I know there are some people that will call me a sexist. But, that doesn’t bother me a bit because it’s the same people who have a dream to do away with the game of football. They think the sport is too violent to be played and the physical risks aren’t worth it. These are the same people who denied kids the games of tag, dodge ball, and other things kids do as kids. They are the smart ones among us who know more than anybody else. Put simply these are Liberals who aren’t happy unless they have a cause to fight against to give their empty lives meaning and they have set their sights on eliminating the NFL. This piece by Mary Pilon is another stab in slaying the NFL dragon.
Mary Pilon, NY Post
When I called my father back home in Oregon on a recent Sunday, he rattled off his thoughts about the election, the health of his two dogs and queries about holiday plans. But, as the child of a sports-loving house (Go, Ducks!), I was most surprised by what my dad wasn’t talking about on Sunday — football.
He’s not alone in his waning interest. This season, ratings for professional football are down 27 percent across all of the major networks: ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS, according Forbes. The decline in the ratings underscores a bigger truth that no one wants to face: Nothing lasts forever. And that includes the popularity of professional football, which now may be experiencing the slow, inevitable crumble of a Roman-style empire.
This week, the NFL denied a rumor that the league was reconsidering the fate of “Thursday Night Football,” namely that it was looking to revamp or — gasp — cut back on the sacred media property.
The league said it was “fully committed” to Thursday games, in spite of complaints from players about having to shift too quickly into a midweek game after weekend play, and from fans that Thursday matches have been stale. It’s a slate spread too thin: too many slots, too few compelling matchups. Even so, with a far shorter schedule than professional basketball and baseball, the demand for football has, until recently, remained high.
NFL executives have placed some of the ratings blame on the election. Although NBC’s two games after the election did see a boost, the network’s Kansas City-Denver game had a double-digit drop compared to the same time last year. And, if anything, it seems as though the stress of two unpopular candidates slogging it out would only increase the appetite for diversion. If ever there was a time for gladiator heroes, now would appear to be it.
The fall of Rome seemed unthinkable to people at the time, but inevitable to historians reflecting upon it with the benefit of context. At their height, gladiator contests made war a diversion, thousands charged into majestic amphitheaters, including Rome’s Colosseum, to watch hundreds of gladiators slay wild beasts and each other.
What’s hurting football is a combination of things.
The NFL is not going away despite the hand ring from Liberals. It’s a tough sport designed for tough breeds to play and tough breeds to watch. And if people have a problem with it go watch the garden channel.