Biting the hand that feeds you is not a successful business plan....

Two weeks from now the numbers will level out. Nobody will care unless somebody does something to upset the status quo.

Like the president saying something stupid, or another player decides to run onto the field and moon the flag.

The NFL is to big a machine to be brought down overnight. Advertisers being "nervous" is just crying wolf to corporate america.

Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered.

I think things are on the slippery slope now

You really think so? My completely anecdotal observation is ratings start to dip as the season goes on and the bandwagon fans abandon their crappy teams.

Last year the excuse was election coverage eating into ratings. And that makes sense, but now you're down another 10% from that number?

I think the bump/growth from fantasy football is tapering off from its peak. I also think the overall product where teams struggle to play defense and refs have huge impacts on games is hurting.

I agree with this.

Unfortunately I think the nfl response rather than solidify their base will further dilute and weaken things.

The game is a complete shambles for those of us who grew up watching it. The rules are unknown nebulous and open to vast interpretation. The refs impact games and outcomes more than the coaches and players. Every inch of everything surrounding the game beyond the 60 minutes on the field is contemptable and cheap.

If i wasnt addicted i wouldve gladly walked away years ago. So wouldve everyone else here if they were honest. We are all addicted. They can cut the game with ajax and all us would wait in line til the end of the week for one more game.

All these new fans dont really give a rats ass either way....but....they can walk away so they drive the nfl status quo....

The nfl is the only industry i can think of that used up its entire natural fan base and was forced to make concessions to gather more outside consumers amd keep growing

My anecdotal observation is that as the season progresses, more football drama and climax will be either fabricated or because of the season getting to the end. People will still watch. Like I said, unless something rocks the boat, like the president threatening to rescind tax breaks for the NFL owners.

You can hide under a rock if you want, but like a candidate ignoring midwestern states, eventually reality sets in. Ratings are dropping, approve/disapprove in terms of the NFL have had one of the more dramatic drops I've ever seen. News now coming out of NFL owners considering forcing players to stand tells me that the NFL is seeing drops in markets they never dreamed they'd see drops in.

Again, you can try to put your head in the sand on this issue, but that's not going to change reality. The NFL's only hope at this point is they force people to stand and hope people forget. Sure their will be the typical "Slave Master" bs...

Fans have shown they are willing to do something else on Sunday - I doubt you'll find too players who will give up those fat checks to do the same.

It would be delusional to think the anthem thing is the single reason ratings are down. Forcing players to stand like they do in N Korea will have worse effects financial and socially on the country than allowing them to kneel. The only reason they would create state worship and idolatry is because their cushy tax loopholes will be taken away.

I can name five other reasons that contribute to the decline of ratings, but I'm the one hiding from reality?

Absolutely. The Anthem impact, if any, is going to be felt for a few weeks, tops. The NFL peeked a few years ago, at the height of fantasy football. This is why they've been pushing so hard for YEARS to crack the Europe/Mexico/Canada markets....but it's a slow, boring and confusing game for people who didn't grow up with it - don't think the NFL will ever have real international appeal.

I quit watching pre-games and post-games and highlights year ago. When the Steelers suck again, I may lose interest all together - they have already been very hard to watch this year.

I think the ratings were going down anyway. The whole anthem thing didn't help. It's was like puncturing another hole in the Titanic...it was gonna sink anyway so what's a few more gallons of water?

It's too bad CBA negotiations aren't around the corner (2020?). It would be really fun to watch if the NFL would stipulate protesting and fines, and whether the players would be principled enough to walk out over it.

I've been surprised how many people iv'e come across in day to day life that say they are done for the season with the NFL. People i'd have never expected. Just anecdotal. I know one thing though, the NFL isn't gaining any fans for those that support the protest. The only move they have is what they are doing, from a business perspective. Now, they had other options early on but ignored them.

Same here, RS. My brother is one of those that haven't watched since the Bears game. Another is Jack Lambert 58 of this site.

Cool, hopefully the NFL goes away and people will have more time to watch horrific reality TV.

Like the cocksucker's old show, The Apprentice.

Apprentice reruns sure would do a lot of triggering, sending many to their safe spaces. Even men and women crying and fearing for their lives I would presume.

Give it some time. It won't take apprentice re-runs for that. Maybe nuclear war or another idiotic conflict costing trillions of dollars.

the NFL has neutered the game and ignored its base to branch out to casual fans ... sound familiar that is usually a short game
they forgot its just a game and there are many things to do with ones sunday.
and I do believe that the dislike of roger goodell -- his smarminess and reality tv marketing schemes -- has harmed perception of the NFL.

Just when I think I can 't take on more post from you, you put this out there.

I agree with this!