by Jack
Sunday Night Football Doomed? Well, perhaps we’re a ways off from that day, but read on . . .
For decades the salaries of sports superstars has skyrocketed and some would say, way beyond any sort of rational value to a society like ours that places such a high premium on entertainment. Check this out: The key demographic viewer is between the ages of 18 and 49, but according to Nielsen, their numbers were off by a whopping 14% last year. Sunday night games on NBC were off 12% and Monday night football on ESPN was 16%. This is huge folks and it could be a signal of a dynamic economic shift.
Networks have had to resort to giving away some free commercial time to make up for their underperformance and you know how much they hate to give away free air time! According to an article in Fortune magazine, “It’s hard to overstate the impact that a sustained decline in sports viewership could have on the bottom line of companies like Disney (which owns ESPN), as well as CBS and NBC.
The amount of money that is riding on live sports is staggering: The major networks have spent close to $60 billion just on football rights alone for the next decade. ESPN is paying $15 billion for the rights to NFL games and $7 billion for college football.”
The NFL has responded to their declining market numbers by getting tough on teams that release sports clips without their permission. Fines for this little infraction can range up to $100k for a single incident! But, that isn’t really addressing the big problem. The real culprit is, in my opinion, the humble internet. We’ve seen what a monster Amazon has become and what it has single handedly done to many brick and mortar businesses.
Watching live football where minutes pass without any serious action pales compared to immersing oneself in a good game of Mega-Atomic Warcraft wearing 3D virtual reality goggles!
The kids today love this stuff and football or basketball is to them just some lame sport Grampa did when he was a kid. And they rightly rationalize, you can get seriously hurt for life playing contact sports, not to mention getting all dirty and sweaty. Who wants that when you (the athletically challenged nerd) can save the galaxy from the invading Trolagons?
Where we go from here is still anyone’s guess, but I think we are on the cusp of another megatrend and the days of some dunce being awarded a $50 million dollar NFL contract before he can flunk out of his first year in high school is probably over. Yep, I think the giant sports bubble is hissing and me thinks its about to go… BOOM!
I think viewership dropped for two other reasons. I remember lots of people posting comments they were done with professional football because of all of the controversies with commissioner Goodell. There was the players boycotting the national anthem he didn’t address which really upset people. Then there was “inflategate” with Tom Brady he completely blew in how he handled it. On top of these was all of the scandals concerning rage charges, beating girlfriends, drugs, cruelty to animal charges and even murder convictions. The heroes on the field we grew up with don’t exist any more and parents may not want their kids watching these men being cheered on the field and exposed to their bad conduct off and on the field. Explaining to a 10 year old who is in pop warner football why players are disrespecting our flag would not be easy and a situation a parent would want to avoid. Sunday night used to be family night. If they can’t watch football together then like you said there’s always the x-box games.
Also, years ago I read Sunday night is the highest viewed night of the week dating all of the way back to when The Wonder World of Disney was on. Commercial costs would be higher on Sunday of course than any other night. The least watched nights are Friday and Saturday. If viewership for football is down so is their profit margin. Plus, add in the lost retail sales of products because of the team’s and individual player’s controversies. Jerseys were returned for refunds and even burned in protest.
The NFL is in big trouble, but college football games are a great replacement in my opinion for those of us who like the sport.
Part of it is the scandals and the other part is people are cutting the cord. MSM is dying. there is better stuff streaming.
The people are waking up. This century will bring about change as slowly as the last but there will be change.
The NFL shot itself in the foot last year with the way they handled Deflategate and then the Kaepernick protests and viewers voted with their wallets. ESPN viewing is WAY down after they fired Curt Schilling for a conservative comment and their continuing PC BS.
The Powers That Be have had it pointed out to them that their PC BS might be the reason for the decline in viewers and ratings, but those ideas have been poo-pooed.
Voting with your wallet seems to be a great way to express displeasure. I do it all the time! Contacting advertisers on those programs and explaining why you are no longer watching works, too. That’s what got Kathy Griffin booted from CNN/FNN!
Off topic.
The Clinton body count went up again this week. The last was in May. Both by suicide. How lucky for the Clintons since both were expected to expose information about the Clintons and their foundation.
“MIAMI, Florida, USA (sentinel.ht) – The former director of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund[1] (FAES), Klaus Eberwein, was declared dead by suicide by the Miami Medical Examiner after his body was found in a south Date motel on Thursday.
GOP operative who tried to get Clinton emails from hackers committed suicide:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gop-operative-clinton-emails-committed-suicide-article-1.3324960
Eberwein’s death came a day before he would have testified before a Haiti Senate Committee on the management of the PetroCaribe fund and to alleged misappropriation of international donor funds by the Clinton Foundation following the 2010 earthquake.
“He shot himself in the head,” said Veronica Lamar, Miami-Dade medical examiner records supervisor. ”
http://sentinel.ht/2017/07/15/former-official-found-dead-ahead-senate-testimony/
Funny how those who either disagree with the Clintons or have inside info on them have a much higher mortality rate than regular folks . . . . .
We are getting close to the target. Believe me the rats are scrambling. people continue to drop. And while we focus on the Money laundering of the Clinton Foundation believe me people from both parties are involved.
People do not bother to do the research. What Bill and Hillary learned from Regan era Iran Contra has turned into something that could topple the US Gov if busted all at once.
Play to Play has put our national security at a high risk level.
Who runs our ports?
how many diplomatic containers come in and what is really in them?
What country scans these containers cause we privatize things to foreign companies?
The financial issue is big enough to create worry for those involved, that’s for sure.
There’s no arguing that technology has changed the way young people live and entertain themselves. This cannot be seen as good news for those interested in the future of the game (or franchise).
On the other hand football is the one sport that hasn’t been compromised by title 9, at least at the high school level. High schools pour most of the money they have for sports into their football programs and as a result, colleges still have stables filled with eager young hopefuls.
But will it last? There’s the technology and there’s also English football (soccer) squeezing into the already crowded sports field. (Although snowflake moms and dads worry about this sport too)
Having/making the players wear more and more obvious pink accoutrements (breast cancer awareness) on the uniform has been a distraction for some people. It is possible to take things like that too far. It’s a game not a billboard. Same with political activism which has become an unwanted distraction.
Football is a contact sport. The size (bulk) of the players has at least doubled from it’s humble beginnings which makes it more of a brute sport now. Injuries can be more severe and lasting. Players have always known it was risky to play but some are now more reluctant to take the risk. An issue has been made over head injuries. Moms worry and ask what can be done? Some parents discourage their kids from playing. The response has been to try to minimize risk which makes the game less interesting for hard core lovers of football.
I’ve noticed a change in the fans today too. The attitude is more contentious. Many sports aren’t so much a pleasant distraction from the important things in life but the thing that gives life importance. When people invest that much of themselves into something their expectations for victory and performance grow. Can it become such a serious thing that it’s not fun anymore?
Things change. Change is sometimes hard. I agree Jack, it’s looking pretty dicey for professional football.
Sorry, Mr. Jack. I can no longer stand watching spoiled multi-millionaires working for spoiled multi-billionaires especially when said spoiled children get stadiums built and other goodies on the taxpayer’s dime.
I would rather go to Bidwell park and watch the bums.
Well said
You would.
Do you know how much it costs to attend these “professional” sporting events???
Hell, for what it costs to pay for parking your whole family used to be able to attend.
So, you sure this post did not originate in today’s “Wait, Wait …” wherein it was revealed that Viagra will not be buying ad time next season? Kinda blows your theory that it’s the youngsters who are to blame.
Must see video on the fraud of global warming…
https://www.corbettreport.com/big-brother-science-temperature-adjustments-and-climate-change/
Hey Jack, did you see this?
Man Responsible For Murdering Dogs To Be Recognized For Football Accomplishments
“Michael Vick is set to be inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
The news was reported early Tuesday morning by NFL.com, and the induction ceremony will take place September 22.
Vick, who famously ran a criminal campaign that oversaw the murder of countless dogs after they were done dog fighting, was a standout quarterback for the Hokies.
He went on to have a successful NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, prior to his arrest for his violent criminal activity as a dog murderer. The dual-threat quarterback had a couple more seasons of success after his release from prison, including stints with the Eagles, Jets and Steelers.”
http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/11/man-responsible-for-murdering-dogs-to-be-recognized-for-football-accomplishments/?utm_campaign=thedcmainpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social
One more try.
Hey Jack, did you see this.
Man Responsible For Murdering Dogs To Be Recognized For Football Accomplishments
“Michael Vick is set to be inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
The news was reported early Tuesday morning by NFL.com, and the induction ceremony will take place September 22.
Vick, who famously ran a criminal campaign that oversaw the murder of countless dogs after they were done dog fighting, was a standout quarterback for the Hokies.
He went on to have a successful NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, prior to his arrest for his violent criminal activity as a dog murderer. The dual-threat quarterback had a couple more seasons of success after his release from prison, including stints with the Eagles, Jets and Steelers.”
http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/11/man-responsible-for-murdering-dogs-to-be-recognized-for-football-accomplishments/?utm_campaign=thedcmainpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social
One more try.
Hey Jack, did you see this.
Man Responsible For Murdering Dogs To Be Recognized For Football Accomplishments
“Michael Vick is set to be inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
The news was reported early Tuesday morning by NFL.com, and the induction ceremony will take place September 22.
Vick, who famously ran a criminal campaign that oversaw the murder of countless dogs after they were done dog fighting, was a standout quarterback for the Hokies.
He went on to have a successful NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, prior to his arrest for his violent criminal activity as a dog murderer. The dual-threat quarterback had a couple more seasons of success after his release from prison, including stints with the Eagles, Jets and Steelers.”
http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/11/man-responsible-for-murdering-dogs-to-be-recognized-for-football-accomplishments/?utm_campaign=thedcmainpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social