Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Here is my take from a Saints fan perspective...

NFL launches NFL Network in 2003

Hurricane Katrina
Immediately after Tom Benson claimed the Saints facilities were damaged beyond repair and he set everything in motion to move the Saints to San Antonio.

Commissioner Tagliabue along with other NFL owners stopped Benson and Saints from moving.

Roger Goodell becomes commissioner in 2007

• NFL Network begins to become a PR mouth piece for the NFL commissioners office
• Rediculous player suspensions start
• Player misconduct not handled internally but in the public eye
• Patriots caught wiretapping into Jets lockerroom - public specticle
• Thursday Night Football comes along....
• More public PR disasters, Goodell becomes even more powerful
• Bountygate - Where former commissioner Tagliabue had to return to mediate and release players from suspensions because of made up evidence. Players were about to bring the NFL to its knees in federal court.
• Blah blah blah - drama drama
• Concussions - NFL knew about them then get busted and start changing all rules.
• More drama
• Deflategate - more Goodell drama
• Tom Brady suspension - more Goodell drama

Colin Krapinjack starts boycotting America flag before games and it's allowed
(even though U.S. Olympias stood for the U.S.S.R.'s national anthem during the cold war, players protest their own country's flag - unsportsmanlike...)

So really the recent protest and allowing politics to start every game is only the latest B.S. that fans have to put up with watching the NFL. To me, there's a very consistent pattern involving the de-evolution of the game of American Football since Roger Goodell became commissioner.

And Qbrees9 is right - the market is saturated. Way too many MNF, TNF, SNF games. GIVE IT A REST NFL. Even I get tired watching games.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

I'm saying that it was just him. People definitely took notice and didn't appreciate it. But you didn't see any boycotting because it wasn't a widespread thing. That was the point.

This whole situation doesn't remotely compare to that. A guy, here and there, doing something spread out over a lot of years doesn't generate the level of outrage that these BLM protests do.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

There's no question that the NFL has had one PR disaster after another. The train wreck that is Roger Goodell has been, I would say, well documented.

But when specifically talking about this protesting crap, there has never been a time that I am aware of where there has been such a sudden drop in ratings. The NFL has been gradually watering itself down for years. I absolutely agree with that. But allowing these protests is, by the numbers I see, the worst thing that has happened to the league in a long time, and maybe ever.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

I have watched a grand total of maybe 5 minutes of the NFL that wasn't a Saints game this season. I haven't really talked to many people about what they think but I can certainly believe that a lot of people are fed up, all over.

I have lost a great deal of interest over the years due to the lack of what I consider "real football". The league just doesn't have the lure and mystique it once had. Too much mediocrity and highly restrictive (often confusing) rules. But up until now, there didn't seem to be a noticeable drop in ratings or attendance. You can tell the difference when people are truly pissed off.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Okay. I see your point.

And did the league step in on that one? The more I think about it, the more I think they did. I think because they play anthems for more than one country, they required the players to be respectful of both anthems.

But, that was awhile ago, and I'm old now.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

I'm not sure what the NBA did about it. I just know that it didn't become a trend, so it never went far. If it had, it would have been a big deal like it is now, I would assume. Times have changed dramatically, obviously. People will protest anything, just to feel important, and not enough people are willing to hold them accountable anymore.

They protest in ignorance, and they pick the worst platform to do so. I find it both sad and ridiculous.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Mark Cuban was saying the NFL just got greedy. Over saturated their brand, quality went down. They also increased the aspect of kicking which is the worse part of the game.

There is something like maybe 3 minutes total of actual playing meaning the ball is in motion or some crazy number like that. That is almost 3 hours of clock winding down and commercials with no action. It's a painful experience outside of those few minutes of the ball in motion.

Maybe the protest did have an effect some but there are many other factors involved. I know Cuban made that statement a while back before the protest so he was not factoring it in and came to his conclusion.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Got to back to preseason before all the "protesting" started. What did you see? Thousands of empty seats. Flash back 20 years to NASCAR in it's prime. Packed tracks and a growing fan base. Today thousands of empty seats. With a boring product on display. A fan base consisting of "hard core" fans who still hold up 3 fingers every time "JoonYa" drives by. In many ways the NFL is heading into turn 1! Boogity Boogity!!

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Again, we all know the quality of the league has suffered under this regime of the NFL. But up until now you hadn't seen a huge drop off in ratings or attendance, because people want football, no matter how painful it might be to watch, at times.

And as for empty seats in a preseason game... Who cares? That's every preseason. It takes a really starving fan to pay money to watch that garbage, and it's amazing how many actually do. There are posters here who do it. If they can afford it, more power to them. I wouldn't spend my money on that.

But when the games matter, the fans have shown up. The biggest influence on these numbers we're seeing has to be from the protests. It's not a gradual decrease. I have bashed the league for years over it's crappy product, but for all that any of us have complained, there hasn't been enough of a decline to talk about in attendance. We can blame the economy, the product, big foot or whoever. But I don't see where any of that has impacted the bottom dollar quite like what we're seeing now.

Re: Evidence Shows Results of NFL Boycott as Ratings Plummet
 

Could be that more people are watching the Trump Show, conceivably more entertaining. Reality TV at it's best so it's said.