is a loss of timeout or a 5 yard delay of game penalty teams choice. Each team has 3 use them wisely.  I think the game will be better without constant replay review.  Replay has made the refs larger factors. Every important play is getting reviewed. Every important play is not getting called properly because replay will get it right.  
 

Some calls need to be called. Some obvious holds, some obvious Pi.  But Monday they were calling everything possible.  

 

so they are so bad at making calls...they should get rid of reviews that might spare us/correct these bad calls?

 

that's an interesting argument.

 

also, name all the "good officials" who now work for the networks.

[Don Otreply]

I sometimes watch the games as they are being played,  when I do, the hype, to include pre game, and then the actual game hype is nearly unbearable, the graphics are cheaply done, if the league had to make its money off of fans like me, the NFL would go broke, lol, I guess I’m not easily impressed by all the hype and cartoon graphics that make up far to much of the presentation, but the owners are making money hand over fist as is said, so they aren’t likely to go back to the game itself being the main attraction, oh well…,  

 

GO BILLS!!!

[mannc]

With apologies to Winston Churchill, the NFL is the worst form of sporting entertainment, except for all those other sports that have been tried from time to time…

[GoBills808]

25 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Just remember things were never really as good in the past as you think they were.

correct

 

the NFL isn't declining, you are

[RiotAct]

just curious @Shaw66 - in your 2nd paragraph, what digital manipulations are you referring to?

 

I know they (Amazon/TNF) have some snazzy “overlay” graphics when going to commercial break, but I don’t think that’s what you were talking about 

[MikePJ76]

13 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

Pro tip:  if you don't like what your hear, turn the TV volume off.  Maybe pick a radio broadcast.

 

Every year we hear about the NFL's "decline"....yet everyone who assumes this is still here, watching and commenting.  It strains credulity...to be kind.

 

MLB would be happy to have 1/2 of the viewers as a random crappy Bengals/Giants night game for its LCS games.  They barely got there for one LA v NY (massive markets) game this week.  The Yanks/Cleveland was under 4 million viewers...for League Championship game with a NYC team in it!!

 

There is no NFL decline.  More likely far more people are watching products like Red Zone, which won't show up in network ratings.

I can go on and on about what has hurt MLB but as far as TV ratings go there are three big reasons.  I covered the other two in my other post...regional sport/lacks black superstars and can not hold a black audience.

 

The other  major things to me causing ratings being down are, the core baby boomer/Gen-x audience of MLB is slowly dying off.  The game insists on playing its playoff games on Cable channels in a country where most have cut the cord.  For instance, I didn't miss a single Yankees game all year starting with game 1 of the spring games Feb 22nd, I watch a ton of other games, mainly dodgers and padres late at night in the summer.  I do not have cable so I do not have FS1, so after watching the whole season I have been unable to watch the NLCS on FS1.  I have been listening to the mets radio broadcasts of the game on the mlbtv app. 

 

So having a naturally shrinking audience generationally and playing games on cable channels so many do not have is hurting.  MLB is insane for having the masked singer on the other night on the OTA fox national channel while the mets-dodgers are on FS1.  That is total insanity.  Imagine the nfl playing an AFC Championship game with one of its biggest starts, mahomes and the game is on a cable channel that you can only have with a cable subscription, like if it was on AMC or something.  MLB has Ohtani Vs. New York and its on FS1!  

 

if General Anthony C. McAuliffe were with us today he would say NUTS to games on FS1 and TBS.

[MJS]

2 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

I sometimes watch the games as they are being played,  when I do, the hype, to include pre game, and then the actual game hype is nearly unbearable, the graphics are cheaply done, if the league had to make its money off of fans like me, the NFL would go broke, lol, I guess I’m not easily impressed by all the hype and cartoon graphics that make up far to much of the presentation, but the owners are making money hand over fist as is said, so they aren’t likely to go back to the game itself being the main attraction, oh well…,  

 

GO BILLS!!!

I absolutely HATE the cartoon bull crap they have on MNF and SNF. It is so unprofessional, cheap looking, and just in poor taste. Who do they think likes that crap? Even my 8-year-old son thinks it is dumb. Get rid of that and the quality increases significantly.

[Gregg]

The league is growing in some ways. It already is and has been for a long time now the most popular sport in America. With these games being played overseas they are growing in popularity in other countries. The league makes around 30 billion in a revenue every year.

[HappyDays]

I actually think the NFL is more fun to follow than ever before. Social media is a big part of it. The broadcasts have gotten better. The analytics have gotten a lot deeper. For some people all of those things might make the game less enjoyable, for me it all adds to the experience.

[Mat68]

3 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

so they are so bad at making calls...they should get rid of reviews that might spare us/correct these bad calls?

 

that's an interesting argument.

 

also, name all the "good officials" who now work for the networks.

Perry now with the Bills formerly ESPN.  Gene Steratore CBS.  Mike Periera started it by retiring as an official to join Fox.  
 

My argument about replay is that most of the time the calls are still debatable.  So what was really gained?  For the few plays a game that it is important you still have 6 replays. That is be more than enough.  Games will be smoother. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

44 minutes ago, SCBills said:

The MNF metric is a weird point to make in all of this, when basically it means the two most watched Week 6 MNF games since 2000 were last year and this year…

 

As far as teams fixing/finding themselves during the season… do we want parity or not?   The league with a hard cap and draft set up does more for parity than any league in existence.  As a result, a team like the Bills can’t afford to fix their team this offseason and has to wait for a team willing to eat salary and trade us a piece we desperately need.  And it sounds like we’re not done. 
 

Chiefs were in a great spot due to their drafting and cap moves to have a pretty complete team, but long term injuries to Rice/Brown changed that.  Entering the season, they might have been as close as possible to a team of yesteryear that was able to pay an elite QB, retain its pieces and build a strong roster heading into the season. 

 

 

The recent high profile trades (Akers, Adams, Cooper) isnt really about parity, it was about very good teams  trying to get to great,  over the hump and get to the Super Bowls.  If anything it was "anti parity" esp in the case of the browns trade, they just got worse in the near term.  Texans had a plethora of quality backs and the Raiders got what they could for Adams.

[mannc]

1 minute ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

 

The recent high profile trades (Akers, Adams, Cooper) isnt really about parity, it was about very good teams  trying to get to great,  over the hump and get to the Super Bowls.  If anything it was "anti parity" esp in the case of the browns trade, they just got worse in the near term.  Texans had a plethora of quality backs and the Raiders got what they could for Adams.

The Jets are a "very good team"?

[MikePJ76]

2 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Perry now with the Bills formerly ESPN.  Gene Steratore CBS.  Mike Periera started it by retiring as an official to join Fox.  
 

My argument about replay is that most of the time the calls are still debatable.  So what was really gained?  For the few plays a game that it is important you still have 6 replays. That is be more than enough.  Games will be smoother. 

The league needs review though.  If you remember or go back and watch some old games from the 80s and 90s etc.  there are comical moments where games were decided on terrible calls that today would not happen.  There were so many times balls were spotted incorrectly, guys fumbled and it was called etc..it was just accepted then.

 

In today's world having 4k tv's and high def/HDR broadcasts with like a dozen cameras in the stadium catching everything it would be malpractice to not have review.

[RoyBatty is alive]

2 minutes ago, mannc said:

The Jets are a "very good team"?

They are now and they were supposed to be at the start of the season.   Many "experts" thought they would win the AFC east. 

 

 If you dont think the Jets are a very good team now  (gunning for greatness) then we will disagree.

Edited October 18 by RoyBatty is alive

[MikePJ76]

3 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

 

The recent high profile trades (Akers, Adams, Cooper) isnt really about parity, it was about very good teams  trying to get to great,  over the hump and get to the Super Bowls.  If anything it was "anti parity" esp in the case of the browns trade, they just got worse in the near term.  Texans had a plethora of quality backs and the Raiders got what they could for Adams.

Its also interesting in this narrative that it seems to always be the same teams in the nfl trading away players just like in MLB.

 

The raiders moving good players for the promise of high round draft picks that they always screw up is no different than the oakland A's moving their young talent the owner is to cheap to pay to keep and then promising a winning season with the new crop of young guys.  

 

Just look at the Raiders when they traded Amari Cooper to Dallas, They got a first rounder for him that following season they had 3 first round draft picks yet here they are six years later without a quarterback and trading away another wr for the promise of a draft pick to build with.  At least the other time the raiders had Reggie McKenzie in charge and he was competent.