BobcatAttack.com - For Fans of Ohio University Sports

Welcome Guest!
Create an Account

site search

where to watch

about us

advertise with us

help

BobcatAttack.com Message Board

Ohio Football

Topic: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Topic: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Author

Message

giacomo
General User

Member Since: 11/20/2007
Post Count: 2,691

Status: Offline

Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 8:16:55 PM

Gene Collier: Where has the NFL's wonder gone?
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2016/12/11/Gene-Collie...

Great opinion piece on why the NFL viewership is in decline.

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 8:26:33 PM

giacomo wrote:

Gene Collier: Where has the NFL's wonder gone?
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2016/12/11/Gene-Collie...

Great opinion piece on why the NFL viewership is in decline.

"40% said they were watching less because of the National Anthem protests."

Ya think. I have not watched an NFL game this season.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,115

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 8:36:55 PM

Interesting. I went to my first NFL game in 62 or 63 and watched the great Jim Brown. At that time, Coke had a promotion with bottle caps where each cap had a player on the inside and if you filled a sheet, you got a prize. Because we drank lots of Coke and my dad was a Kroger manager with a Coke machine and the local barber shop let us keep all of the bootle caps, we covered enough sheets to get an official NFL football. I don't think in Akron, the 1964 championship was on TV so we stood in the kitchen and listened to the game on WAKR - 1590 I think. There was a mystique to the whole thing.

Sadly, I haven't watched a Browns game this year. It has nothing to do with their record. I didn't watch one last year. Ever since Art Modell - the devil incarnate - took the Browns to Baltimore, I couldn't care less. It's just not important. In fact, I haven't watched any games this year. Maybe a quarter here or there between rounds o cutting firewood, raking leaves, or right after a round of golf. It just really doesn't matter anymore.

Sorry for the rambling but pro sports in general just aren't that important until you get to the playoffs.

http://boblemke.blogspot.com/2015/07/remembering-1964-cok...

Last Edited: 12/11/2016 8:44:14 PM by Alan Swank

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,115

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 8:42:18 PM

Bcat2 wrote:

giacomo wrote:

Gene Collier: Where has the NFL's wonder gone?
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2016/12/11/Gene-Collie...

Great opinion piece on why the NFL viewership is in decline.

"40% said they were watching less because of the National Anthem protests."

Ya think. I have not watched an NFL game this season.

That might be the most bogus stat I've ever seen.

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 9:01:52 PM

Alan Swank wrote:

Bcat2 wrote:

giacomo wrote:

Gene Collier: Where has the NFL's wonder gone?
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2016/12/11/Gene-Collie...

Great opinion piece on why the NFL viewership is in decline.

"40% said they were watching less because of the National Anthem protests."

Ya think. I have not watched an NFL game this season.

That might be the most bogus stat I've ever seen.

Evidently 2016 quite a year for presumed bogus stats.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 9:13:18 PM

Fascinating article. As much as I think Mark Cuban is a blow hard, I do believe he has a point about sometimes there is an under the radar trend that suddenly blows up in everyone's face. For example, millennials (and many non-millennials) don't have the attention span for a 3+ hour football game when they are fixated on other things like fantasy football and cell phone games.

Couple that with the disgust many have about our politically correct culture and when Colin Kaepernack is extolled by many in the politically correct sports world, it rubs a lot of people, especially in more conservative working class areas the wrong way. The sports media use to be pretty conservative but even that has changed, and I believe recently the ESPN ombudsman had to make some sort of statement acknowledging the networks recent leftward tilt on cultural issues that rubs many in the Heartland the wrong way. Don't believe me, just look at the election results. Has there ever been a time when the Midwest vote and the East Coast/West Coast vote was so vastly different?

I remember working with some older men years after the 1994 baseball strike and they hadn't been to a game since the strike, even though they would religiously attend before the strike. There was some crazy statistic about non-promotion major league baseball attendance compared to attendance figures when they did give away bobbleheads etc. Baseball needed and still needs gimmicks.

I am amazed at all the cushy extras professional sports now has like lounges for season ticket holders to get in from the elements, or just get away from the game for which you are paining through the nose. I was shocked as to how many people inside the lounge were engaged in activities that had nothing to do with the game. You add all of these factors with the concussions news and the spiraling participation rates in youth football and you see what is beginning to happen. (The link is below.)
http://www.vocativ.com/298019/youth-football-participatio... /

L.C.
General User

Member Since: 8/31/2005
Location: United States
Post Count: 10,470

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 9:22:44 PM

Honestly, when I look around, I seem to see a decline in participation in all sports. I see more kids playing video games, and less kids playing anything outside. When I was young, I played any and all sports, and I read the sports pages every day. Kids today don't read the sports page (or the newspaper at all), and they don't play catch or even ride bikes much, from what I see. I worry about their health, long term, but certainly I don't expect they will grow up to be sports fans.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

giacomo
General User

Member Since: 11/20/2007
Post Count: 2,691

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 9:54:29 PM

There are many more distractions now versus then. I agree that it is over exposed. I don't get the political reasons. If I want to watch a game, Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem surely won't make me to turn away. I don't tie patriotism into watching sports. Cuban makes a good point about pigs getting slaughtered. Good memories shared about first games. Mine were at municipal stadium in Cleveland too.

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 10:02:33 PM

I hear ya LC. I don't coach anymore, but I talk to some of my old coaching colleagues who still do and they tell me stories about how even at the high school football level, they sometimes have to go over the nuances of the game. This was something many of us understood by playing or watching in grade school without ever having to be instructed. I also think some of us might have played sports with a delusion that perhaps we could play after the high school level, when deep down we knew there was no chance. Whereas today, for better or worse most kids don't even harbor any fantasy of that at all.

Today those who know they are going to college actually plan their college future and know their GPA as high school freshman. I am just north of 50 now, but as a high school freshman, it was the furthest thing from my mind. The only reason I knew I was going to college was that my friends seemed to think they were going, my parents and the nuns told me I was going, which was good enough for me. Today, I think many kids in their early teens are mapping out their future and sports isn't really a major priority.

I wonder if there is a different dynamic with youth sports here than in Europe. Has European youth soccer declined? I don't know, just wondering if it is a global phenomena.

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,115

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 10:20:04 PM

The curtailment of recess and physical education in our public schools could also be a contributing factor. Kids just don't get o play anymore or know how to play. When marching in the band can get you a PE credit, something seems just not quite right.

TWT
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Alexandria, VA
Post Count: 5,109

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/11/2016 10:53:43 PM

cbus cat fan wrote:

Today those who know they are going to college actually plan their college future and know their GPA as high school freshman. I am just north of 50 now, but as a high school freshman, it was the furthest thing from my mind. The only reason I knew I was going to college was that my friends seemed to think they were going, my parents and the nuns told me I was going, which was good enough for me. Today, I think many kids in their early teens are mapping out their future and sports isn't really a major priority.

Teens have better access to information on college and career planning but it still takes someone who is dedicated and driven to be successful. That hasn't changed. The type of student you'll find at Ohio tends to work harder work harder and play harder than what you'll find at a little christian college. I've got this woman in the office who is 24-25, just a few years out of college. She went to Mt. St. Mary's a small catholic private college in history and on the deans. Working on spreadsheets and administrative tasks she fine but when it comes to team skills she doesn't really know how to play with others. Always asking me about things at inappropriate times. We are having a group lunch and she's asking me about something we'll talk about in an hour from the other side of the room. Grew up affluent had her choice of colleges, did well in college but all the advantages haven't really added up without the drive and determination.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 12:08:55 AM

Uncle Wes, not sure what you mean by Ohio students working harder and playing harder than other students at Christian/Catholic schools. A lot of my high school friends went to Dayton and have done well and I never had a bad time going to visit them. The Dayton ghetto was much like OU with regard to having a good time. I never forget my freshman year on East Green getting this "listen Up men" talk by the powers that be. They told us that half of our dorm never made to be Sophomores the year previous. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Most of the guys on my floor including a prospective engineer and med student were back home pumping gas by spring quarter.

I just think kids today at all levels and all colleges realize they have to be serious. Think about it, even in the late 80s and early 90, a lot of state schools were accepting people as long as they were having a C average in high school. Now a lot of kids with 3.0 high school GPA's have to start off at a branch campus and have to fight to get accepted into their prospective majors. Dreams of sports careers just aren't practical unless you are a stellar athlete.

They grew up with a lot more diversions (data toys) than anyone who graduated in the 1980s. Maybe that takes the place of sports with some of them. I don't know, but my guess is their hobbies and free time spent is light years different than people my age. I saw somewhere a quote by Steve Jobs who said the difference between those who came of age in the 1950s and those who came of age in the 1980s is minimal compared to those who came of age in the early 2000s.

rpbobcat
General User

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,572

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 6:51:21 AM

I've had Season Tickets for the Giants since the original Giants stadium opened.
We sat with pretty much the same people till they built the new stadium.
We watched kids grow up and start bringing their kids.

Then the Giants built a new glitzy,sterile stadium.

1.To keep your seats you had to buy a Personal Seat License.

2.The seats in the old stadium were pretty much the same price.
They actually sold them by lottery when the stadium was built.
Now the good seats can go for $750 a pop for each game.

The old stadium had a 25 year waiting list for season tickets.
Now the Giants are always pushing people to buy a PSL.

3.The old stadium had parking for everyone.
The new one has some parking (1 pass for 1-4 seats) for $30.00 a game.

No one we sat with at the old stadium made the move to the new one.

When we go to the games we find most people around us bought the tickets just to sell.You never see the same people anymore.
That killed families passing on their Giants traditions to their kids.

The atmosphere is also very different.
Not a lot of young (teenage to young adult)fans.
Preteen kids get dragged there by someone and spend most of the game eating, playing games on their phones or looking at the souvies that they got.

We also find a lot of the Millenials that do go to the game spend more time on their phones checking their Fantasy Team then watching.

The league also kills any "flow" to the games with all the commercials.

Because of this my wife and I go to fewer games and watch less at home.

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 7:15:12 AM

giacomo wrote:

Flag waving SOBs like myself are dying off. Legion sponsored baseball used to be the norm, no longer. We fought a "war" for five years and the commitment created the "greatest generation." Congress was filled with veterans from service for decades after. Now the media pitches a fit when presidents want to have three in a cabinet. On 9/11 we suffered another Pearl Harbor like attack. Supposedly we have been at "war" for 15 years, yet, without the commitment and terror prosecuted by a "JV team" has been allowed to displace millions. Tomorrow there will be two more funerals for veterans from our area. The VFW funeral detail w/rifles will provide military honors. The local Patriot Guard, on bikes, with flags will, at the request of the families, form flag lines outside the services and at graveside. If watching your pro football game is more important to you than respect for the colors, fine. No, you did not tie patriotism to watching sports. It was done generations ago whenever they started playing the Anthem before games. You probably don't fly a flag at home, but, when you go by a house that does there is likely someone there who cares.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 7:33:22 AM

Alan Swank wrote:

The only toys we had were bats and balls. Play with them inside, get in trouble. Winter, sleds and snow ball fights. Our moms used to have to call us in for bath and bed. Yes kids have it so much better now.

Last Edited: 12/12/2016 7:40:50 AM by Bcat2

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 7:49:42 AM

cbus cat fan wrote:

In Missouri there is a small Christion school called The College of the Ozarks. Under admissions criteria financial need is the first thing listed. Students there work their way through. Good school, great concept.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

rpbobcat
General User

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,572

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 8:01:44 AM

Bcat2 wrote:

Alan Swank wrote:

First off,+1 for your original post.
Sorry,but I don't know how to put quotes from 2 posts together in a response.

If it wasn't for vets doing their duty,people like Kapernick wouldn't be able to protest,including disrespecting the flag by burning it.

As far as toys.
We got Erector Sets,Chemistry Sets,Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys for playing inside.
Oh,and can't forget the old "O" gauge electric trains.

Last Edited: 12/12/2016 8:02:31 AM by rpbobcat

GoCats105
General User

Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,196

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 8:51:09 AM

"Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging"

Because the product isn't good. Games are long and boring. Roger Goodell is a weasel. It uses things like supporting the troops and breast cancer to prop up it's own image. It's just not fun.

Ohio69
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 3,037

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 8:58:44 AM

The NFL has a lot going against it now. Concussions. Domestic violence. Some Americans inability to shake off/ignore a handful of national anthem protesters. The commissioner/league's bizarre hatred for Tom Brady and the NE Patriots and resulting never-ending dumb negative drama. The video/computer/phone gaming industry. The rise of domestic and international soccer watching by Americans. The very high cost to attend games in person. Etc.

Quick - name soemthing positive you've heard about the NFL lately.... Yeah, me neither....

Last Edited: 12/12/2016 8:59:52 AM by Ohio69

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

Robert Fox
General User

Member Since: 11/16/2004
Location: Knoxville, TN
Post Count: 2,039

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 9:51:41 AM

Simple. TV advertising. It's going to kill "big time" college football too.

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 9:54:57 AM

Ohio 69 and others. If anyone really thinks this whole Colin Kaepernick thing is just a small issue with the NFL. You might want to check out the link below this post. This is a friendly exchange between Colin Cowherd (who even though he is my age) seems to represent white millennial cultural liberalism vs Jason Whitlock who seems to represent both black and white middle class views on hot button issues. Whitlock isn't having any part of Kaepernick and feels it is not only hurting the black community but also the NFL. As Whitlock says football at it's core is conservative and religiously based in its demographics. You start turning off your base, especially seeming unfriendly to cops and soldiers and and it isn't good for business.

The idea that Commissioner Goodell is welcoming liberal views while discarding conservative ones isn't helping matters for the NFL. There was a time in sports that though many of players, management and sports writers were essentially conservative in their viewpoints, they didn't bring politics into the game itself. This has changed and couple that with the ongoing concussion issue and it isn't helpful for the NFL.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tom-blumer/2016/09/21...

giacomo
General User

Member Since: 11/20/2007
Post Count: 2,691

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 10:29:47 AM

Bcat2, what you're saying is correct. What does a football game have to do with it? You can make the argument that those people fought for the right to be able to protest. Look at the Pussy Riot incident in Russia. Is that what you want to see? Why stop at sporting events? Play the national anthem before you see a movie, or a play or the symphony performance?

BillyTheCat
General User

Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,059

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 10:33:37 AM

If America is truly about freedom, why is one so persecuted for choosing to exercise their freedom?

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,115

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 10:53:03 AM

Bcat2 wrote:

giacomo wrote:

I fly a flag at my house and I do care. That doesn't mean that I care less about the injustices that some groups in our society face everyday. If I choose to exercise my right to speak about that using the tallest platform that I can utilize, so be it and so much the better.

Bcat2
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 4,295

Status: Offline

RE: Why NFL Ratings Are Sagging

Posted: 12/12/2016 10:54:45 AM

BillyTheCat wrote:

If America is truly about freedom, why is one so persecuted for choosing to exercise their freedom?

The NFL can continue to do as they please. Just stop acting surprised when players in NFL uniforms protesting the flag draws what we feel an appropriate response of finding something else to do other than following the NFL.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Showing Replies:	1 - 25 of 255 Posts
Jump to Page:	1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 \| 8 \| 9 \| 10 \| 11 Next >

View Other 'Ohio Football' Topics

There are 262 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

258 Guests
4 Registered Users:
	cc-cat, Bobcat1996, M.D.W.S.T, shabamon

There are no other users looking at this page.