Wall Street Journal: The NFL Is Losing Its Core Audience, a WSJ/NBC News Poll Finds.

[Khyber53]

Honestly, it's just following the cyclical nature of American entertainment trends. Remember when NASCAR got really hot a few years back and was the biggest thing going nationwide, not just in the traditional stronghold of the South? Celebrities were going to the races and it was a big deal. Then it just kinda faded back to its stalwarts and a handful of new permanent fans picked up during the swell. It was a fad for a while, partly because it just got a favorable trend, partly due to timely marketing. 

The same thing has happened to the NFL over the last decade. The fad started fading last season after it had really become the biggest thing going. Some are going to pin it on the kneeling players/anthem issue, but really, it is just more a matter of the fickle viewing public. It's just coming down off its peak. The league won't be going away, any more than NASCAR or the NBA faded out of existence. It will just go back to where it once was, two game slots on Sundays and a single Monday night game. 

And honestly, that'll be better for the real fans, the players and the longterm health of the league.

[JakeDel5674]

14 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

Remember when NASCAR got really hot a few years back and was the biggest thing going nationwide, not just in the traditional stronghold of the South?

No, no, I don't recall Nascar ever being hot. 

[JakeDel5674]

14 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

The league won't be going away, any more than NASCAR or the NBA faded out of existence.

NBA is the 3rd most popular sport behind football right now. Don't think it was ever close to fading out of existence. 

[djp14]

21 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

Remember when NASCAR got really hot a few years back and was the biggest thing going nationwide, not just in the traditional stronghold of the South? Celebrities were going to the races and it was a big deal. Then it just kinda faded back to its stalwarts and a handful of new permanent fans picked up during the swell.

Problem is, they lost a bunch of those stalwarts in their attempts to attract new fans. And they still haven't gotten them back.

[All about the Benjamin]

I believe it. From personal experience, my interest is way down. I just don't care like used to. I was totally into it for awhile though, I had NFL Network and everything. The fact that the Panthers can't close the deal doesn't help. 

[SCO96]

1 hour ago, Adb6368 said:

I will watch every Panthers game I can until the day I die. However, I have surprised myself with how disinterested I am in literally every other football game being played each year. Not sure how or why but the game doesn't appear to be nearly as exciting as it used to be. 

I haven't seen every minute of every Panther game like you probably have this season, but I have seen a bit of each one. I plan to continue to do that for the foreseeable future. But, as you pointed out in your post, I have lost some interest in the game.

Each year I watch fewer games. This season I taped the Sunday night pregame show for NBC each week. Just recently I deleted about a 10 episodes from my DVR because I didn't even have enough interest to sit and watch highlights from the games I missed this season.

Although the kneeling players has offended a lot of fans/viewers, it hasn't affected my viewership.  However, one thing that has dampened my interest is the lack of competiton for Brady and Belichick in the AFC.  The Patriots are pretty much a guarantee to make the AFC title game every year. Now, it's starting to look like they're about to become a lock to reach the Super Bowl each season. I told my friends after SB 51 that Brady was going to win 3 titles in 4 years for the second time in his career. It looks like I'll be proven right unless the Eagles pull off a MAJOR upset.

I think their resurgent dominance has hurt the league interest more than people care to admit. The best thing that could happen to pro football would be for the Eagles to whip them this Sunday.

 

[PurityControl]

Same here my interest has waned, back in the day after the Panthers I would watch other games, my local team, & all the prime time games but now after the Panthers I’m pretty much  done, I’ll leave a SF game on in the back ground and that’s it.

The only reason I take it up the ass from Direct TV is to watch the Panthers here in California, $350 isn’t bad comes out to about $20 a game to watch, after football season I slash my pkg to the base package no NFLN no ESPN, I’m out until August.

& forget going to games a family of 4 spending about a G to go no thank you,  ( I wanted to go to the Carolina & SF opener last year) but no way was I going to spend that, for about the same money I could take the whole family on a few day getaway.

+ Levi stadium is a joke….lol

 

 

[KillerKat]

I stopped watching other games years ago. Got tired of the biased refs who control what team wins the game. 

[pantherclaw]

The product has sucked for a decade. The NFL pushed it's agenda, while the players pushed their own, and  what was needed was ignored. 

I don't see any signs it's going to change any time soon.

[Malt Liquor]

Greed! It's ridiculous how much the NFL has over priced the tickets to go to a game. Then when a person watches it at home it's way too many commercials. 

[Zaximus]

Sunday pass is vastly expensive too, it's insane.

You can get MLB extra innings for like $129 for ALL games (minus some national ones) or 90$ i think for all games of a specific team only.    Lots more games, longer season, etc.

[PurityControl]

12 minutes ago, Malt Liquor said:

Greed! It's ridiculous how much the NFL has over priced the tickets to go to a game. Then when a person watches it at home it's way too many commercials. 

I'll lag behind about 10-15min on my DVR just to avoid watching that sh*t 

only time I will watch commercials is Panthers playoffs 

 

[PurityControl]

11 minutes ago, Zaximus said:

Sunday pass is vastly expensive too, it's insane.

 

I just looked at my bill its $280 for reg Sunday Ticket, $47per mo over 6mos

That's not bad for about $17 for 4hr of entertainment per weekend, to watch & out of market team. 

$280 will get you a couple of dog sh*t seats at Levi, doesn't include parking, fees, gas, etc for ONE game. 

 

 

 

 

[Doc Holiday]

3 hours ago, Cary Kollins said:

Mark Cuban called it years ago.

All this is way overblown. New TV contracts say otherwise.

you can shout that the king is dead all you want. Doesn’t mean it’s true.

did the NFL ratings drop? Yes? Are they still way ahead of everyone else by a wide margin? Yes.

 

Mark Cuban is like the girl that wanted to go to the prom with you, but you went with a prettier girl instead and says “well she will be fat and ugly in a few years!”. Nobody cares and it doesn’t matter. The NFL is still the hottest girl in school.