So Much for NFL Ratings Decline Being About Racism

[Joer]

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...en-on-christmas-day?__twitter_impression=true

It is always interesting to me that when some people cannot accept what is obvious, they always seek to find another reason. Despite the fact that many people have stated they were boycotting the NFL due to the disrespect of the flag and the National Anthem, many other people claimed it was simply an excuse to demonstrate their racism. They could not accept Reason #1, so they claimed it was because of Reason #2.

Now, we have the linked article from Bloomberg News. A major sports league with a much higher % of black athletes sees their ratings soar, at exactly the same time NFL ratings are tanking. Uhhhh... sounds like some folks need to find reason Number #3, or better yet, face up to Reason #1.

The most interesting thing here, to me, is that while there are many politically outspoken individuals in the NBA, the league has a hard and fast rule about standing for the national anthem. Political and social opinions cannot be expressed while on the court. Entertainment only.

 

[JTH007]

Good points

 

[yardiewrx]

The NFL has been going down for years regardless of politics. It just is not the great Entertaining product that it once was.

 

[CANE1983]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

 

[yardiewrx]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

Yep spot on

 

[Sabetta]

And the NFL further proved how tone deaf they are by re-upping Goodell.

 

[Doc Holliday-JB]

Let’s be real. Fantasy football is the reason the nfl is so popular. The product on the field sucks. College football has always been better imo.

 

[CANE1983]

Let’s be real. Fantasy football is the reason the nfl is so popular. The product on the field sucks. College football has always been better imo.

100% on point......sometimes the NFL playoffs are really good but even at their best it doesn't touch college football.

 

[canesfanincali]

Let’s be real. Fantasy football is the reason the nfl is so popular. The product on the field sucks. College football has always been better imo.

this... I tell others this and they can't put it together... sad really.

Let’s be real. Fantasy football is the reason the nfl is so popular. The product on the field sucks. College football has always been better imo.

 

[bkmorgan52]

I am a football fanatic with the Canes being at the top of the list. I pay for the best sports package I can and even have NFL Sunday ticket. I even watch most of the high school football games that are on tv.

IMO the reason the NFL ratings are declining is that the product on the field is just not that good. It used to be that on any given Sunday any team was capable of winning and the games were very competitive. That is simply not the case anymore. Going into the last week of the playoffs there really aren’t many exciting games to see who is in or out. This weeks games mostly will determine seeding. I have already decided to not renew Sunday ticket and it has nothing to do with flag protest but rather the quality of games being played.

 

[Dom70]

It has gotten so bad, That even on other articles and live videos, or news articles, they have paid trolls on there just to make racist comments(both sides) to generate fighting among people , As I have noticed this happen on a lot of message boards that I have read a news article, and it never happened before up until all this crap started.

 

[PHILCANE]

NFL sucks. People complaining about the NFL and kneeling suck even more.

 

[BreakingCane]

NFL sucks. People complaining about the NFL and kneeling suck even more.

Agree. People kneeling before games at a ceremony honoring military and veterans suck.

 

[honeyiv]

It's like a plane crash. MANY factors contribute. Product on field. Non competitive teams like Cleveland and San Fran, the inconsistent refereeing (does the receiver 'survive' the ground), saturation on tv, trying to keep up with the NBA scoring wise by favoring the passing game, ticket prices and yes, the anthem issue. If you don't think that (and Goodell's refusal to make standing mandatory) has no bearing on the ratings decline, you are not being honest with yourself or just really don't have perspective.

 

[e_cushing]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

It was a huge counterpoint presented by the Kaepernick supporters. They said the anger about the anthem protests were veiled racism because the players kneeling were primarily black.

The NFL product is bad, but there are a lot of people, myself included who would be watching if the kneeling stuff had not happened.

If they want to fix the NFL, they need to apologize overtly for the disrespect to the flag. They need to change some of the rules back, if your hand grazes the helmet of a QB it doesn't need to be a personal foul. They need to get some common sense on what is a catch. And they need to limit the time in reviews and keep the game moving.

 

[canesfan470]

NFL sucks. People complaining about the NFL and kneeling suck even more.

What really sucks is crying about oppression when u make millions...and the product sucks....**** the NFL

 

[e_cushing]

But the NFL is broken beyond repair as is evidenced by this whole Kaepernick for NFL man of the year nonsense...dude isn't even in the league.

 

[pilla1313]

The NFL has become unwatchable because of the rule changes outlawing physicality and hitting, the constant replays that contest every catch and turnover, and flags that are thrown every other play.

That's why viewership is declining. It's never been worse in it's modern history.

 

[CANE1983]

It was a huge counterpoint presented by the Kaepernick supporters. They said the anger about the anthem protests were veiled racism because the players kneeling were primarily black.

The NFL product is bad, but there are a lot of people, myself included who would be watching if the kneeling stuff had not happened.

If they want to fix the NFL, they need to apologize overtly for the disrespect to the flag. They need to change some of the rules back, if your hand grazes the helmet of a QB it doesn't need to be a personal foul. They need to get some common sense on what is a catch. And they need to limit the time in reviews and keep the game moving.

While I don't personally see anything disrespectful about the anthem I understand why people do and want it to stop for the sheer reason that I don't want to hear about it. Even agreeing with their cause and their right to protest, personally I just don't want to hear it from either side. I just think its an issue that has been way overblown -- I can't count how many times I've gone to piss or get a beer during the anthem to avoid missing the start of the game. But bottom line, I just don't want to hear about it anymore whether its here, during a broadcast, on facebook, or even in conversation with friends.

This is honestly the first year, I really haven't been crazy about NFL Football. I love the dolphins and usually make it my business to be around for the game but I've probably missed 4-5 games this year. Perhaps its because they suck but they always suck so I'm not sure that is what is causing my apathy. The canes being good this year probably plays a role but overall I'm just not getting the same joy from watching the game. Spot on about the catch rule and replay in general. It's really making it hard to watch...

 

[tonyhurricane]

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...en-on-christmas-day?__twitter_impression=true

It is always interesting to me that when some people cannot accept what is obvious, they always seek to find another reason. Despite the fact that many people have stated they were boycotting the NFL due to the disrespect of the flag and the National Anthem, many other people claimed it was simply an excuse to demonstrate their racism. They could not accept Reason #1, so they claimed it was because of Reason #2.

Now, we have the linked article from Bloomberg News. A major sports league with a much higher % of black athletes sees their ratings soar, at exactly the same time NFL ratings are tanking. Uhhhh... sounds like some folks need to find reason Number #3, or better yet, face up to Reason #1.

The most interesting thing here, to me, is that while there are many politically outspoken individuals in the NBA, the league has a hard and fast rule about standing for the national anthem. Political and social opinions cannot be expressed while on the court. Entertainment only.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...en-on-christmas-day?__twitter_impression=true

It is always interesting to me that when some people cannot accept what is obvious, they always seek to find another reason. Despite the fact that many people have stated they were boycotting the NFL due to the disrespect of the flag and the National Anthem, many other people claimed it was simply an excuse to demonstrate their racism. They could not accept Reason #1, so they claimed it was because of Reason #2.

Now, we have the linked article from Bloomberg News. A major sports league with a much higher % of black athletes sees their ratings soar, at exactly the same time NFL ratings are tanking. Uhhhh... sounds like some folks need to find reason Number #3, or better yet, face up to Reason #1.

The most interesting thing here, to me, is that while there are many politically outspoken individuals in the NBA, the league has a hard and fast rule about standing for the national anthem. Political and social opinions cannot be expressed while on the court. Entertainment only.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...en-on-christmas-day?__twitter_impression=true

It is always interesting to me that when some people cannot accept what is obvious, they always seek to find another reason. Despite the fact that many people have stated they were boycotting the NFL due to the disrespect of the flag and the National Anthem, many other people claimed it was simply an excuse to demonstrate their racism. They could not accept Reason #1, so they claimed it was because of Reason #2.

Now, we have the linked article from Bloomberg News. A major sports league with a much higher % of black athletes sees their ratings soar, at exactly the same time NFL ratings are tanking. Uhhhh... sounds like some folks need to find reason Number #3, or better yet, face up to Reason #1.

The most interesting thing here, to me, is that while there are many politically outspoken individuals in the NBA, the league has a hard and fast rule about standing for the national anthem. Political and social opinions cannot be expressed while on the court. Entertainment only.

NFL stinks. Have not wstched a game since early 2016. Watch only college ball.

 

[Tiv]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

When have players sat during the anthem or taken a knee during the anthem before 2016? I've been watching football for 55 years and I can't ever recall that happening. Please elaborate.

 

[Schnellys_Stache]

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...en-on-christmas-day?__twitter_impression=true

It is always interesting to me that when some people cannot accept what is obvious, they always seek to find another reason. Despite the fact that many people have stated they were boycotting the NFL due to the disrespect of the flag and the National Anthem, many other people claimed it was simply an excuse to demonstrate their racism. They could not accept Reason #1, so they claimed it was because of Reason #2.

Now, we have the linked article from Bloomberg News. A major sports league with a much higher % of black athletes sees their ratings soar, at exactly the same time NFL ratings are tanking. Uhhhh... sounds like some folks need to find reason Number #3, or better yet, face up to Reason #1.

The most interesting thing here, to me, is that while there are many politically outspoken individuals in the NBA, the league has a hard and fast rule about standing for the national anthem. Political and social opinions cannot be expressed while on the court. Entertainment only.

Agree racism has nothing to do with it. There are two things bigger than the flag thing though that are hurting them

1. Product without as much parity as previous years

2. Concussions

 

[CANE1983]

When have players sat during the anthem or taken a knee during the anthem before 2016? I've been watching football for 55 years and I can't ever recall that happening. Please elaborate.

Specifically Marshawn Lynch has sat on and off his entire career. I'm having trouble finding the article but in that it said that some players have sat before 2016 but it was never covered or made a story of. That's where my issue with the whole thing lies. I just think everyone is overly worked up about something we never cared about before. I love this country, respect the military, etc but I never thought of the anthem as something to get worked up about. I always stand if I'm at my seats but countless times I've not been at my seats to go piss or get a beer before kickoff. There's tons of people doing the same or not even in the stadium because they're still tailgating but no one thinks of them as disrespecting the flag......Do I actively support the kneeling? No. Does it bother me? No.....what does bother me is having to listen to the bullshit from both sides of the aisle about it.

 

[Tiv]

Specifically Marshawn Lynch has sat on and off his entire career. I'm having trouble finding the article but in that it said that some players have sat before 2016 but it was never covered or made a story of. That's where my issue with the whole thing lies. I just think everyone is overly worked up about something we never cared about before. I love this country, respect the military, etc but I never thought of the anthem as something to get worked up about. I always stand if I'm at my seats but countless times I've not been at my seats to go piss or get a beer before kickoff. There's tons of people doing the same or not even in the stadium because they're still tailgating but no one thinks of them as disrespecting the flag......Do I actively support the kneeling? No. Does it bother me? No.....what does bother me is having to listen to the bullshit from both sides of the aisle about it.

I never knew that Lynch sat on the bench during the playing of the anthem before 2016. This is the same guy who goes to media day before big games and says, "I'm here so I won't get fined". Then he doesn't answer any questions. He's a bumbling idiot.

The media never reported that he sat on the bench before 2016. I think that was because at some level they agreed with him.

 

[Raoul2]

Specifically Marshawn Lynch has sat on and off his entire career. I'm having trouble finding the article but in that it said that some players have sat before 2016 but it was never covered or made a story of. That's where my issue with the whole thing lies. I just think everyone is overly worked up about something we never cared about before. I love this country, respect the military, etc but I never thought of the anthem as something to get worked up about. I always stand if I'm at my seats but countless times I've not been at my seats to go piss or get a beer before kickoff. There's tons of people doing the same or not even in the stadium because they're still tailgating but no one thinks of them as disrespecting the flag......Do I actively support the kneeling? No. Does it bother me? No.....what does bother me is having to listen to the bullshit from both sides of the aisle about it.

This is the correct way to approach it.

 

[CANE1983]

I never knew that Lynch sat on the bench during the playing of the anthem before 2016. This is the same guy who goes to media day before big games and says, "I'm here so I won't get fined". Then he doesn't answer any questions. He's a bumbling idiot.

The media never reported that he sat on the bench before 2016. I think that was because at some level they agreed with him.

I'm not sure if you are aware of why Marshawn doesn't talk to the media but when he was first getting into the league he got burned by some reporters in buffalo who spun some his quotes and made him look really bad. So he doesn't do that stuff just to be funny but he genuinely doesn't want to talk to reporters so he does the barebones to satisfy his contractual obligations. I'm not saying he is a MENSA candidate or anything like that but I have respect for him for not playing the reporter's games. Don't screw me over than expect me to help you.

 

[FireDiver]

But the NFL is broken beyond repair as is evidenced by this whole Kaepernick for NFL man of the year nonsense...dude isn't even in the league.

There is an issue that has not been brought up which is beyond racism/kneeling etc. Kaepernick was quickly becoming irrelevant in the league and he knew he was going to get cut, so why not polarize yourself? What better way to bring attention to yourself (any publicity is good publicity).
I remember when McKinnie was brought in by the Dolphins to replace Jonathan Martin. Within a week of McKinnie signing with the dolphins all of the sudden (soon to be cut) Martin started bullygate? I'm not saying this is their true motives(only they know), but some of the points I bring up might be more selfish of these individuals than bringing awareness to a cause.
All I am saying is had these individuals been killing it on the field and waiting for big contracts, would they have done it??

 

[canefam]

Bottomline, most folks watch sports for ENTERTAINMENT, NOT POLITICS... it's the last thing I want to see or hear about. Now we have athletes making their POLITICAL views known as part of the game. I pay $$$ to be entertained, not to be preached too by some athlete or sports commentator. Sorry, they can STFU and do what they are being paid to do, play the game or comment on it. On their own time, I don't give a F what they do, that's their own business. If the NFL, a multi-billion dollar BUSINESS chooses to let their EMPLOYEES express their POLITICAL views on my nickel, F them...

 

[ButterP]

TRUTH BE TOLD THE NFL ALTERED THE GAME TOO MUCH. NO WHERE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD OF SPORTS HAS ANYONE SAID THERE MUST BE PAIRITY IN SPORTS. YET THE NFL FOUND A WAY TO WATER IT DOWN. THEN CHANGE THE GAME FOR THE OFFENSES AND LEAVE THE DEFENSE IN A BIND. BASICALLY FORCING THE DEFENSES TO ADJUST ON THE FLY WHILE MAKING ITS MUCH EASIER FOR THE OFFENSE. EVERYTIME WE TURN AROUND THERE IS A NEW RULE CHANGE. IF ITS NOT BROKE DONT FIX IT. SAY WHAT U WANT NO ONE LIKE THE PATRIOTS, BUTS ITS MUST SEE TV WHEN THEY PLAY BECAUSE U WANNA SEE IF THEY LOSE. YET AMIDST ALL THE CHANGES THEY STAYED AHEAD. RUBBING MY CHIN AND THINKING ABOUT THAT ONE.

 

[umprestige]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

One of the Best Post Of The Year!!!

 

[Joetoth]

I've never really heard "racism" as a cause. I mean people are upset up this anthem protest, which of course is silly when you realize players have sat for the anthem before and no one said a word until 2016. The president has intentionally tried to polarize an issue that as it works to his general strategy of "divide and anger" which of course has got people mad about something that they really don't care about......The NFL has a much bigger problem: Their product sucks. Fix the product and fans will come back.....

I appreciate your points, usually do @CANE1983 .

I would like to offer an additional thought.....
Things have different meaning to different people. I doubt the Nation's Flag and National Anthem symbolize the exact same thing to everyone, nor should they.

I would like to offer that there is a segment of the population that the Flag and Anthem represent something very significant and meaningful. Like the feeling of love, it is not easy to explain if you do not have that same feeling about it.
While I truly acknowledge and defend any American's right to peacefully protest (I literally have), I would like to offer there is a specific population of Americans that really do care about anyone choosing disrespecting our flag and anthem as a way to do it.

But at the end of the day, I continue to respect the freedom we all have represented by our Flag and Anthem, so I will continue to defend those freedoms......regardless of whether I agree with how they are expressed or not.

 

[sabrose]

The NFL's marquee team the Patriots cheated excessively and Goodell gave them a slap on the wrist and destroyed the evidence. That hurt the league big time. His refusal to stand up to the players hurt it big time. Also its the product on the field. Defenders are so big and fast that runs rarely go more than 5 yards.So teams dink and dunk downfield copying the Patriots .Its become a boring game.
Never let a liberal lawyer run your company -they will run it into the ground.

 

[CANE1983]

I appreciate your points, usually do @CANE1983 .

I would like to offer an additional thought.....
Things have different meaning to different people. I doubt the Nation's Flag and National Anthem symbolize the exact same thing to everyone, nor should they.

I would like to offer that there is a segment of the population that the Flag and Anthem represent something very significant and meaningful. Like the feeling of love, it is not easy to explain if you do not have that same feeling about it.
While I truly acknowledge and defend any American's right to peacefully protest (I literally have), I would like to offer there is a specific population of Americans that really do care about anyone choosing disrespecting our flag and anthem as a way to do it.

But at the end of the day, I continue to respect the freedom we all have represented by our Flag and Anthem, so I will continue to defend those freedoms......regardless of whether I agree with how they are expressed or not.

Great post!!!

 

[Joer]

Kaepernick was the first documented player in league history to sit for the anthem. Anybody who says otherwise is making it up

 

[CANE1983]

Kaepernick was the first documented player in league history to sit for the anthem. Anybody who says otherwise is making it up

You actually just proved my point. First "documented" player to sit, why is that? Because no one even paid attention to it before Kaep did it and the media spun it into a huge deal. It was never documented because no one really cared. Now, its possible to argue that Kaep was the first player to sit in protest, but saying he was the first to sit is not true. Marshawn Lynch has sat many times over the course of his career. To simply denounce his claim without even a single teammate or coach coming out to say that is false would be foolish. It actually speaks volumes to my original point that pretty much no one cared until you were told by the media that it was a big deal and you should care.

 

[JMac97]

All you have to do is ask yourself why you haven’t been to an NFL game. For me it’s all about the cost, tv timeouts for commercials to pay the extravagant salaries and tv contracts. I can also record and skip commercials and endless stats.

Why bother when I can sit at home, air conditioned, private bathroom, ability to pause and rewind and not have to cut my arm off to pay for parking and refreshments.

I could care less about the protests, for or against.

I could care less about Oakland vs Seattle or any other game besides the Dolphins.

The product stinks.

 

[JMac97]

All you have to do is ask yourself why you haven’t been to an NFL game. For me it’s all about the cost, tv timeouts for commercials to pay the extravagant salaries and tv contracts. I can also record and skip commercials and endless stats.

Why bother when I can sit at home, air conditioned, private bathroom, ability to pause and rewind and not have to cut my arm off to pay for parking and refreshments.

I could care less about the protests, for or against.

I could care less about Oakland vs Seattle or any other game besides the Dolphins.

The product stinks.

Not to mention that the game doesn’t seem real. Plays being overturned that are good football plays(ie Pats vs Steelers) Seemingly endless reviews, timeouts and announcers shouting at you and telling you what you just saw on the screen. Just stay home and spend valuable time wit your family. Also there are too many games. Do away with Thursday games.

 

[alejim89]

It was never about Kaepernick, kneeling, or any of that horseshit...leagues go through ebb and flows. Right now the storylines of the NFL aren’t as interesting as they usually are. A lot of the familiar names are old or gone (Brady, Manning, Brees, Peterson), the Falcons and Broncos have shit the bed after their SB appearances, the Seahawks are in decline, the new names that were supposed to replace the old guard have been hurt all year (Rodgers, Luck, David Johnson), the promise that surrounded popular franchises like the Raiders and Cowboys have worn off, and the new kids on the block haven’t had enough camera time to familiarize themselves to the country yet (Eagles, Rams)..Give it a year or two and it’ll be back to what it was, it’s cyclical

 

[Quise19]

Lol people mad at African Americans protesting an anthem that wasn’t meant for them in first place. You can take that last line out all you want but facts remain the origin of that song was not meant for any race other than Whites.

 

[canefam]

Lol people mad at African Americans protesting an anthem that wasn’t meant for them in first place. You can take that last line out all you want but facts remain the origin of that song was not meant for any race other than Whites.

It's a bigger issue, that goes beyond race or the freaking anthem... The NFL has a bunch of jackoffs running it and some of its players (employees of teams) are out of control. It's been this way for a while and will get progressively worse.