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Participation in youth football is dropping. I see high school and college football slowly disappearing. The NFL will survive along with about 100 college programs. 10,500 players are all that is needed for that.
NFL income will drop. TV viewing is dropping, many empty seats so far this season. The next TV contracts will tell. It's hard to grow when you keep pricing out more and more people.
Hard to tell how this in the end will effect college and pro football, but it will remain number one in popularity for a long time.
Will also remain the go to sport along with basketball for many talented young males (especially blacks) as those are the only sports that award full ride scholarships.
Lost of rationalizing and reasoning in there - and a lot of disenchantment
And I'm part of it---the disenchantment part.
I've realized that my only interest in the NFL stems from watching highlight shows from the 1960-70s, i.e This Week in Pro Football, with Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier, or team highlight videos from that era ( essentially, the 14-game season era). The games have become silly, CTE is a serious, life-threatening issue, and I just don't care about who wins or loses a game of football anymore. In the long run, it's not important, at all.
The SS NFL , like the Lusitania, has a growing leak in the hull, not evident from the surface, but it's there. A decline in youth/high school football, growth in soccer, lessening interest in pro sports games as currently played ( endless, with TV commercials, a bumper crop of penalty flags, relentless programming to the point of over-saturation and nausea, etc), threat of permanent disability, and a hundred other reasons are all contributing to a slow, steady decline in the game. And you don't need a crystal ball to see this happening right now.
This stuck-in-the-1960's city, Las Vegas, is forking over $1.9 billion to build a new stadium for the Raiders, relocating from Oakland, and they think it's going to be a big winner, big money maker when the construction ends in 2020! So this will create just one more laugh after living here 21 years.
In 3 more years, less and less fans, and?
Given this city doesn't even have an art museum, it will make a great art museum one day!
Hard to tell how this in the end will effect college and pro football, but it will remain number one in popularity for a long time.
Will also remain the go to sport along with basketball for many talented young males (especially blacks) as those are the only sports that award full ride scholarships.
I think that's the point many are trying to make. Parents aren't letting their boys go into tackle football anymore. I've heard several stories lately about leagues ending for younger children due to a lack of interest, while interest in other sports without a risk of head injuries has gone up. Even if there are scholarships at the college level, parents are not willing to let their kids risk years of head injuries on the off chance their child might be good enough to get one. I know now sports that weren't even big where I lived as a kid are really taking off, like lacrosse.
They've been saying soccer soccer soccer for 40 years
And still fishing shows get more viewers
What will decrease viewership is if they keep
Politicizing the sport ( Colin k protesting the anthem)
Sports is an escape from the sewer of politics
Agree about the politics and agree it is a factor but cord cutting is a bigger factor. People have other options for all most all other viewing genres that are much less expensive than cable or the dish. More and more people are looking at the cost of cable and deciding it's not worth paying the price just for sports. I know if NESN had its own streaming option and it was reasonably priced I would have cut the cord years ago. I like to watch the Bruins play hockey and you need a pay channel to do that. I think soon I will be cutting the cord anyway. I've noticed more and more that my kids are streaming Netflix and Youtube and not even watching TV. The kids were my other reason for not cutting the cord sooner.
As to soccer...the problem with soccer is that it is fun to play but incredibly boring to watch. When games that result in a 0-0 tie are considered a good match you know there's a problem that will keep American watchers at bay. For it to become as popular as American football has been, some changes will have to be made. We'll need an American soccer that is much different than international soccer/football. Faster pace, more scoring and yes maybe more hitting.
Last edited by Fifty Seven; 09-20-2017 at 06:46 AM..
Agree about the politics and agree it is a factor but cord cutting is a bigger factor. People have other options for all most all other viewing genres that are much less expensive than cable or the dish. More and more people are looking at the cost of cable and deciding it's not worth paying the price just for sports. I know if NESN had its own streaming option and it was reasonably priced I would have cut the cord years ago. I like to watch the Bruins play hockey and you need a pay channel to do that. I think soon I will be cutting the cord anyway. I've noticed more and more that my kids are streaming Netflix and Youtube and not even watching TV. The kids were my other reason for not cutting the cord sooner.
As to soccer...the problem with soccer is that it is fun to play but incredibly boring to watch. When games that result in a 0-0 tie are considered a good match you know there's a problem that will keep American watchers at bay. For it to become as popular as American football has been, some changes will have to be made. We'll need an American soccer that is much different than international soccer/football. Faster pace, more scoring and yes maybe more hitting.
I ditched cable video. The only thing I ever watched was premium commercial-free movies and sports. I decided to ditch watching sports rather than spend all those hours on the sofa. So far this year, I've watched 30 minutes of the Patriots Thursday opening game streamed to my phone on a train. Other than at the bar with the sound off, I've seen zero Red Sox. I still check scores and read recaps out of habit but pro sports has mostly lost my eyeballs.
I kind of like watching EPL soccer on lousy weekend mornings with my first cup of coffee. No commercials. High skill level. It's background kind of like the Masters golf tournament. I had NE Revolution season tickets for a couple of years. Soccer isn't boring.
They've been saying soccer soccer soccer for 40 years
And still fishing shows get more viewers
What will decrease viewership is if they keep
Politicizing the sport ( Colin k protesting the anthem)
Sports is an escape from the sewer of politics
The NFL players are the gladiators of American sports
The best of the best-
The other thing that will destroy the game is to turn it into flag football-you can't hit anyone
These guys are athletes they choose to go into the NFL- and they can make millions
It's their choice
They don't have to play if they don't want to
If I took. A job in Iraq now as a contractor I get paid big bucks because of the risks
If I go over there I know the risks involved- these players do the same entering the NFL
BEST COMMENT OF THE YEAR.
How long has soccer supposedly going to "explode" in the states. Here in Philly we have the Philadelphia Union, I believe they won so sort of championship, lol I know they had a parade. about 60 people showed up.
Parents may not be signing their kids up where everyone else is but on the northeast pee wee football consumes parents friday's and Saturdays. Now I know they have changed the jr league football so the youngsters don't tackle at the early ages.
Eagles play the Giants this sunday, the only tickets I could find where the proverbial "nose bleed" seats up near where planes fly and they are still 175.00 bucks a piece.
Now my kids are finishing college. My son got a partial football scholarship. he knows he is not going to the NFL but the reality is, even knowing ALL the risk, ask him if he'd rather graduate get a job paying at best 40K or play in the NFL work 6-7 months out of the year and make $450000K for a bench sitting rookie.
lol heck, this 50 something mama would take a few hits for that kind of money.
people have been talking about the demise of football and baseball for years.
I think that's the point many are trying to make. Parents aren't letting their boys go into tackle football anymore. I've heard several stories lately about leagues ending for younger children due to a lack of interest, while interest in other sports without a risk of head injuries has gone up. Even if there are scholarships at the college level, parents are not willing to let their kids risk years of head injuries on the off chance their child might be good enough to get one. I know now sports that weren't even big where I lived as a kid are really taking off, like lacrosse.
That is very true among middle class white families. Probably not so much among lower middle class or low income black families. Blacks in the NFL have increased about 1 percent a year over the past several years. In 2017 they represent about 70 percent of the league. It is most likely the same if not higher in Div 1 College ball. A large majority of those blacks come from lower income households. They may be more willing to take on the risks associated with Football just to get that scholarship.
Agree with most on this thread that Football is in decline but will never be dead, it will just continue to become more black.
This stuck-in-the-1960's city, Las Vegas, is forking over $1.9 billion to build a new stadium for the Raiders, relocating from Oakland, and they think it's going to be a big winner, big money maker when the construction ends in 2020! So this will create just one more laugh after living here 21 years.
In 3 more years, less and less fans, and?
Given this city doesn't even have an art museum, it will make a great art museum one day!
The Minnesota Vikings just finished their 1 billion dollar stadium and I wonder how that is going to go over. For one things Minnesota sports fans are not loyal fans. When their team is winning they are all behind them but when their losing you don't hear from them. Contrast that with the Chicago Cubs fans and you will understand what I mean. The cubs fans backed their team for a century when they didn't even have a winning season.
Until high school the basketball and football take over
But young kids and a simple sport. Soccer is easy
All you need is a ball
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heck, this 50 something mama would take a few hits for that kind of money.
