LongLiveRalph Posted October 16, 2009 Author Posted October 16, 2009 It's the same as it always was -- same combined number of wins and losses, same numbers for the rushing and passing leaders (well, same number for the passing leaders if you only go back to the early 80s), same numbers for the sack leaders, same number of really good teams and really bad teams, same draft (basically), same combination of good owners and crappy owners, same number of teams threatening to move, same number of mind-boggling injuries that worsen the quality of the game as the season goes on, same degree of labor strife and friction between owners, and same number of ads during games (they were around 3 hours then, and around 3 hours now). Anyone telling you different is simply misremembering ... I would agree on all of your points. However, there are some serious differences: The ticket prices are not even close to being on par with where they were. The labor friction has always been there, true. But the degree is different. You have owners of $1 billion conglomorates bickering over percentage points of revenue with multi-million dollar players who would be driving a FedEx truck if they weren't abnormally huge and fast. It's hard to sympathize, if you really are driving a FedEx truck and trying to pay $100 for an upper deck ticket. The 1987 labor dispute was DRASTICALLY different from a fan's perception than the upcoming dispute. Yes, it's owners vs. players, just like always. But back then, they were only starting to figure out the potential of their product. Now they are on top of the world, bilking fans out of every last cent, and then crying over the splits. It sucks. There is a serious over-saturation of coverage now. Every single thing that happens on Sunday is analyzed to Xth degree on Monday, and then forgotten about by Thursday as everyone begins to over-analyze the upcoming weekends games. This is on ESPN, NFL Network, all AM talk radio, all satellite talk radio, all over the Internet, and on and on. It's tiresome, but obviously people are watching/listening/reading or else they wouldn't do it. Just for me alone, all the hype takes something away from the games. It has become a TV show rather than a sport in many cases. And let's not talk about the 14-man pregame shows with a bunch of jokers yelling at each other. Players have always done stupid things. But now that nobody gets away with anything due to papparazzi / camera phones / blogs / etc., you really get the sense that these guys doing dumb things don't have a working brain cell. They are doing the same idiotic stuff that guys were doing in 1985...It's just that it used to get hushed up then or swept under the rug. Now there's no chance of getting away with anything, and these clowns still F up. More NFL teams = more crappy teams and games. There are the same number of universities and college prospects. $25 minimum to park your car. $50 at many places. Unreal. The NFL taking 25 years to realize that their retired players may have medical complications from playing in the league. And they still try to deny funds and insurance coverage under the guise of "we are conducting our own internal review." All this as the networks hand over another $6 billion. Again, unreal. Read up on that Supreme Court case I mentioned above, American Needle vs. NFL. Dangerous territory.
BillsPride12 Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 I agree with the OP on almost all those points and would also like to add: * The game is getting too soft with the horrible roughing the passer penalties that are out there nowadays, back in the day the name of the game was blasting the Qb if you played defense. Deacon Jones has gotta be sick to his stomach. *No more primetime...whether I was at the Ralph for the day or at a bar or my buddies house wherever, I used to really look forward to going home and knowing I would get to see all of the days highlights and action put together in a very entertaining fashion. *Players are growing up with too much hype and getting perks as early as high school and definately college. By the time they make it to the NFL they feel like they don't have to prove anything, that they have already made it. Back in the day, that was just the beginning there was still alot more left to be proved. Just ask Thurman
dave mcbride Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 I agree with the OP on almost all those points and would also like to add: * The game is getting too soft with the horrible roughing the passer penalties that are out there nowadays, back in the day the name of the game was blasting the Qb if you played defense. Deacon Jones has gotta be sick to his stomach. *No more primetime...whether I was at the Ralph for the day or at a bar or my buddies house wherever, I used to really look forward to going home and knowing I would get to see all of the days highlights and action put together in a very entertaining fashion. *Players are growing up with too much hype and getting perks as early as high school and definately college. By the time they make it to the NFL they feel like they don't have to prove anything, that they have already made it. Back in the day, that was just the beginning there was still alot more left to be proved. Just ask Thurman I actually the tougher roughing-the-passer rules are one of the BEST things the NFL has done in recent years. Watching football with bad QB is bad entertainment, and prior to the new rules, headhunting QBs was entirely legitimate in the eyes of defensive coaches. It still is to some degree, but it's far less than it was even 15 years ago. As I've said in other posts, injuries are what suck about the NFL. Anything that reduces them - especially with regard to the most important player on the field - should be welcomed.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 Terrible. I'd rather watch College Ball, MLB or NHL. And no, it's not because the Bills suck. There is ZERO innovation in the NFL,a nd mediocre talent.
rstencel Posted October 18, 2009 Posted October 18, 2009 Terrible. I'd rather watch College Ball, MLB or NHL. And no, it's not because the Bills suck. There is ZERO innovation in the NFL,a nd mediocre talent. OK, so the NFL is a collection of the best players the played in college, and say you watch college because the NFL has mediocre talent. How bad does the talent in college ball have to be.
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