Mark Cuban: "The NFL is 10 years away from an implosion."

[tk13]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...away-implosion

Cuban: With TV deal, NFL is 'hoggy'
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


DALLAS - Mark Cuban, the outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner, predicts a drastic decline in the popularity of the NFL over the next decade due to the league's greed.

"I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion," Cuban said Sunday evening when his pregame conversation with reporters, which covered a broad range of topics, swayed toward football. "I'm just telling you, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy. Just watch. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way.

"I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That's rule number one of business."

Cuban is specifically referring to the NFL expanding their television package. He considers it a poor business decision for the NFL, which consistently dominates TV ratings, to play games on days other than Sunday and Monday.

In February, the NFL announced a one-year deal with CBS and NFL Network partnering to televise Thursday night games. CBS, which won the bidding for the Thursday night package over NBC, ABC, Fox and Turner, will air the games during the first eight weeks of the season, simulcasting them with the NFL Network. The league's cable network will exclusively show six Thursday night games later in the season with CBS' top announcing tandem of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth. The NFL Network will also have a Saturday doubleheader in Week 16.

The NFL started a limited package of Thursday night games in 2006. The NFL Network showed 13 Thursday night games last season.

"They're trying to take over every night of TV," Cuban said. "Initially, it'll be, 'Yeah, they're the biggest-rating thing that there is.' OK, Thursday, that's great, regardless of whether it impacts [the NBA] during that period when we cross over. Then if it gets Saturday, now you're impacting colleges. Now it's on four days a week. ...

"It's all football. At some point, the people get sick of it."

Cuban said the NFL is making a mistake by valuing television money over the convenience of fans who are used to planning for their NFL teams to play on Sundays with the occasional Monday night game. He compared it to the decline in popularity of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" after the game show expanded to air five days a week.

"They put it on every night," Cuban said. "Not 100 percent analogous, but they handled it the same. I'm just telling you, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered."

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

For every person that is "turned off" of the NFL because of fantasy football, 10 more are turned on to it because of it.

All power to them. My preferences are based on my tastes rather than 10 other people.

[keg in kc]

I quit playing fantasy football probably 10 years ago now (christ), but I watch more games now than ever, and I love seeing all the stats.

As far as the original story, I think Cuban's nuts. To me, the only real danger to the NFL right now is the concussion issue. I love having Thursday games. Although I do agree that spreading to other nights would be overkill, and Saturdays need to remain the purview of college football.

[MahiMike]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I don't get the bitching about MNF and fantasy football.
MNF has been on for 45 years. If you don't feel like watching it anymore or don't want to stay up that late, then don't.

There's been Sunday night games for 25 years. So Thursday night has been the only real semi-recent expansion. I think it is a bit unfair for the teams to have such a short week, but no one is forcing me to watch.

I understand not wanting to participate in fantasy football, but I don't understand how its existence makes anyone less interested in football or to like it any less.

Most of the complaining seems to be of the 'grumpy old man' variety. It's not exactly how it used to be, so you don't like it.

When I was your age we had to gather around a staticky radio and imagine what was happening. And WE LiKED IT THAT WAY!

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Not really.

This is a sport where teams sell only about a half million tickets per year, most sell out, and the worst paid attendance is still about 80%. Attendance matters a lot more in MLB, NBA, and Hockey. NFL, not so much.

Lets take a weird, wild, crazy, unlikely disaster scenario where every team suddenly goes to 50% attendance. Thats what, $10MM/year maybe? TV money DWARFS that. They still want to sell out because, why not its extra money, and also half-empty stadiums look bad, but they will be nowhere near hurting if they have to cut prices a bit as long as the TV ratings continue as they are, and they will.

From an owner's perspective, the optimal stadium would probably be 10000 lower level sideline seats for the die-hard fans willing to pay for great seats and 500 luxury suites.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Another question these NFL doomsayers need to answer is, what else are you going to do in the Fall and Winter on Sunday? (If you live in San Diego or Southern Florida, be quiet, you don't count). Go to church? OK fine, you get back from church at about noon, now what? And when I ask what else are you going to do, I don't mean YOU, but the millions of Joe Sixpacks who are fueling the NFL machine. At least baseball has to compete against Summer recreation, but the NFL happens while most of the country is a dark, frigid wasteland and most people want to stay in.

Spend more quality time with the family, duh.

[mr. tegu]

I do find it ironic that people on a football message board are complaining about an oversaturation of the NFL.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

From an owner's perspective, the optimal stadium would probably be 10000 lower level sideline seats for the die-hard fans willing to pay for great seats and 500 luxury suites.

Well, there is a competitive advantage to having 60k people in an enclosed bowl yelling when the other team is on offense, but beyond the high-dollar tickets you listed, if the NFL owner has to practically give the other 30-40k tickets away, they will, and won't be hurt much by that.

[GoChargers]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I do find it ironic that people on a football message board are complaining about an oversaturation of the NFL.

So being a fan of the product means never criticizing it and always being satisfied with the direction it's going in?

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I don't get the bitching about MNF and fantasy football.
MNF has been on for 45 years. If you don't feel like watching it anymore or don't want to stay up that late, then don't.

There's been Sunday night games for 25 years. So Thursday night has been the only real semi-recent expansion. I think it is a bit unfair for the teams to have such a short week, but no one is forcing me to watch.

I understand not wanting to participate in fantasy football, but I don't understand how its existence makes anyone less interested in football or to like it any less.

Most of the complaining seems to be of the 'grumpy old man' variety. It's not exactly how it used to be, so you don't like it.

Fantasy football would ruin my experience. Plus, I think it looks like a stupid game to play. It doesn't impact how I enjoy a game because other people play it.

What fantasy football is doing is making fans more narrow minded,in turn making discussion about it more annoying.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Spend more quality time with the family, duh.

If the lights are on, the heat is working, the internet is up, and there's food in the fridge, then your obligations are fulfilled. I suppose you could also grunt an acknowledgement if you happen to see a family member walk by.

[KCUnited]

More comparable to the UFC. I went from watching every event to not even knowing when it's on (last night) and the UFC is more popular than ever.

[Chiefnj2]

If for some reason ratings were to drop to basketball levels, Roger will just send a team or two overseas and cash in on foreign revenue.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by GoChargers

So being a fan of the product means never criticizing it and always being satisfied with the direction it's going in?

I guess you are correct. When I desire to purchase a book at the bookstore I often find myself complaining about being inundated with books. It is the same when I go to a Royals game. I just hate being bombarded with MLB stuff everywhere.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

Fantasy football would ruin my experience. Plus, I think it looks like a stupid game to play. It doesn't impact how I enjoy a game because other people play it.

What fantasy football is doing is making fans more narrow minded,in turn making discussion about it more annoying.

I like FF. It's gambling and makes more games more interesting.
But I also realize that no one else gives a shit about my team. FF people should probably keep that in mind more often.

[Discuss Thrower]

1) Oversaturation in the United States.
2) Impossible to grow support for the game of football, let alone a professional league, in both the developed world outside of the US and Canada as well as the developing world.
3) One on-field death will force the NCAA and NFL to radically change the rules of play to non-collision as well as scare parents into forbidding their children from playing the sport.

Cuban's absolutely right on this.