Why is TV viewership for NFL games down?

[fearsomefour]

Everybody is watching Red Zone when their team isn't playing.

I hate the redzone channel.

 

[fearsomefour]

When I was a kid I would watch every game I could, start to finish. As a teenager and younger guy I wouldn't sit still for a three hour game....too much other stuff to do. As a middle age I gladly get the Ticket to watch the Rams. I will check out other games as well but I get it to watch the Rams. Streaming would be a good option for me since I want to see MY team and don't a huge piss about the others mostly. But, I don't to watch it on a phone or IPad unless there is no other option. My son who is in college....nonissue with this. When I was setting their stuff up in their house for college they all said fast Internet but non of them really cared if they had TV. So, no TV.

 

[Selassie I]

I hate the redzone channel.

I hate commercials.

I would never watch RZ during a Ram game... but otherwise, I'm fine with all football and no commercials for hours.

 

[Prime Time]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/richard-sherman-the-nfl-is-a-‘bottom-line-business’/ar-BBwNnEO?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Richard Sherman: The NFL is a ‘bottom line business’
By Charlotte Wilder


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhxka5xmzjw

In a new segment for his weekly series with The Player's Tribune, Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman appears in a four-minute video on how the NFL treats its players. He says that the league sees them like race cars, doing just enough to keep them in good shape to perform, then dropping them once they're no longer on a roster.

In a post accompanying the video, Sherman writes:

But as dedicated as we players are to this game, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore the fact that we don't have a league that shows the same kind of dedication when it comes to taking care of the players who are laying their bodies on the line every Sunday.

It's a huge issue - one that a lot of players talk about behind closed doors, and would like to talk about more openly. They're passionate about it and they want to see change.

Sherman - who writes that he has "the mindset and the courage to come out and say something" - addresses the hard hits Cam Newton took during the Panthers-Broncos game, the first NFL match-up of the season. He said that Newton wasn't taken out of the game because it would've upset fans and therefore affected the NFL's bottom line.

"If you're not making them more money, at the end of the day, they'll find somebody else," he says.

Sherman also talks about how many of the league's players come from less affluent backgrounds and see football as a way to make a lot of money in a short amount of time in order to change their families' lives. He says he joined the NFL Players Association so that he could "make the interest of players more known so the league doesn't abuse its power."

 

[fearsomefour]

I hate commercials.

I would never watch RZ during a Ram game... but otherwise, I'm fine with all football and no commercials for hours.

Yeah, I don't mind the no commercials for sure.
It is funny how many time the Rams game goes to commercial, switch to another to check in....commercial.....switch....commercial. It's crazy.
I usually try to make the Sunday grocery store run about kick off time, burn an hour or so, then watch the game....fast forward through a lot of the commercials for the first half anyway.
One funny thing with the ticket is no one else can stand how I like to watch a game. I like line play. So, after a sack or a run, good or bad, I will rewind it and watch TD line. Rewind, play, freeze, rewind, play, freeze, play....back to the game. No one else can take it. So, brother in law comin over to watch his team.....TV set up in a different room.

 

[ChrisW]

You dont buy Ram merchandise or jerseys?

No sir, I got rid of all my gear when they moved. I don't want to do any favors to the league, which includes owners.

I have a vested interest in the players, which is why I still watch.

 

[nanotech]

What teams' merchandise do you wear?

None

 

[kurtfaulk]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/richard-sherman-the-nfl-is-a-‘bottom-line-business’/ar-BBwNnEO?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Richard Sherman: The NFL is a ‘bottom line business’
By Charlotte Wilder


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhxka5xmzjw

In a new segment for his weekly series with The Player's Tribune, Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman appears in a four-minute video on how the NFL treats its players. He says that the league sees them like race cars, doing just enough to keep them in good shape to perform, then dropping them once they're no longer on a roster.

In a post accompanying the video, Sherman writes:

But as dedicated as we players are to this game, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore the fact that we don't have a league that shows the same kind of dedication when it comes to taking care of the players who are laying their bodies on the line every Sunday.

It's a huge issue - one that a lot of players talk about behind closed doors, and would like to talk about more openly. They're passionate about it and they want to see change.

Sherman - who writes that he has "the mindset and the courage to come out and say something" - addresses the hard hits Cam Newton took during the Panthers-Broncos game, the first NFL match-up of the season. He said that Newton wasn't taken out of the game because it would've upset fans and therefore affected the NFL's bottom line.

"If you're not making them more money, at the end of the day, they'll find somebody else," he says.

Sherman also talks about how many of the league's players come from less affluent backgrounds and see football as a way to make a lot of money in a short amount of time in order to change their families' lives. He says he joined the NFL Players Association so that he could "make the interest of players more known so the league doesn't abuse its power."

I can't tell you how much this article irks me. The players get paid millions and he's crying about how the league uses them? They entered the league with open eyes to how the system works. There are thousands of other jobs out there, nobody forced them to make this career choice. They chased the money. Now he's complaining about it? Fuck off.

.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Oh boy, do I have a lot to say on this topic.

First, my personal opinions:

1. The game is far too over-analyzed. QBs will throw INTs. Defenses will give up points. It happens. Get over it.

2. That over-analyzing leads to a negative message. Negativity is also ruining this game makes many people into cynical critics. Reporters, "analysts", fans, everyone. If things just ever so slightly go wrong, all hell breaks loose. Gone are the days where you can just sit back and just enjoy the game.

3. Fixing things that aren't broken. I'm still mad about the PAT being moved back. It worked for YEARS without an issue and there were some amazing games with that. Moving the KO up 5 yards was stupid, as teams just try to pin them deep, forcing them to return anyway. Moving the draft to a 3 day format. WHY?!

4. Too much emphasis on meaningless stats. Everyone should know by now I can't stand PFF. I don't give a damn about "adjusted DVOA ranking" or w/e other bullcrap ranking they make. This is more than just the stats used for fantasy purposes. SNF now has PFF ranks when players do their introductions. It's pointless.



Agreed. I get them not wanting to use props b/c they waste time, but Antonio Brown twerking in the EZ isn't harming anyone.



Umm no.



And I wonder who created that perception? Certainly not Mike Florio and his cronies talking more about bullcrap lawsuits and other non-football matters.



Like what, instant replay?



I think international games are pretty cool. Just b/c something is born in the US doesn't mean it HAS to stay here.



1. As part of the younger generation, my friends and I still congreate around a large box. Nothing beats sitting at home and watching a game on a flat screen vs. squinting on some tiny phone.

2. Way to generalize RE fantasy football, Mikey. As a fantasy player, my real-life team comes first over my fantasy team.



Nah. The only election related thing was the debate. And that's only b/c people wanted to see how foolish the 2 candidates made themselves out to be. Any other 2 and 80 million people wouldn't watch it.



Making the game safer isn't turning off the fans. It's the unfair advantages a team can get. A hand taps the QB's helmet is 15 yards. A punter or kicker flopping nets another 15. C'mon use common sense here.



I agree here. It's a non-issue. Too bad media and announcers continue to focus on it anyway.



How much more marketing do you need? They have their own network, BSPN coverage, Fox Sports coverage, CBS coverage, NBC, and lord knows how many fan blogs and radio shows across the country.



Redzone is awesome. This way you can see all the games over the boring matchup your local tv provides or boring national game later afternoon.



That's true to some extent. But the traditional tv viewing style still remains dominant. Sometimes getting the whole streaming from internet to tv becomes too much of a hassle. And watching games on mobile devices is stupid.



Yup.



1000000000% agree here. Even though with me it was watching guys like Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Michael Strahan, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Brian Urlacher, Troy Polamalu, etc.



But Florio is claiming it's this year. The current format of SNF and MNF as been like this for 10 years. The only difference is SNF is the "game of the week" over MNF. Wasn't SNF on BSPN before that? Regardless, ratings have been going up every year until now.

And to those of you saying there's "too much" football now, talk to me in mid-June. Now you can say there's too much coverage all year, I agree. But actual games, 1 extra isn't doing any harm.



Oh yes. Tired of seeing the same and/or boring ass matchups every year. This week is Chiefs/Steelers. I like the Steelers, but LA/AZ would've been better.



Me too.

Just because you deserver more than just a "Like" on this^ post!:grouphug:

 

[Yamahopper]

It's not just viewing, attendance has been in a downward trend for years.
Hard core fans like we are will always watch. it's the casual fan that's drifting away. And all of the above posts give great reasons and they all factor in.

But sometimes the casual fans just find better more entertaining things to do.
To me NFL is a religion, but even I skipped a week to go Elk hunting.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

@Angry Ram I used to watch them, all after several years, I don't feel the need. If I miss Sunday Night, I can watch Monday, or Thursday. Football feels less special than it did. I am sure all of the other reasons given are also valid contributors to less leadership too. I have a few friends who dropped the NFL altogether because of the excessive corporate greed. But, I still feel it is too much.

 

[Prime Time]

It's not just the NFL that I am less interested in as I get older(other than Rams games of course). Stopped watching baseball during the 90's. Do make a point of watching the Little League World Series every year though. The NBA has never interested me. Hockey is a great sport to watch live but not on TV. Soccer bores me to tears except the World Cup every four years.

The only other sport I watch is tennis, especially women's tennis because they rely more on strategy than sheer power. Some of the women tennis players are easy on the eyes as well.

Ana Ivanovic

 

[LesBaker]

I can't tell you how much this article irks me. The players get paid millions and he's crying about how the league uses them? They entered the league with open eyes to how the system works. There are thousands of other jobs out there, nobody forced them to make this career choice. They chased the money. Now he's complaining about it? freak off.

.

Sherman is so self absorbed I cannot take him seriously.

 

[CGI_Ram]

My thoughts;

1. A growing low-attention-span society
2. Lots of entertainment alternatives
3. Over saturation (I hate Thursday night football, TBH)
4. Commercials are in excess
5. Penalties, rule changes, etc = fan frustration

I also think the league could be turning off fans by the appearance of greed to make more and more money. If it's not crazy game day prices, it's the constant threat to need new stadiums.

I can also say (in support of #5 above), my wife tries to get into a game occasionally, but the amount of rules frustrates her... and they change too much. Nobody likes to feel dumb, but the league keeps changing rules.

 

[Leuzer]

The over-saturation of games is what does it for me. There is nothing special about playing on national television anymore. It used to just be:

• Sunday Noon/Afternoon games
• Sunday Night Football
• Monday Night Football
• Thursday games only on Thanksgiving

Now we have:

• Sunday Morning if playing overseas
• Sunday Noon/Afternoon games
• Sunday Night Football
• Monday Night Football
• Monday Night Football game #2 for Week 1
• Thursday Night Football
• 3 Thursday games on Thanksgiving
• Saturday Games in December

I'll also add that moving the kickoffs up 5 yards, the unnecessary player safety-penalties, and the lack of player celebrations has certainly done damage to the league.

 

[Athos]

Also gotta add. I watch a lot of the college game on Saturdays. Especially head to head ranking games and potential upsets, mosty until my alma mater kicks off.

When Sunday rolls around, I've had my fill.

That and I don't really have any vested interest in a team anymore.

Seeing Bradford beat Rodgers was the most NFL excitement I've had in years. That's pretty much it.

 

[RamFan503]

That's a really stupid thing for Florio to say, but it shouldn't surprise anyone that he can't deduce this.

Exactly Les. I stopped reading as soon as I saw the name Florio. Time is better used reading the responses by our members.

 

[RamFan503]

Also gotta add. I watch a lot of the college game on Saturdays. Especially head to head ranking games and potential upsets, mosty until my alma mater kicks off.

When Sunday rolls around, I've had my fill.

That and I don't really have any vested interest in a team anymore.

Seeing Bradford beat Rodgers was the most NFL excitement I've had in years. That's pretty much it.

I have to say that I watch more college football than NFL. I also don't really watch many NFL games if the Rams aren't playing in them. At work I'm streaming the games so that doesn't help with their advertising dollars. And once I get home, I speed watch the games and eliminate any commercials. Here piggy piggy piggy.

 

[Yamahopper]

Offensive wide open shootouts put eyeballs on the TV. I admit that I'm watching one game and I see a Pats 31 & Saints 27 2ndQ in the ticker I'm think what the hell and jump over to that game.
As the game reverts back to 70's style run game and defensive struggles with 14-10 games more and more of the casual fans will drift away.

And if the trends continue it will cut into revenues at bad time. Next CBA isn't going to go well as it is with the players wanting full guaranteed contracts and 75% of the pie. Add a smaller pie and Pissed people.

 

[Corbin]

No sir, I got rid of all my gear when they moved. I don't want to do any favors to the league, which includes owners.

I have a vested interest in the players, which is why I still watch.

Interesting. Well I can tell you this much, these players are going to start peaking.