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."

[go bo]

10 years?

it's already a (pansy) passing league...

[mikey23545]

I know I would always listen to a business owner who is in competition with my business for advice...

[Dayze]

I agree with him . I've steadily moved on from the NFL since 2008. I used to be die hard NFL; Sunday Ticket, Blocking out entire days for nothing but football etc. Now, I don't really give a shit. I'll watch the Chiefs, but other than that, I don't really care. A LOT of it has to do with the example Cuban had. Too many ****ing games on TV, and too many games featuring a golden boy team for that specific year ( Broncos last year).

I'd say i'm probably 10% invested in the NFL and 90% invested in NCAA football.
The NFL has become highly oversaturated in the last 6 years. Combine that with all the ****ing rule changes that have made the game a shell of its' former self, and insane contracts (yes, I know, the NFL compared to MLB and NBA is not as crazy), the NFL is nearly dead to me. Seeing a buch of millionaires running around playing a game that has become 'meh', just doesn't do it for me.

[houstonwhodat]

Bulls make money.
Bears make money.
Hogs get slaughtered.

[Jimmya]

I like it. I can watch football almost every day of the week.

[jallmon]

Not living in the KC area, I watch the NFL RedZone to keep up with the Chiefs.
I haven't seen a Thursday, Sunday or Monday night game in 3 years, unless the Chiefs are on. Get up early to go to work, so in bed by 8:00 - 8:30.

[blaise]

I see what he's saying but the NFL has had Saturday games before. That's not new.
The Thursday night games usually don't seem very interesting to me for whatever reason. Usually because they're dogs I guess.

[gosampel]

He just need to stay to NBA and worry about how they can beat pisses test you cant beat in the NFL

[Simply Red]

I bet the farm this guy has a coke problem.

[Fritz88]

After watching League of Denial in PBS, it's possible but not in 10 years though.
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[Dragonocho]

He may have a point, but then again he owns a franchise that has a 82 game regular season where NBA players loaf up and down the court night after night. He could be more introspective.

[ping2000]

That will be the year the Chiefs win another Super Bowl; when no one cares about football anymore.

[Deberg_1990]

The "product" of the NFL has become watered down. 8-8 league.......and that's exactly what they want.
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[GoChargers]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

The "product" of the NFL has become watered down. 8-8 league.......and that's exactly what they want.
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8-8 league? Really? The NFL is far more polarized than that, with the Seahawks, Whiners, Donks, etc. on one end and absolutely hopeless franchises like the Faid and the Browns on the other.

I do agree with Cuban that the NFL is headed for a downturn with the way things are going. They're messing with a good product by watering the game down with senseless rule changes, blatant favoritism shown to certain players and teams, and the general year-round overexposure of the league nowadays.