Goodell: The country's obsession with the presidential campaign as a big reason the league's television ratings fell during much of the regular season.

[Wingnut]

Sure it is commish.  Denile is a river in Africa.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

HOUSTON — N.F.L. officials pointed to the country’s obsession with the presidential campaign as a big reason the league’s television ratings fell during much of the regular season.

This week, those two cultural phenomena — politics and football — are coming together again in an extraordinary, and for the league, uncomfortable way on the country’s biggest sports stage.

The Super Bowl, scheduled for Sunday night in Houston, is infused with national politics like never before. Fox’s pregame telecast will include an interview of President Trump by Bill O’Reilly. The owner, coach and star player of one team, the highly successful New England Patriots, are friends of the president’s.

Last Sunday, hundreds of people opposed to the president’s immigration policy protested at the convention center where the N.F.L. is holding many of its events for fans. The next day, many players on the Falcons and Patriots — including Mohamed Sanu, who is Muslim — were peppered with questions about their thoughts on the president and his temporary ban on refugees from some Muslim-majority countries.


The political overlay made the league so uneasy, apparently, that it omitted any references to the president from the dozens of official transcripts of interviews with players on Monday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/sports/super-bowl-politics-trump-nfl.html

[Frank Cannon]

Roger has been, is and always will be a a complete worthless moron. I'm surprised he didn't throw in the leap year as part of their problem too. I wonder what excuse he will come up next year when they are in the same sad shape.

[truth_seeker]

Excuses, excuses.

In denial that Krappernig is a problem, costing viewership..

[Wingnut]

Roger has been, is and always will be a a complete worthless moron. I'm surprised he didn't throw in the leap year as part of their problem too. I wonder what excuse he will come up next year when they are in the same sad shape.

He is a rubber lipped woodpecker. 

[Frank Cannon]

Excuses, excuses.

In denial that Krappernig is a problem, costing viewership..

It's beyond that. You got ESPN turning into MSNBC, manufactured controversies being poorly handled, teams up and moving for no other reason than the owners can grift money from the new town. The whole thing has watered down what football used to be.

I also see the same thing happening to NASCAR but in slower motion.

[geronl]

Oh, so I guess it has nothing to do with players squattin' during the National Anthem

[mountaineer]

Commentary from October:

5 Reasons Football Fans Are Losing Interest In NFL Games
The league has replaced the joy of a good game with endless commercials, incessant penalty flags, inane social media policies, and political controversy.
By Zachary Abate
October 21, 2016

Last Sunday night’s NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans drew 12.9 million viewers, a massive 38.4 percent drop from last year’s week six game. It was the least-watched Sunday Night Football game in five years.

If this drastic ratings drop was an anomaly, you could blame the uninteresting matchup. Houston (4-2) represents the best (or perhaps the least awful) team the dismal AFC South provides, and Indianapolis (2-4) is a rudderless ship, plagued with injuries and coaching issues.

But the Sunday night numbers are not unique. Viewership is still high—the NHL and MLB would love the same numbers—but has dropped by around 10 percent. While the NFL is quick to blame election coverage for stealing eyeballs, I can’t help but think there is more to the story.   ...

The writer goes on to blame too many penalties, too many commercials, in the inconsistency in the application of the rules, and other factors. Read the rest here.


As for the Super Bowl, Mr. M and I read books, dropped in on Puppy Bowl occasionally, and watched (but not very attentively) the last six minutes of the fourth quarter and the overtime period. We missed the much-ballyhooed TV ads - on purpose.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

A lot of football fans are right of center, and stunts like not standing for the Anthem are waking people up that their dollars are making these very spoiled, horrible people more and more wealthier.

[ABX]

It probably has more to do with 3 major areas:
1. Football tries to interject itself into every political and cultural issue of the day. People want to watch it to escape, not be preached at.
2. The commentators are insufferable.
3. More and more games are being moved to premium cable channels versus network broadcast.

[catfish1957]

I think Roger's Trophy post game reception pretty much sums up what people think of his football acumen.

[r9etb]

It probably has more to do with 3 major areas:
2. The commentators are insufferable.

That's what bugs me the most, because it doesn't have to be that way.  I thought Joe Buck and Troy Aikman did a really good job last night.  On the other side, Chris Collinsworth is just awful, and Jon Gruden is nearly as bad -- and they're on the premier broadcasts. 

Color guys like Aikman, John Lynch, or Trent Green are actually pretty good, because they mainly just analyze the game.

[catfish1957]

3. More and more games are being moved to premium cable channels versus network broadcast.

Baseball has ruined itself by this mistake.

As a life long Astros fan, I will use this as how this has degraded

1985-  I paid $20/mo. for cable (included premium channels)

I got 81 games on free TV, 81 on expanded cable.

2016- I pay $90/mo for cable (no premium channels)

I got to see 18 games on the (yuk) Texas Rangers network.

About 4 or 5 games on Fox/ESPN  on weekly broadcasts

And the pukes want to know why we are losing interest.

[r9etb]

It probably has more to do with 3 major areas:
1. Football tries to interject itself into every political and cultural issue of the day. People want to watch it to escape, not be preached at.
2. The commentators are insufferable.
3. More and more games are being moved to premium cable channels versus network broadcast.

And one other thing .... I don't really want to watch players doing their little dances after every play. 

Did you notice how little of that went on last night? 

[jmyrlefuller]

Note that other sports saw a drop in viewership as well.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/02/06/Research-and-Ratings/NHL-ratings.aspx

[Idiot]

Roger has been, is and always will be a a complete worthless moron. I'm surprised he didn't throw in the leap year as part of their problem too. I wonder what excuse he will come up next year when they are in the same sad shape.

[DCPatriot]

"It's the economy, stupid!"

It costs a minimum of $300 for a couple to attend a stadium game.

... until half-time.

The common man might watch his home team on cable, but he doesn't subscribe to NFL Network.

He settles for the Game of the Week each Sunday and Monday Nites.

[Bigun]

It probably has more to do with 3 major areas:
1. Football tries to interject itself into every political and cultural issue of the day. People want to watch it to escape, not be preached at.
2. The commentators are insufferable.
3. More and more games are being moved to premium cable channels versus network broadcast.