NFL viewership off 11% YOY (1 Viewer)

[Nipsey]

Good post, Nipsey.

One thing I noticed when LA hosted Seattle last year for their home opener is how frigging hot that Coliseum gets on an early Sept. afternoon with NO shade offered anywhere in that massive venue.  Who the hell wants to sit out and cook for 3 hours (not this albino)?

Yeah, day games on the sunny side in that place are brutal. That's usually why USC plays late when home. The 5-5:30 kickoff is perfect because you get a good 8 hours to get shnookered in the parking lot and then get to watch football in perfect temps as the sun sets. If invited, i won't go if it's a 12:30 start time.

The new Rams stadium Kroenke is building is at the site of the old Hollywood Park Racetrack. I honestly still can't believe Hollywood Park is gone. It's going to be very difficult for me to go to the new stadium without tearing up a little. So many great times there. There were famous horses buried at the track and I'm not sure they dug them up. Might have a Poltergeist pool scene situation there if it rains.

 

[roadkill1292]

No.

Signed, a former Rams fan.

Lots of people pick Dan Snyder but, regardless of who you like in the Bad NFL Owner Derby, it's an exhilarating debate. These guys are the worst people in the world and that means Rooney, too, Yinzers.

 

[culdeus]

My god.....what do normal people do?  Take an Uber to Humperdinks and walk from there?  That's egregious.  Actually, for the Oregon/OSU game, I think my buddy did actually park at Humperdinks and we took a bus?  I was a little tipsy.  Memories unclear.

yes this is the shark play.  Most bars and hotels will drive you over for a 2 drink minimum.  

 

[General Malaise]

yes this is the shark play.  Most bars and hotels will drive you over for a 2 drink minimum.  

I met that draconian standard with relative ease....

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Lots of people pick Dan Snyder but, regardless of who you like in the Bad NFL Owner Derby, it's an exhilarating debate. These guys are the worst people in the world and that means Rooney, too, Yinzers.

I think there are different categories (NOT levels because, as you say, they all are pathetic) of awfulness in owners.

You have the Openly Vile, like Snyder and Jones who make no bones about what they are (they are probably the most honest of them all).

Then there are The Misters: the Rooneys, the Maras, Jerry Richardson, Kraft who have somehow tricked their fans and the league into thinking they give a #### about fans or players with their genteel ways. They might be worse than the OVs.

The Openly Criminal like the Vikings and Browns owners.

I root for the Ravens, which brings me to another category: the Silent Assassins like Steve Bisciotti. He's probably the lowest-profile owner in the league from a media standpoint. Fans love him because "all he does is pump money into the team and let the football guys do their thing".  Nope, no cover-ups here. He might be worse than The Misters, if that's possible.

 

[roadkill1292]

I think there are different categories (NOT levels because, as you say, they all are pathetic) of awfulness in owners.

You have the Openly Vile, like Snyder and Jones who make no bones about what they are (they are probably the most honest of them all).

Then there are The Misters: the Rooneys, the Maras, Jerry Richardson, Kraft who have somehow tricked their fans and the league into thinking they give a #### about fans or players with their genteel ways. They might be worse than the OVs.

The Openly Criminal like the Vikings and Browns owners.

I root for the Ravens, which brings me to another category: the Silent Assassins like Steve Bisciotti. He's probably the lowest-profile owner in the league from a media standpoint. Fans love him because "all he does is pump money into the team and let the football guys do their thing".  Nope, no cover-ups here. He might be worse than The Misters, if that's possible.

Howya been?

I'm sure you're right about Bisciotti but I don't really know anything about the situation, I mostly just wanted to take a shot at St. Rooney and his Western Pennsylvania Disciples. That never gets old.

 

[TheFanatic]

The majority of LA born NFL fans are Raider fans. The Rams played in Anaheim, which is basically a different country, before they left a generation a ago. Now they're back playing in what was the Raiders home stadium. What's left of that Rams fanbase from 20 years ago (not much) is unlikely to trek it to South Central and the Coliseum. It's going to take time to build that following but I'm confident once the new stadium is there, they'll be fine. You just can't expect LA to fill, or even halfway fill, a 90K seat stadium for a "home" team not many people out here care about (yet).

As far as the Chargers go, they're playing in Carson, which is also in a different universe than LA proper. Nobody here is a Charger fan. They're playing in a soccer stadium. Nobody really wants them here. That being said, once they get into the new stadium people will come. As far as the $100 parking goes, that was for a tailgate lot. For USC games at the Coliseum, to get those premiere tailgate lot parking passes next to the stadium it takes a ridiculous donation, in the thousands of dollars. I'm sure you can find parking somewhere near the stadium in Carson for far less than 100 bucks. The spotlight on the $100 for parking story seems to be part of this calculated negative campaign being conducted by an SD based anti-Spanos/NFL faction. They put up these three billboards right near the stadium.

It's really not far to compare the NFL attendance to that of USC's attendance. They've been in the Coliseum forever and the school is right across the street. The fans know what the deal is and the tailgate for those games is a blast. It's an up year so home attendance is going to be high.

Bottom line, it's unfair to judge the NFL's move to LA after only a few weeks. You have two teams with non-existent fanbases playing in stadiums they don't belong in. The sportsbars in LA are packed on NFL Sundays and most of the people out here are transplants rooting for the teams they grew up following. It's a city full of frontrunners though so if and when the Rams/Chargers turn it around the stadium will be rocking with we're #1 $75 foam fingers. Angelinos like new, trendy, upscale things so I guarantee the new stadium will sell out when it opens in 2020 or whenever it does.

I give the stadium 2 home games and then it will be empty. And that will include giving away thousands of tickets to Boys and Girls Clubs, inner city charities and a bunch of high school marching bands to boost the attendance.

Football is gone for more than 20 years and finally comes back and attendance is crap to start the second season? The city didn't support the Rams back when they had Dickerson running all over the league. And I don't blame them for it. There's much more to do there. The product itself at the stadium is much worse than it was back in the day compared to the other viewing options fans had. No way they pack that stadium all year after they build the new place. Unless one of these two teams goes on a Patriots like run, I don't see them ever building much of a fan base. And considering how well the Kroenke run teams perform, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. 

 

[roadkill1292]

Might be time to start asking ourselves why pro sports teams needs owners anyways.

 

[Eephus]

I dislike sports owners as much as the next guy but I don't think that's a factor in the declining interest in the NFL.

 

[Joe T]

Thats the cheapest option for Dallas fwiw.  And there is plenty of parking. 

What's this?

 

[Nipsey]

I give the stadium 2 home games and then it will be empty. And that will include giving away thousands of tickets to Boys and Girls Clubs, inner city charities and a bunch of high school marching bands to boost the attendance.

Football is gone for more than 20 years and finally comes back and attendance is crap to start the second season? The city didn't support the Rams back when they had Dickerson running all over the league. And I don't blame them for it. There's much more to do there. The product itself at the stadium is much worse than it was back in the day compared to the other viewing options fans had. No way they pack that stadium all year after they build the new place. Unless one of these two teams goes on a Patriots like run, I don't see them ever building much of a fan base. And considering how well the Kroenke run teams perform, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. 

Dickerson's Rams played in Anaheim stadium, a baseball stadium. Place was a pit and it was in Anaheim. There's already significant buzz about this new stadium. By then the Rams will have been back for 3(?) years. They'll sell the joint out. If the team stinks maybe people/companies won't use all the tickets but that place is going to sell out.

Let's face it, USC has been the city's professional football team for some time. When the program is up they fill a 90K+ seat stadium, a pit of a stadium. The appetite for football is here. The Rams (and Chargers) will have a state-of-the-art venue. If the team is half decent it'll be a hot ticket.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I gave up my Bills season tickets this year.  Compared to other NFL teams, they're dirt cheap.  Upper-deck, 30 yard line, I paid $592 last year.  No one cares about the preseason games, so I really spent $592 / 8 = $74 per ticket + $10/game for parking, so $84.  If I'm planning on drinking, I'll do so pregame and rarely spend anything inside the stadium.  It's probably about as cheap as you can reasonably do an NFL game without buying off the secondary market. 

And it still just wasn't worth it for me.  There's the December games, where there's always the likelihood that the Bills will be totally out of it and the weather will suck and I won't go.  There's the preseason games where I have to pay full price.  It's not even about the product on the field for me, really.  Going to an NFL game is a full day experience, and dare I say it, a waste of a good Sunday.  Even if I'm not going full-bore on a tailgate, I'm still leaving the house around 10 AM and not getting home until 5-ish.  Every other weekend for the entire fall.

Going to a big game, at least here in Buffalo, is still a fantastic experience.  But the older I get and the more expensive the tickets get, I have less and less desire to go.  It's just so much more convenient to watch the game on TV and not have to spend an entire day on it.

 

[Johnnymac]

I wish they would just scrap instant replay.  I know it wont happen but if I hear one more announcer explain to me that there needs to be indisputable evidence to overturn the call I'm going to throw a brick through my TV set.  Or this one, remember the call on the field was a catch, or another good one, does he have control throughout the process of the catch, blah, balh, balh. 

Replay has ruined the sport, among other things.  Just make the ####### call and move on with it already.

 

[GregR]

There's so much whine in this thread I thought I maybe I accidentally logged into the SommelierGuys forums.

 

[Chemical X]

just think if you were a jet fan, they don't even have their own stadium.  metlife is a complete ####hole, no different than the dump before it.  they should've just waited for a spot to build in queens.  woody is just terrible, gotta be a bottom 3 owner and ambassador.  i actually don't think they will win a SB in my life.

 

[Chemical X]

oh, rams v 49ers thursday?  throw acid in my eyes.....

 

[TheFanatic]

Dickerson's Rams played in Anaheim stadium, a baseball stadium. Place was a pit and it was in Anaheim. There's already significant buzz about this new stadium. By then the Rams will have been back for 3(?) years. They'll sell the joint out. If the team stinks maybe people/companies won't use all the tickets but that place is going to sell out.

Let's face it, USC has been the city's professional football team for some time. When the program is up they fill a 90K+ seat stadium, a pit of a stadium. The appetite for football is here. The Rams (and Chargers) will have a state-of-the-art venue. If the team is half decent it'll be a hot ticket.

Keep telling yourself that. 

Every one of Kroenke's teams suck. Every single one of them no matter which continent. A perennial loser in LA is not going to fill a stadium, no matter how state of the art. 

And to say a state of the art facility is what will bring the people in is laughable. People go to football games to see good football. A state of the art facility is a novelty. Once people have been there once or twice, if the product on the field isn't great (and it won't be because Kroenke can't run a winning team in any sport), then the attendance is going to drop dramatically. 

 

[Sammy3469]

I dislike sports owners as much as the next guy but I don't think that's a factor in the declining interest in the NFL.

It may not be the owners directly, but I do think one of the ancillary reasons some people are fine turning the NFL off is their stance on societal issues in general and the owners support of Trump.  I know the story is how Kapernick is turning off conservatives, but the converse is also true.  

If you view (I'm not saying this is how I view it, just putting the argument out there) it as a bunch of greedy old white conservative men supporting a bigoted President while blackballing someone standing up to them, well, the calculus is pretty easy to just tune it out if that's your belief system.   I don't think it's THE reason, but I do think it enters people's mind especially in places like NYC (Johnson), New England (Kraft), etc.  

 

[Steve Tasker]

And to say a state of the art facility is what will bring the people in is laughable. People go to football games to see good football. A state of the art facility is a novelty. Once people have been there once or twice, if the product on the field isn't great (and it won't be because Kroenke can't run a winning team in any sport), then the attendance is going to drop dramatically. 

As an Arsenal fan, I genuinely wonder if Kroenke actually cares whether his teams win.  I kinda don't think he does.  Arsenal are in a great financial position and basically just rake in the money every year despite not having won a title in like 13 years.  Would he like to win?  Sure.  But if he's still making money hand over fist even when they're losing?  why bother spending more money on pricey transfers?

It's the total opposite of Terry Pegula, owner of the Bills and Sabres, who isn't afraid to open the pocketbook and splurge in a desperate effort to have a winning team.  He seems like a good man and he certainly cares about the well-being of this downtrodden, nearly-forgotten city, but he just doesn't seem like he knows how to run a professional sports organization.  Still waiting for that first playoff appearance for either of em (not counting the end of the 10-11 Sabres season).....

 

[roadkill1292]

I dislike sports owners as much as the next guy but I don't think that's a factor in the declining interest in the NFL.

Mine is decidedly a minority opinion. The American football fan base is largely a conservative natured one, anyway, most of those people are much more sympathetic to at least their local owners -- if the team is winning -- than I ever could be. But the way NFL ownership has treated its fans, its labor pool and its local governments are big reasons why I walked away without a backward glance four years ago.

:Bundesliga model:

 

[Sabertooth]

I went from watching 4 or 5 games a week, to 3/4 of one last week.  The overload of DFS did it for me.  No thanks.  

 

[GregR]

Mine is decidedly a minority opinion. The American football fan base is largely a conservative natured one, anyway, most of those people are much more sympathetic to at least their local owners -- if the team is winning -- than I ever could be. But the way NFL ownership has treated its fans, its labor pool and its local governments are big reasons why I walked away without a backward glance four years ago.

:Bundesliga model:

I bet most people over estimate this by way too much though. Studies like this one based on actual polling show the NFL fanbase is only slightly right of the middle when it comes to the split. Where it is I'm guessing 55-45 as it looks like it's at about a 10% gap.  It's right in the same area as MLB, Olympics, high school sports, and college basketball.

The NHL and college football have larger conservative proportions than does the NFL.  Golf is the most conservative fan base and the NBA is the most liberal one after WNBA.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Was in LA this weekend, super thrilled to get my choice of Rams/Skins or Chargers/Miami in the afternoon.

but hey it is better than NC st versus Furman.

I've heard that the main reason some local NFL fans were against having someone else's team move there is that it would preempt the national game which is usually a better matchup.  

 

[Zegras11]

Best Thursday Night game ever...

 

[Capella]

oh, rams v 49ers thursday?  throw acid in my eyes.....

Game of the year so far. Easily. 

 

[BassNBrew]

I went from watching 4 or 5 games a week, to 3/4 of one last week.  The overload of DFS did it for me.  No thanks.  

?

 

[BassNBrew]

It may not be the owners directly, but I do think one of the ancillary reasons some people are fine turning the NFL off is their stance on societal issues in general and the owners support of Trump.  I know the story is how Kapernick is turning off conservatives, but the converse is also true.  

If you view (I'm not saying this is how I view it, just putting the argument out there) it as a bunch of greedy old white conservative men supporting a bigoted President while blackballing someone standing up to them, well, the calculus is pretty easy to just tune it out if that's your belief system.   I don't think it's THE reason, but I do think it enters people's mind especially in places like NYC (Johnson), New England (Kraft), etc.  

You guys are killing me. Point me to this NFL ownership support of Trump

ps a black dog killer which turns off every demo was sign asap and played until his suckiness was obvious to everyone. 

 

[RokNRole]

Good Thursday game. Competitive til the end. Loved it.

 

[BoltBacker]

You guys are killing me. Point me to this NFL ownership support of Trump

I'm not saying that I agree with is overall point but there are NFL owners that have supported Trump. Here is just a list of owners ....

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-owners-contribute-millions-president-trumps-inauguration-175403023.html

http://www.thedailybeast.com/nfl-owners-rain-cash-on-trump-inaugural

"• Ed Glazer (Buccaneers) was the only owner not to contribute a million dollars, donating $250,000 to the inaugural effort.

• Woody Johnson (Jets), who donated a million; Johnson has been named the United States’ ambassador to Great Britain.

• Jerry Jones (Cowboys), whose Gladstone Limited Partnership donated $1 million.

• Shahid Khan (Jaguars) donated a million dollars, though he has criticized Trump’s attempts at a travel ban from Muslim-majority countries.

• Robert Kraft (Patriots), a longtime associate of Trump who donated $1 million. Kraft’s Patriots visited the White House on Wednesday to honor their victory in Super Bowl LI.

• Stan Kroenke (Rams), one of the most diversified owners in sports, also contributed a million dollars.

• Bob McNair (Texans) was active on behalf of Trump throughout the campaign and contributed a million dollars.

• Daniel Snyder (Redskins) contributed a million to welcome Trump to Snyder’s home base."

This is far from a deep dive on the subject but it's an interesting article on the subject nonetheless: "RED VS. BLUE: THE DUELING POLITICS OF THE NFL AND NBA"

http://www.newsweek.com/nba-nfl-politics-support-trump-547808

 

[Chemical X]

Game of the year so far. Easily. 

missed it, sun still rose

 

[eoMMan]

Game of the year so far. Easily. 

Yeah, I had to go to bed but from what I saw...it was a good game.

 

[eoMMan]

You guys are killing me. Point me to this NFL ownership support of Trump

ps a black dog killer which turns off every demo was sign asap and played until his suckiness was obvious to everyone. 

Strictly from the eyeball test, I think Trump and Roger Goodell are long list twins....

http://theledgesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ray-rice-and-roger-goodell-memes_12.jpg

 

[Da Guru]

Game of the year so far. Easily. 

It was a great game.   Only drawback was the 49ers uniforms.  The Rams were decent as at least I could tell who the players were. Could not see the numbers and the uniforms looked dingy on the 49ers.  Would have loved to see their classic ones last night.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

First year in the past 20-25 that I am no longer interested in watching games. Amazing how drastic it has changed for me in just a single year. Cannot attribute it to anything specific. I am just not into it as much.

 

[comfortably numb]

It may not be the owners directly, but I do think one of the ancillary reasons some people are fine turning the NFL off is their stance on societal issues in general and the owners support of Trump.  I know the story is how Kapernick is turning off conservatives, but the converse is also true.  

If you view (I'm not saying this is how I view it, just putting the argument out there) it as a bunch of greedy old white conservative men supporting a bigoted President while blackballing someone standing up to them, well, the calculus is pretty easy to just tune it out if that's your belief system.   I don't think it's THE reason, but I do think it enters people's mind especially in places like NYC (Johnson), New England (Kraft), etc.  

If anyone thinks Trump has anything to do with the popularity or lack thereof for the NFL, that person is most likely obsessed with politics in a negative way.

 

[TheFanatic]

If anyone thinks Trump has anything to do with the popularity or lack thereof for the NFL, that person is most likely obsessed with politics in a negative way.

Exactly. There should be no mention of Trump anywhere near this thread. 

 

[General Malaise]

Washington Post's Adam Kilgore had a pretty good article this week about the popularity of college waxing while NFL popularity wanes.  Might need a subscription to read, but I thought this was thought provoking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/09/21/its-two-different-games-why-college-football-is-more-fun-than-the-nfl/?utm_term=.293243c12365

 

[General Malaise]

Washington Post's Adam Kilgore had a pretty good article this week about the popularity of college waxing while NFL popularity wanes.  Might need a subscription to read, but I thought this was thought provoking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/09/21/its-two-different-games-why-college-football-is-more-fun-than-the-nfl/?utm_term=.293243c12365

The Ringer’s Kevin Clark captured the timidity of NFL offenses by citing the all-time high frequency of “failed completions” — passes that gain less than 45 percent of necessary yardage for a first down on first down, 60 percent on second down and 100 percent on third or fourth down. Quarterbacks and coaches have become content to dink and dunk and punt, pleased not be throwing interceptions or taking sacks. It is a good way for offenses to crawl around the middle 30 yards of the field, teams trading small chunks of territory. It has the aesthetic appeal of trench warfare in shoulder pads.

That's what the Seahawks/49ers game looked like on Sunday. 

Last night's game was much more entertaining, so perhaps we are premature on the death knell.

 

[eoMMan]

Washington Post's Adam Kilgore had a pretty good article this week about the popularity of college waxing while NFL popularity wanes.  Might need a subscription to read, but I thought this was thought provoking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/09/21/its-two-different-games-why-college-football-is-more-fun-than-the-nfl/?utm_term=.293243c12365

I guess I'm one of the few who prefers NFL over college football. I enjoy college football when it's two great, ranked teams battling it out but when it's something like Alabama as a 54 point favorite against East Mississippi Votech Academy of the Arts, I just can't get into it. It's just kids to me and too....for lack of a better word...amateurish. 



Maybe because I raised in the northeast where college football wasn't as popular.

 

[General Malaise]

I guess I'm one of the few who prefers NFL over college football. I enjoy college football when it's two great, ranked teams battling it out but when it's something like Alabama as a 54 point favorite against East Mississippi Votech Academy of the Arts, I just can't get into it. It's just kids to me and too....for lack of a better word...amateurish. 



Maybe because I raised in the northeast where college football wasn't as popular.

I get that, but also have the option on Saturday to turn the channel and find a more compelling game or even GAMES going on at the same time.  You don't get that with the NFL.  Unless you PAY an additional fee to watch all the games.  Assuming just basic cable, college games are on myriad channels from morning until bed-time and if one is boring you to tears, another one a remote click away is available for your viewing pleasure.

Know what I had to watch on Sunday?  Seattle vs San Francisco.  No other options for me.  It was arguably one of the worst games I've ever had to watch.  And watch it I did because I'm an addict and I begged for updates from other, more compelling games that I couldn't watch.  

 

[Uruk-Hai]

For me, it's not the quality of play or politics or length of games or number of ads. Frankly, I just got burned out - not just on the NFL, but pretty much all sports. And it happened gradually over about the last 10 years. 

In regards to the NFL specifically, I just realized that I didn't need (or want, really) to watch every game so I dropped the Ticket after years of paying for it and just watch whatever broadcast game is on. I also stepped down as commish of my FF league after 25 years and probably would have stopped playing altogether if my partner (my brother) didn't want to keep our team going. I long ago stopped watching night games on work nights.

I'm a Ravens fan who only gets the DC local channels, so I get them most every Sunday they're scheduled unless the Skins are playing same time/same network. But more times than not, I'll mute the sound and turn music on. 

 

[belljr]

For me, it's not the quality of play or politics or length of games or number of ads. Frankly, I just got burned out - not just on the NFL, but pretty much all sports. And it happened gradually over about the last 10 years. 

In regards to the NFL specifically, I just realized that I didn't need (or want, really) to watch every game so I dropped the Ticket after years of paying for it and just watch whatever broadcast game is on. I also stepped down as commish of my FF league after 25 years and probably would have stopped playing altogether if my partner (my brother) didn't want to keep our team going. I long ago stopped watching night games on work nights.

I'm a Ravens fan who only gets the DC local channels, so I get them most every Sunday they're scheduled unless the Skins are playing same time/same network. But more times than not, I'll mute the sound and turn music on. 

i'm about there.  I just don't care that much anymore.  I get far more enjoyment out of watching our town teams and coaching my daughters softball teams than watching pro sports.

That and the fact I get up pretty early for work I don't really spend the time staying up to watch games.   I LOVE LOVE baseball and hockey, can't tell you the last time I watched a professional game.

 

[Phil Elliott]

missed it, sun still rose

Might not in the next few weeks..#edmeade #33 #apocalypse_starts_9/23/17 

 

[Chemical X]

london game this week....don't take the metro or else!

 

[Joe T]

Was the stadium half empty for the game last night?

 

[Joe T]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/21/rams-49ers-thursday-night-football-attendance

 

[comfortably numb]

Was the stadium half empty for the game last night?

More like half full 

 

[roadkill1292]

More like half full 

That's the spirit!

 

[Sinn Fein]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/21/rams-49ers-thursday-night-football-attendance

49ers should just cut Kaepernick.  I'm sure once he is gone, the fans will come back. Too big of a distraction now.  

 

[Sheriff Bart]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/21/rams-49ers-thursday-night-football-attendance