Why baseball is improving and the NFL is getting worse

[jason54858]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

I'm guessing you frequent mostly team owned or sanctioned forums then, because if you cannot see that this league is headed for a serious crash, you arent paying attention.

For decades there have always been forces that hated the sport for its barbaric nature, and while MMA and Boxing are far worse, the simple fact of the popularity of the sport is what drives many who hate its very essence. In many ways those who hate the sport have this schadenfreude about them that likes imposing their will on anything that brings someone else entertainment or enjoyment. But I digress...

Let's look at the leagues problems....

Head Trauma/CTE/kids dying playing HS football. This has gone from a side issue to a persistent boil as a problem. The settlement was rescinded and returned to the courts for further argument. I think this could be the single biggest issue to bring down the league. It's not going to kill the league itself, but it will create a situation where the game becomes a joke or a shadow of its former self. I have notice a number of stories, especially on the UK Daily Mail, that is keeping count of the number of HS students that have died due to contact on the field. You probably arent aware of this the number is up to 7 this year. It may have happened in the past, but now it's getting media attention and that will sway public opinion.

The league is not about the game but about the brand or 'The Shield'. The game has become an absolute joke. The officiating has become so inconsistent, it has begun to call into question the veracity of the game itself. Screwy definitions about what constitutes a 'Catch' has gone beyond absurd and can lead to inconsistent rulings.

The Shield's focus, instead of ON the field, has gone to off the field. Its owners have become involved in daily fantasy sports sites, The Shield aggressively goes after its own customers who post gifs or videos of a play or two. Of course we all are aware of the usage of the term 'Super Bowl' and the extent to which The Shield will come after even churches who use the word but dont pay The Shield for the 'right' to do so.

Lastly is the Commissioner and his aggressive desire to push all the right politically correct buttons. We got Pinktober and 'No More' and the Commissioner's exempt list in which the league can punish a player for off field conduct even when no legal court finds him guilty. Not only is it inconsistent as rulings about what is a catch or not, but several recent incidents have gone wholly ignored.

All of this leads to a bad product on the field to the point that people become apathetic about it. It's not going to happen overnight, but I do think the peak has come and gone and the decline has begun.

Oh no, don't get me wrong I see the issues (you addressed them very well in your post). I just don't see the "decline". TV ratings are up, stadiums are filled, and young kids appear to be very interested in the game. Can MLB make the claim? Do me a favor, (guess we can start tommorrow) compare the World Series TV ratings of Game 1, 2, 3, 4, and whatever other game that comes after that to any NFL regular season primetime game. I promise you the NFL will trumph the ratings of any World Series game this year.

Your points are all fixable issues (head trauma, officiating, the "commissioner issue"). Now granted, it won't come overnight, and some issues will (mainly the head trauma dilima) take a lot of PR to bring back the fans that were lost back into the fold. The league is a GOOD commissioner away of bringing this game back on track IMO.

What the NFL has over all of the other leagues IN THIS COUNTRY (not around the world of course) is the popularity it has within many of the different cultures across the county. Old white guys love it, young black kids love it, middle aged hispnic guys love it, the only league that MIGHT be able to make this claim is the NBA (with the kids anyway). Who will surpass the NFL in this county? the NBA? MLB? The NHL? European soccer?