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."

[MahiMike]

The NFL is already a bubble waiting to pop. Shad Khan paid 300% more than the previous owner just 15 years ago. In Jax!

[houstonwhodat]

Originally Posted by blaise

Only having enough money for an NBA franchise doesn't really mean you're not smart.

He should buy the Browns.

They should be on sale for about 19.95 by now.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by MahiMike

The NFL is already a bubble waiting to pop. Shad Khan paid 300% more than the previous owner just 15 years ago. In Jax!

Hardly.

Ratings keep going up.

Until that changes, the league will continue trying to expand its market.

[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.

[Demonpenz]

The death rattle for NFL is going to come when sarah mclachlan on a commercial for brain damaged nfl players.

[cosmo20002]

I'm not sure if the NFL even cares, but I think their problem is going to be in-person attendance. Attendance has been dropping across the league.

Maybe the Chiefs aren't the best example given their poor play most of the past several years, but when the new season ticket prices came out a couple months ago I checked some old seating charts I had and I couldn't believe the pricing.

Lower level sideline has gone up quite a bit. But for the past 5-10 years most other seats are about the same or have gone down considerably. There used to be highly discounted 'cheap seats' in the very upper-upper corners. Now, except for the lower half of the sidelines, almost the whole upper level are discount tickets. It's pretty obvious they are having trouble putting asses in the seats.

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.

To be clear, I like MNF. But since my overall interest in the NFL has waned, I simply record and watch to save myself time. Fantasy football no longer appeals to me so I don't play. It doesn't really have any impact on my life until players start commenting on their FFL points in postgame interviews. That makes me livid. It makes me want to watch Saturday football.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Phobia

To be clear, I like MNF. But since my overall interest in the NFL has waned, I simply record and watch to save myself time. Fantasy football no longer appeals to me so I don't play. It doesn't really have any impact on my life until players start commenting on their FFL points in postgame interviews. That makes me livid. It makes me want to watch Saturday football.

This.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by BCD

Nevermind. You missed my point.

Which was....

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Phobia

To be clear, I like MNF. But since my overall interest in the NFL has waned, I simply record and watch to save myself time. Fantasy football no longer appeals to me so I don't play. It doesn't really have any impact on my life until players start commenting on their FFL points in postgame interviews. That makes me livid. It makes me want to watch Saturday football.

Now those players are wanting paid too. I figured there was already college fantasy football.

[Mojo Jojo]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I'm not sure if the NFL even cares, but I think their problem is going to be in-person attendance. Attendance has been dropping across the league.

Maybe the Chiefs aren't the best example given their poor play most of the past several years, but when the new season ticket prices came out a couple months ago I checked some old seating charts I had and I couldn't believe the pricing.

Lower level sideline has gone up quite a bit. But for the past 5-10 years most other seats are about the same or have gone down considerably. There used to be highly discounted 'cheap seats' in the very upper-upper corners. Now, except for the lower half of the sidelines, almost the whole upper level are discount tickets. It's pretty obvious they are having trouble putting asses in the seats.

This is spot on. Teams are having trouble selling out games both regular and post season. Adding more games on TV will only drive down interest in attending and should the FCC ban overturn the blackout rule lookout. Owners will be forced to drop ticket prices a lot, and will need to find other revenue streams. The current business plan is self defeating.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Dick Bull

yup

Worked for the Titanic.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Mojo Jojo

This is spot on. Teams are having trouble selling out games both regular and post season. Adding more games on TV will only drive down interest in attending and should the FCC ban overturn the blackout rule lookout. Owners will be forced to drop ticket prices a lot, and will need to find other revenue streams. The current business plan is self defeating.

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.

[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.

[alnorth]

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.

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.