Possible reason for NFL ratings going down...

[DougDew]

What ever reason for the ratings decline, it is NOT because of cord-cutting.  Its because of content.  Cord cutting is an excuse used by those who are responsible for the content.

 

And losing Manning hurts.  A lot of people rooted for the guy.  

 

Its a shame that it is viewed as a person vs person rivalry instead of team vs team rivalry, like Cowboys Resdskins or Packers Bears. 

 

And then the person vs person rivalry marketing leads us back to content.

[ReMeDy]

After watching the unity displayed by owners and players, I believe the owners know the ratings are hurting, so they're being more aggressive. Problem is they're polarizing their fan-base and I'm not sure they even realize it!

 

It's hard to avoid making this political, so all I'll say is I'm done watching the NFL. I'll keep tabs on the forum and final scores, but otherwise I'm getting tired of the circus act.

[bap1331]

On 9/21/2017 at 5:21 PM, crazycolt1 said:

CTE is slowly eating away at the core of football. There are schools all over the country who are doing away with football programs all together.

More parents are discouraging their sons from even playing football.

 

There is always going to be people who play football. I mean CTE was discovered almost 10 years ago so that means that we wouldve lost lots of players along time ago.

[Chrisaaron1023]

3 hours ago, ReMeDy said:

After watching the unity displayed by owners and players, I believe the owners know the ratings are hurting, so they're being more aggressive. Problem is they're polarizing their fan-base and I'm not sure they even realize it!

 

It's hard to avoid making this political, so all I'll say is I'm done watching the NFL. I'll keep tabs on the forum and final scores, but otherwise I'm getting tired of the circus act.

Very difficult. I'm not really sure the whole problem is.. but we protest our own anthem in a different country.. pretty freaking sad. Sorry moderators, we have lost it..

[dgambill]

33 minutes ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

Very difficult. I'm not really sure the whole problem is.. but we protest our own anthem in a different country.. pretty freaking sad. Sorry moderators, we have lost it..

I was embarrassed by that. I'm not going to lie. I love football and I have no problem with people having different opinions than me and standing up for them...but the manner they are doing it doesn't make me feel good and more even than that I don't want to have my entertainment held hostage by political opinions. I watch for the enjoyment of the game and a distraction. Lately I have turned off ESPN because they are trying to push an agenda...I just want my sports....almost every other channel on cable has news and political opinionated shows etc I am trying to choose something different and yet this is the avenue they want to go down. It's a conscious effort by ESPN and now I believe the networks to push this...and it isn't just the beginning during the anthem it's throughout the games. It might not be the only reason but don't be surprised if it's another reason people are tuning out. My wife is one that has stopped and I will really have to evaluate buying tickets and watching next  if it gets worse...I might just have to watch high school and college moving forward. I'm a pretty open minded easy going guy but at some point even I have had too much.

[dgambill]

4 hours ago, bap1331 said:

 

There is always going to be people who play football. I mean CTE was discovered almost 10 years ago so that means that we wouldve lost lots of players along time ago.

Yes there will be...but unless progress is made it will turn into boxing basically. It will be played primarily by the underprivileged and those looking to make it out of poverty. There will be many to play for the love of the game but let's be honest it's already trending that direction and I don't see that changing much. Your going to get more middle class and upper playing other sports and football only by those who see it as a means to a better life.

[ponyboy]

On 9/21/2017 at 9:46 PM, mikey287 said:

So, to be clear, the NFL takes a Sunday at 1 pm ET extravaganza - something that people plan their lives around and disperse it across the week into unusual spots and wonder why ratings are down? You have 5 international games that blow, you have 16 Thursday night games (ignoring Thanksgiving) that save me a melatonin, 4 

 

 

 

[Chrisaaron1023]

13 minutes ago, dgambill said:

I was embarrassed by that. I'm not going to lie. I love football and I have no problem with people having different opinions than me and standing up for them...but the manner they are doing it doesn't make me feel good and more even than that I don't want to have my entertainment held hostage by political opinions. I watch for the enjoyment of the game and a distraction. Lately I have turned off ESPN because they are trying to push an agenda...I just want my sports....almost every other channel on cable has news and political opinionated shows etc I am trying to choose something different and yet this is the avenue they want to go down. It's a conscious effort by ESPN and now I believe the networks to push this...and it isn't just the beginning during the anthem it's throughout the games. It might not be the only reason but don't be surprised if it's another reason people are tuning out. My wife is one that has stopped and I will really have to evaluate buying tickets and watching next  if it gets worse...I might just have to watch high school and college moving forward. I'm a pretty open minded easy going guy but at some point even I have had too much.

I'm the same way.. I don't get offend by really anything.. theses athletes and talking heads have some really thin skin. Like I said, I really don't fully understand what's happening. But it is sickening.. they all seem to have the same "views" basically "f the president we do what we want".. lol ookaay players if the boot fits. keep protesting.. whatever is it you wanna protest. But i'll def stop watching/listening if this is all we hear about from now on. I don't care about who's going to visit the white house and I don't care about who "protests" the National Anthem. You are no "cooler" in my book for kneeling, fist raising, sitting, craping, biting your nails, not showing up at all.. just listen to the 3 mins of music and "Play Ball!" lol geeze..

[Malakai432]

Well, the good news is it's nowhere near the dumpster fire of NBA basketball.  

[DougDew]

The NFL is also trying to take on social issues, being dramatic about things not directly related to football.

 

Its like every once great TV show losing its narrow purpose and expanding into conveying some message of social meaning.

 

I guess the bean counters and statisticians create some direction to try to expand ratings by increasing viewership among people who want more than football.  Not realizing that catering to people who want more than football loses the people who want only football. 

 

  

[BloodyChamp]

Vernon Davis has some good words for us. It's to bad they won't get repeated but he nailed it. Now he's having a huge night out of nowhere. Gasp...say nice things and nice things happen to you.

[OLD FAN MAN]

cancelling nfl channel tomorrow , too much kneeling and not enough football, no more colts season tickets going to find another sunday passtime 

[Lucky Colts Fan]

26 minutes ago, DougDew said:

The NFL is also trying to take on social issues, being dramatic about things not directly related to football.

 

Its like every once great TV show losing its narrow purpose and expanding into conveying some message of social meaning.

 

I guess the bean counters and statisticians create some direction to try to expand ratings by increasing viewership among people who want more than football.  Not realizing that catering to people who want more than football loses the people who want only football. 

 

  

 

I don't really like mixing everyday issues with my football either, but it's a really privileged attitude to insist that social issues be kept out of our entertainment.

 

Entertainers are usually on the front lines of social issues anyway, so it's naive to think it should be kept away from your awareness when you tune into entertainment programs.

 

There's a certain amount of rebellious attitude that is a consequence of someone telling you to just "do your job and keep your mouth shut". 

[Lucky Colts Fan]

6 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

cancelling nfl channel tomorrow , too much kneeling and not enough football, no more colts season tickets going to find another sunday passtime 

 

You're welcome.

[DougDew]

7 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

I don't really like mixing everyday issues with my football either, but it's a really privileged attitude to insist that social issues be kept out of our entertainment.

 

Entertainers are usually on the front lines of social issues anyway, so it's naive to think it should be kept away from your awareness when you tune into entertainment programs.

 

There's a certain amount of rebellious attitude that is a consequence of someone telling you to just "do your job and keep your mouth shut". 

Nope.  Only in drama shows, sitcoms, and the late night wise-cracker shows have social issues and political issues traditionally been addressed.  And, the most successful sitcom in history, Seinfeld, specifically avoided any type of meaningful social issue discussion.  Seinfeld said so himself, that was the goal, and it was the key to its longevity.  It was the basis for his describing the show as "the show about nothing".

 

Its naivety and a fabrication of nonexistent privilege to assume NFL ratings declines aren't related to its changing content. 

[ruksak]

31 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Entertainers are usually on the front lines of social issues anyway, so it's naive to think it should be kept away from your awareness when you tune into entertainment programs.

 

There's a certain amount of rebellious attitude that is a consequence of someone telling you to just "do your job and keep your mouth shut". 

"Job". Exactly. They're at work, where your rights to free expressions are wholly limited. How would you feel if the lady at the post office or the mechanic fixing your car decided to sit down and disrespect America instead of doing thier job? Ya know.... cuz life isn't fair or whatever. 

 

They would be fired on the spot. 

 

 

[csmopar]

Ibtl

[Lucky Colts Fan]

1 minute ago, ruksak said:

"Job". Exactly. They're at work, where your rights to free expressions are wholly limited. How would you feel if the lady at the post office or the mechanic fixing your car decided to sit down and disrespect America instead of doing thier job? Ya know.... cuz life isn't fair or whatever. 

 

They would be fired on the spot. 

 

 

 

Well yeah...  So would an NFL player that knelt for the entire game...

 

If the post office worker knelt for two minutes every time they clocked in for their shift... whatever, as long as they do their job.

 

The players do get up and do their job after the National Anthem, so what's your point?

[ruksak]

2 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.  This is what privilege sounds like.

 

"We should be able to enjoy our entertainment without having to think about the injustices that many of the people I am currently watching play a sport have had to deal with in their life because I don't want to think about that right now, I just want to be entertained."

 

You sound like fans that wouldn't have liked Jackie Robinson injecting his politics into the game.

Injustice finds us all. No priveledge was extended to me. Of course, I had no ready excuse for my failures, such as racism, for example. 

 

I listen to millionaire black men tell me that life isn't fair for them becuase they can't get ahead in America due to systematic racism. Yet they have more wealth than 99% of all human beings whom ever existed on this Earth. 

 

Lies hidding behind skin color. Their lives are no more difficult or unfair as my own. People like to be victims, it's a great excuse for failure. 

 

 

[ruksak]

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Ibtl

But wait..... this is a football forum and football is now about fighting perceived political and social injustices....right? 

 

Wait......i'm confused? What's football Sunday supposed to be about again? Remind me. Maybe my priveledge has stammered my preceptions here. 

[csmopar]

57 minutes ago, BloodyChamp said:

Vernon Davis has some good words for us. It's to bad they won't get repeated but he nailed it. Now he's having a huge night out of nowhere. Gasp...say nice things and nice things happen to you.

Oh do tell

47 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

cancelling nfl channel tomorrow , too much kneeling and not enough football, no more colts season tickets going to find another sunday passtime 

I may just do the same thing if this continues next week. I guess I'll either have to go back to NASCAR or just go do yard work or something. Might check the scores as I'll always be a colts fan but it'll be difficult to support the league as a whole going forward

[csmopar]

1 minute ago, ruksak said:

But wait..... this is a football forum and football is now about fighting perceived political and social injustices....right? 

 

Wait......i'm confused? What's football Sunday supposed to be about again? Remind me. Maybe my priveledge has stammered my preceptions here. 

 checkmated the forum there. Round of applause my friend

[ruksak]

8 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

 

The players do get up and do their job after the National Anthem, so what's your point?

After they impose subjection to the viewers. We are subjected to political statements as the new kick-off. 

 

You have no right to freely express yourself at work. Let me get this straight; Players get fined for dancing but not for insulting America? 

 

If I didn't have to see this abhorant disdain they seem to harbour for America I wouldn't complain, nor would we be having this conversation. It was allowed a few years back and myself and others warned of the consequence of inaction. 

 

...and here we are......

[Lucky Colts Fan]

Just now, ruksak said:

Lies hidding behind skin color. Their lives are no more difficult or unfair as my own. People like to be victims, it's a great excuse for failure. 

 

I could see where you're coming from, but let's be honest here.  I'm white, so I've never had a police officer treat me with unwarranted suspicion and definitely never any outright disrespect.  They have always treated me with respect.  My non-white friends... the police treat them differently.  I've witnessed it myself.  I've asked people I know in law enforcement about this and many MANY law enforcement officers are/were taught very racist policing practices.

 

If you see a black person driving a car worth more than X, pull 'em over.

 

If you see a latino driving a car worth more than X, pull 'em over.

 

If you see an arab, driving, walking, sitting, whatever, stop and frisk.  Better safe than sorry, right?

[ruksak]

9 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

I could see where you're coming from, but let's be honest here.  I'm white, so I've never had a police officer treat me with unwarranted suspicion and definitely never any outright disrespect. 

I'm white as well. Yet I've been profiled and treated harshly. Sporting long hair for most my life (buzzed it years ago), Iknow what it's like to have people judge me for appearnce. 

 

When I struggled from week to week as a young man, I was indeed under the scope of suspicion. I was poor. 

 

Police don't (typically) racially profile. They profile poor people. 

 

There's a cop sitting at a red light. He/She decides to run a registration check on a vehicle in front of them. There are 2 to choose from. One, a well dressed black man in a 2017 Toyota and the other a grundgy white man driving a rusted out 1996 Buick Skylark. 

 

The cop will choose to run the plate of the Buick 100 times out of 100. Poor people are much more likely to have warrants, drugs, be intoxicated or have a suspened drivers license. 

 

The issue is the financial disperity between blacks and whites, not simpley the colors involved. 

 

 

[Lucky Colts Fan]

2 minutes ago, ruksak said:

After they impose subjection to the viewers. We are subjected to political statements as the new kick-off.

 

? Are you being tied down to a chair and forced to watch the kick-off ceremonies?  That's disturbing, but not the fault of players kneeling on the sideline...

 

3 minutes ago, ruksak said:

You have no right to freely express yourself at work.

 

I don't know where you work, but most people at most jobs are free to express their opinions, they just don't have the kind of public stage/public backlash that NFL players do... which is why players are taking advantage of that stage while they have the opportunity.

 

6 minutes ago, ruksak said:

If I didn't have to see this abhorant disdain they seem to harbour for America I wouldn't complain, nor would we be having this conversation

 

I love America.  But my grandparents and great-grandparents etc. profited from being white Irish immigrants, so I really don't have anything to complain about.  I can understand how someone whose grandparents and great-grandparents were slaves might not love America as much as me.  I can even understand why they might harbor hate for a country that has caused their family so much pain and expects them to sweep that history under the rug to appease football fans.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

3 minutes ago, ruksak said:

I'm white as well. Yet I've been profiled harshly. Sporting long hair for most my life (buzzed it years ago), Iknow what it's like to have people judge me for appearnce. 

 

Police don't (typically) racially profile. They profile poor people. 

 

There's a cop sitting at a red light. He/She decides to run a registration check on a vehicle in front of them. There are 2 to choose from. One, a well dressed black man in a 2017 Toyota and the other a grundgy white man driving a rusted out 1996 Buick Skylark. 

 

The cop will choose to run the plate of the Buick 100 times out of 100. Poor people are much more likely to have warrants, drugs, be intoxicated or have a suspened drivers license. 

 

The issue is the financial disperity between blacks and whites, not simpley the colors involved. 

 

 

 

If you feel you have experienced racism as a white man in todays society, I get it.

 

But to try to equate your experience with racism with that of black people in this country over the last 200 years is incredibly ignorant.

 

I try not to use that term.  Ignorant is thrown around very loosely these days.  But seriously, if you think that you, as a white man in America, have experienced anything close to the depths of racism....

 

Here's your sign.

[ruksak]

1 minute ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

If you feel you have experienced racism as a white man in todays society, I get it.

 

But to try to equate your experience with racism with that of black people in this country over the last 200 years is incredibly ignorant.

 

I try not to use that term.  Ignorant is thrown around very loosely these days.  But seriously, if you think that you, as a white man in America, have experienced anything close to the depths of racism....

 

Here's your sign.

I didn't say I experienced "racism". 

 

What happened 200 years ago is moot. 

 

This started over the Micheal Brown shooting. A violent thug who committed numerous felonies leading up to his death. The nation reeled, fires burned, cops were attacked. 

 

Kapernick took a knee.

 

One week befiore Micheal Brown was shoot, another young man was blown away by a cop. This kid did nothing wrong. 

 

 

Cop was black. Victim was white. Not sexy. You didn't hear a word about this, did you? The colors were all wrong. No racism here, no story. 

 

Take that hook out of your mouth before they reel you in. 

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/3/justice-dillon-taylor-after-white-utah-man-fatally/

 

If Dillon Taylor was Black, then it's a racist shooting. Right? 

[Goatface Killah]

42 minutes ago, ruksak said:

Injustice finds us all. No priveledge was extended to me. Of course, I had no ready excuse for my failures, such as racism, for example. 

 

I listen to millionaire black men tell me that life isn't fair for them becuase they can't get ahead in America due to systematic racism. Yet they have more wealth than 99% of all human beings whom ever existed on this Earth. 

 

Lies hidding behind skin color. Their lives are no more difficult or unfair as my own. People like to be victims, it's a great excuse for failure. 

 

 

They didn't fail.

 

You say they are more rich and successful, then claim their protest is an excuse for failure.

 

You don't make sense.

 

Systematic racism isn't about money. You have been misinformed.

[BOTT]

1 hour ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

I don't really like mixing everyday issues with my football either, but it's a really privileged attitude to insist that social issues be kept out of our entertainment.

 

Entertainers are usually on the front lines of social issues anyway, so it's naive to think it should be kept away from your awareness when you tune into entertainment programs.

 

There's a certain amount of rebellious attitude that is a consequence of someone telling you to just "do your job and keep your mouth shut". 

by front lines you mean private jets and gated communities with other rich white people?Brave, so brave....

[ruksak]

3 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

They didn't fail.

 

You say they are more rich and successful, then claim their protest is an excuse for failure.

 

You don't make sense.

 

Systematic racism isn't about money. You have been misinformed.

I'm not sure you're intelligent enough for my time. That being said...... They make excuses for the failures of black men in America. That is how you should have comprehended my statements above. 

 

 

[Goatface Killah]

2 minutes ago, ruksak said:

I'm not sure you're intelligent enough for my time. That being said...... They make excuses for the failures of black men in America. That is how you should have comprehended my statements above. 

 

 

No I think they just are speaking about the ones murdered by the police, on video.

 

That's a pretty good excuse for not being successful, no matter what color you are.

[Goatface Killah]

3 minutes ago, ruksak said:

I'm not sure you're intelligent enough for my time. That being said...... They make excuses for the failures of black men in America. That is how you should have comprehended my statements above. 

 

 

Not intelligent enough for your time? 

[Lucky Colts Fan]

6 minutes ago, ruksak said:

Cop was black. Victim was white. Not sexy. You didn't hear a word about this, did you? The colors were all wrong. No racism here, no story. 

 

I did.  But I'm also a level-headed consumer of information.  I understand racism is going both ways right now, for better or for worse.

 

I also understand that your interaction with law enforcement probably had nothing to do with race.  I've had a similar incident with an aggressive police officer, but if I was being profiled it was because I displayed the same kind of thing you did, long hair, a grateful dead shirt, etc. but I don't think either of us can say we were racially profiled.

 

Many people, including the players that are protesting, have been racially profiled by law enforcement officers.  And THAT is the issue.

[BOTT]

55 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.  This is what privilege sounds like.

 

"We should be able to enjoy our entertainment without having to think about the injustices that many of the people I am currently watching play a sport have had to deal with in their life because I don't want to think about that right now, I just want to be entertained."

 

You sound like fans that wouldn't have liked Jackie Robinson injecting his politics into the game.

"This is what privilege sounds like".  You have to be a millennial college student.  Maybe he  simply has an opinion that you disagree with.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

4 minutes ago, BOTT said:

by front lines you mean private jets and gated communities with other rich white people?Brave, so brave....

 

Brave?  Haha, your words, not mine...

 

Maybe I shouldn't have called it the "front line".

 

I can see how that would be really disrespectful to people that have served on the actual front-lines.

[ruksak]

9 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

No I think they just are speaking about the ones murdered by the police, on video.

 

That's a pretty good excuse for not being successful, no matter what color you are.

I just showed you a vid of a white kid being murdered and nobody gave a damn. 

 

But we care about Mike Brown, a violent assialant? Why? Because he was black? 

 

We are all judged on appearances. 

 

Maybe the real problem is the gangsta culture which has our youth emmulating thugs by wearing their pants down to their knees? Present yourself as such an be judged accordingly. 

[PrincetonTiger]

This needs to stop and Everyone needs to stop worrying about what others think or do

 

  Discrimination and bullying is not fun or productive

[BOTT]

3 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Brave?  Haha, your words, not mine...

 

Maybe I shouldn't have called it the "front line".

 

I can see how that would be really disrespectful to people that have served on the actual front-lines.

Well, it's mostly because they are full of crap.  Hollywoood has traditionally been overtly sexist and racist.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

1 minute ago, BOTT said:

"This is what privilege sounds like".  You have to be a millennial college student.  Maybe he  simply has an opinion that you disagree with.

 

I'm far from a millennial, and I am disagreeing with them.  I'm not trying to insult them or offend them, I'm just trying to get us all on the same page.

 

I want to enjoy my free time as much as the next red-blooded American, but we can't expect to enjoy the freedom of ignoring social issues when we are all so connected now.

 

If you have a smart-phone you should be aware of these issues before an NFL player decides to kneel over it...