NFL as a product has deteriorated, I would bet this whole protest situation is the smallest factor in terms of the "recession" in the NFL.
SMH This whole "shut up and play" attitude is disturbing. As is the idea that because you make money you aren't allowed to be upset. The owners make even more money. Why aren't you asking them to go to another country? Are the owners risking life and limb to support your entertainment needs? Muhammad Ali didn't just shut up. Kareem Abdul Jabbar didn't just shut up. Protest isn't supposed to be convenient for you. It's supposed to ruffle feathers. It's supposed to get in your way. That's the point.
If the anthem is audible where the merchandise is being sold, yes. The employees should stop with the sale until the song is complete.
Good, they've ruffled my feathers ... unfortunately, I'm a paying customer, so the team can stop sending me shit asking me to buy tickets, jerseys, hats etc. That's what happens when you ruffle the feathers of a customer. I watched like two games last year so it's going to be hard for me to watch less.
You cut my quote off early. "Should the league now stop selling merch and refreshments during the anthem? i believe they should but we know they won't."
That's true. I'm willing to bet there are a lot more potential paying customers that feel strongly the way I do than feel strongly the opposite. Maybe the NFL should take a look at the TV ratings.
I think there are a lot of factors but to think it’s not a factor and a significant one is short-sighted. Joe Six Pack doesn’t really give a shit about concussions or CTE or the length of games or some of the other things leading to a decline in viewership and attendance.
Don't make assumptions. Like I said streaming, injuries to key players, bad officiating / rules, and bad team play are the leading reasons. Streaming plays a very large role actually as well.
If I'm representative of NFL viewers, streaming is a big reason for the decline. I'm as much a fan as ever, but I stopped watching the games on TV last year when I moved from NY.
I said this once already, but the whole “ratings“ thing is a pile of garbage put out there by people who have run out of ways to say they don’t support people protesting racial inequality. I’ll repeat it again: 10 of the top 20 highest rated TV shows in 2018 so far have been NFL games. There were only 11 games played in 2018. The NFL is still dominating in the ratings.
Reddit has a dedicated forum for live NFL streams. Then add in the amazon firestick + VPN + Kodi app? You watch games on there for free essentially ... cutting the cord has made ratings close to obsolete.
Likewise. I no longer live in NYC and I'll be damned if I get Direct TV to watch the Jets annually not have a pass rusher lol Streaming is way too easy nowadays to pay money for cable packages.
I've literally bought 5 firesticks in the last year alone for myself and family. People love them as Xmas gifts. NFL owners are either in denial or lying if they don't think this has something to do with the numbers
I can make all the assumptions I want when a fair number of people I know say that they are sick and tired of this nonesense and are no longer watching (or streaming) football or buying NFL memorabilia specifically because of this issue. And when I see people on other Jets sites and other team sites saying the same thing. Now, I don’t personally know millions of people who are turning off the NFL but 3 years ago I had never heard ANYONE say they were done with the NFL. And maybe they were already getting fatigued by all the issues you mentioned but this is the one that broke the camels back. But 3 years ago no one I knew was ever missing a game.
I love the firestick, I got one for Christmas as well! Lots of people have VPNs on there, no way to detect IP addresses hence no way to detect if you are watching the game. Owners are behind on the technological advancements in terms of streaming.
A "fair number" is a small piece of the pie in the grand scheme of things. And I call bluff on those that say "OH THE PROTESTS! I WONT WATCH THE GAMES!", they are full of shit dude. They have a few beers on Sunday and all of a sudden they are watching the game. The game has changed and not for the better. The NFL lost fans the night Dez Bryant's catch wasn't a catch, I'll tell you that. That was the true straw that broke the camel's back.
One of the more disturbing and underlying trends in this debate is how many blind followers there are in this country. End of the day, pick a side based on your true feelings. This fake outrage and being offended shit is annoying. I don't know what the percentages are of people who is on either side but I'm willing to bet nearly 100% of people had no idea what their favorite player did or didn't do during the national anthem lol The status quo shouldn't sway your decision either way. Always err on the side of decency and what's right. It's up to you to determine what that is.
