So why the ratings plunge?

[Hawk-Lock]

I personally disagree that less people are watching because of penalties. The NFL has always been a flag fest. Since when did this year become the tipping point. I haven't looked at stats, but are penalties up that much from previous years? I just have a hard time believing people aren't watching because games have 2-3 extra flags per game.

I think it's a mixture of bad matchups and people simply caring less. Sometimes there isn't an explanation for a trend. The NFL's popularity was rising at such a fast rate it was due for a regression.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I think it's a mixture of bad matchups and people simply caring less. Sometimes there isn't an explanation for a trend. The NFL's popularity was rising at such a fast rate it was due for a regression.

I still agree with me. Games just aren't as fun to watch as they were even a couple years ago, lack of star power.

Outside of Seattle, I can count on one hand how many players I get excited to watch play.

Aaron Rodgers
Cam Newton
Tom Brady
JJ Watt
Von Miller

That's about it, and half these guys are either hurt or aren't playing all that well.

No Brett Favre's no Peyton, no AP, no Beast Mode, etc..........so why watch mediocre QB play and a bunch of 7-9 teams commit penalties and go 3 and out 12 times a game?

 

[Hawk-Lock]

I think it's a mixture of bad matchups and people simply caring less. Sometimes there isn't an explanation for a trend. The NFL's popularity was rising at such a fast rate it was due for a regression.

I still agree with me. Games just aren't as fun to watch as they were even a couple years ago, lack of star power.

Outside of Seattle, I can count on one hand how many players I get excited to watch play.

Aaron Rodgers
Cam Newton
Tom Brady
JJ Watt
Von Miller

That's about it, and half these guys are either hurt or aren't playing all that well.

No Brett Favre's no Peyton, no AP, no Beast Mode, etc..........so why watch mediocre QB play and a bunch of 7-9 teams commit penalties and go 3 and out 12 times a game?

I think the star power is subjective. While there is no BeatMode or Peyton, there is still plenty of others. I think it may have more to do with the teams. Like you said, outside of 8-10 teams, the rest of the league is mediocre or bad.

I wonder if fantasy football is fading. Fantasy football turned the NFL into a sport watched by everyone. I have a number of friends who only follow the NFL because of their fantasy football teams. I wonder if people are playing less, therefore watching less.

The ratings plunge is likely do to a lot of things. I could honestly care less tbh,

 

[chris98251]

Free Agency, lack of identifiable stars associated with many teams, the NFL is very Old as a sport, we enjoyed the gladiatorial combat, the NFL is taking that away with a bunch of pussification, Free Agency hurt it as well since players move to other markets and the star power they have goes there. People don't invest themselves as much because of a lot of this. Ticket prices, the average dude used to be able to go to games, that's not the case anymore, also creates a lack of investment into a team if the guy down the street can't watch his team due to the guy in the Penthouse having the ability to pay 5 times more for the experience.

Flags, the NFL flagging personalities as well, people ranting and raving about players not fitting in their social structure or being or having lives outside of football that are different or have issues creating a negative perspective about the league.

In short they are doing what other aspects of the country is doing, phasing out the importance of middle income brackets.

 

[Ruminator]

Rarely see kickoffs put in play by a returner anymore. What fun is that?

And suffering "flag fever" after most big plays. Big play = flag? Flag? Flag? Flag? Flag? Flag? Oh shit, flag. (Or if there's no flag, the opportunity for emotions and celebration/cursing has already passed.)

 

[SanDiego49er]

~ Don't hit high.
~ Don't hit low.
~ Don't hit in the middle too hard.
~ Don't play defense. Or at least not too hard.

My God this is flag football. This is not the football I grew up watching. Not even close.

Yes also over exposure. Thursday night, Sunday Night, Monday Night. It used to be just Sunday. It's massively over exposed. Throw in college football on Saturday and a few other night games for college too. You got football probably almost 5 days a week. College and pro including the night games which are not the regular Saturday and Sunday games.

That in addition to the no physicality to the game anymore. Football has become so soft it's just not the same anymore. It's almost unwatchable. They are going to play flag football in like 5 years or so. It's just not the game I remember. IMO the ratings will continue to decline and they should. Because the product has gotten worse.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

~ Don't hit high.
~ Don't hit low.
~ Don't hit in the middle too hard.
~ Don't play defense. Or at least not too hard.

My God this is flag football. This is not the football I grew up watching. Not even close.

Yes also over exposure. Thursday night, Sunday Night, Monday Night. It used to be just Sunday. It's massively over exposed. Throw in college football on Saturday and a few other night games for college too. You got football probably almost 5 days a week. College and pro including the night games which are not the regular Saturday and Sunday games.

That in addition to the no physicality to the game anymore. Football has become so soft it's just not the same anymore. It's almost unwatchable. They are going to play flag football in like 5 years or so. It's just not the game I remember. IMO the ratings will continue to decline and they should. Because the product has gotten worse.

Flags are dangerous, 2 hand touch only on the back in the hand prints put on by the nfl. If you cant hit them spots, then it is a touchdown. LOL

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I wonder if fantasy football is fading. Fantasy football turned the NFL into a sport watched by everyone. I have a number of friends who only follow the NFL because of their fantasy football teams. I wonder if people are playing less, therefore watching less.

I don't know if it's fading...........but the way we monitor our teams definitely has changed.

99% of America now has smart phones and tablets with every online league having instant notification letting us know up to the second how our players are doing. So over the past couple years we no longer have to watch crap games all day Sunday or Thursday night just to keep track of a couple players we have.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

I wonder if fantasy football is fading. Fantasy football turned the NFL into a sport watched by everyone. I have a number of friends who only follow the NFL because of their fantasy football teams. I wonder if people are playing less, therefore watching less.

I don't know if it's fading...........but the way we monitor our teams definitely has changed.

99% of America now has smart phones and tablets with every online league having instant notification letting us know up to the second how our players are doing. So over the past couple years we no longer have to watch crap games all day Sunday or Thursday night just to keep track of a couple players we have.

Great point. I think that's another reason for the lack of ratings. Not everyone has to watch anymore. You can rely on the internet and smart phones to track the games.

 

[Lords of Scythia]

No. 1 is streaming. This is a huge wave crashing through the entertainment industry. People are cutting the cable cord in droves and will continue to do so.

No. 2 is a terrible live watching experience. There are stretches in games where you see 5 seconds of live action between 5 - 10 minutes of commercials. End the ridiculous commercial breaks after a kickoff!

No. 3 is crappy primetime matchups. Have a more flexible flex policy.

No. 4 is football has peaked in this country, I'm afraid. More and more people don't like watching a sport that grinds players' bodies up like they are cattle. I love football but I hate, hate seeing guys get maimed. I'm sick about what happened to Luke Willson, for example and same with the Falcons receiver that got knocked out yesterday. For some people, it's becoming too much.

And there's also the horrible concussion syndrome. There's a growing awareness of these players being crippled mentally and physically for the rest of their lives. Suicides where they leave their brain to research. Be well.

 

[chris98251]

One other aspect that we have to consider, our Presidential Election having debates that have drawn more interest this year then many years past, throw in the World Series and you have "CHOICE'S" the debates have been much better then games and reality TV regardless of affiliation. Throw in a release of Star Wars newest Episode on a game night to Cable TV and some other things, Walking Dead this past couple weeks and the NFL has competition for it's product due to the games being slow and not very dramatic, used to be a game that was close or had marquee guys and drama would draw viewers in. Now they are on that edge of watching it because they have been fans and if not very interesting going to one of the other program options and keeping it updating on a Phone.

 

[scutterhawk]

We should add Tues., Wed., Fri. & Sat. night games as well.
We need a review of every play, a commercial between each play, create blockages to the flow of the game, and push to get the Referees more involved as well.
I don't watch the games to see the "Games", I tune into Commercials to get snippets of a game.
There's been a rise of commercials on TV in every day viewing....Once they get your attention with Games, Game Shows, Reality TV etc., they flood the living shit out of our lives with mind numbing repetitive CRAP.