Anyone else's interest for NFL football dwindling?

[The Lobo]

41 minutes ago, OneBadCat said:

The biggest drawback for me is that I literally go into every game expecting the refs to screw us over. It's just happened too many times at this point. And not just us but around the league in general.

Then the officials are so pathetic that instead of reviewing a penalty and calling it back they'll just toss a cheap flag  on the other team the next play to make up for said mistake. It's disgusting.

I also don't like how the guys in charge of the time clock seem to have a lot of liberty. If you pay attention a lot time is wasted when in fact the clock should be stopped.

I am a stickler for the play clock and game clock, it's like an OCD thing for me. Most games, the game clock will run too much when it's not supposed to and won't run when it is supposed too. Next game, really watch that and you will be surprised.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

10 minutes ago, CarolinaJami' said:

I hate to be that guy but dang it sure feels like. "Panthers had way to much fun last year playing football" Must throw flag and stop that madness. I felt it was pretty ridiculous that so many people were upset about the way the team "behaved" last year. Football is a game. You should have fun.

it's on record in many places that refs, subconsciously or not, form preconceived notions about teams and players.  cam probably rustled a lot of jimmies with the hochuli remarks and he's paying for it.

[davos]

15 minutes ago, Cracka McNasty said:

For real though, that's something that has changed with me recently too. I remember watching all those "Jacked up" segments on the MNF countdown and how awesome I used to think it was. Watch one now on youtube. Half those hits you KNOW caused concussions and brain damage. Instead of getting hyped up, I just cringe seeing these guys do that to themselves. I'll always cheer for a great clean hard tackle (see Luke in the super bowl on Thomas), but the head hunting and big hits I see these days have me wincing. I don't really look at the football players as numbers anymore, I see them more as human beings which sounds really lame I know, I swear I'm not a hippy, but I am just concerned for them now. 

Watching Cam get blasted and having the refs do nothing hurt to watch. It was like "guys, do something, they're literally killing him out there." It was the same feeling I got with the Saints - Vikings game a few years back, accept with Cam it was more personal because he is our QB.  

The problem is on the other side of the equation--the extent to which refs and the NFL have gone to protecting the immobile franchise QB is insane.  We've seen the gifs of Brees, Brady, etc. get a helmet tap from a hand or them getting leg tackled a microsecond too late and it's a penalty but these post throw full throttle shots are a-ok.  The refs just jog around skipping along being dicks and all.  

[MechaZain]

3 minutes ago, Cracka McNasty said:

I think it has a lot to do with the amount of people who have cut the cord in the past few years. I'm one of them. Last year I would tune in for the Panthers or if I had a fantasy matchup I needed to pull out a win. This year I just don't care. It's a hassle and not worth it. I find myself not missing the football like I thought I would in years past. I'm saving so much money it's worth it. 

I'm not the only one. You search the internet and you'll find a bunch of people who find dealing with Cable to be far worse than missing a football game. And the NFL has their mouth wrapped so tightly around the cable cock that they won't let go to breathe. I think it will be the league's downfall. ESPN is losing viewership year over year, and with that, so is the NFL. 

Cord cutter here, can confirm. There's probably a good number of fans pirating streams too since Sunday Ticket is overpriced BS.

Ditto on Jack'd Up too. As I get older these guys become less action figures and more just fellow men.

 

 

[Goondal]

I feel this way just about the NFL, but football in general.  It dwindled awhile ago.  I always watch the Panthers and Heels but rarely watched much else.  My interest had some resurgence the last few years with the Panthers improvement and UNC finally having a good team last year and it had a second peak late last season.  

Between the hits on Cam in the first game and how my hatred for the NCAA grows by the day however, and who knows what other reasons, that interest did not carry over to this season.  

I still watch every game for my team.  I have not missed a UNC game in ten years and the only Panther game I missed was the Raiders in '01, but have not really even checked the scores for other games.  I could not tell you who is good on either level except Alabama.  I tried watching some CFB the first weekend and just did not care and the one attempt I made at the NFL was excrutiating.

The first month or so of this season is definitely the least I have ever cared for the sport.

[Kakarot]

These taunting/celebration penalties seem like they were created for and enforced with our team directly in mind. It's ridiculous, and that's been my biggest gripe this year. It's not as fun anymore. You've got refs throwing taunting flags, people complaining about players ego's...man it's a damn game. 

[tondi]

I find that the older I get the less I give a fug about sports in general.  Now that social issues are being shoved down our throats at sporting events that's one more BIG reason to stop watching.  If I want to get preached to I'll go to fuggin church.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

8 minutes ago, MechaZain said:

Cord cutter here, can confirm. There's probably a good number of fans pirating streams too since Sunday Ticket is overpriced BS.

Ditto on Jack'd Up too. As I get older these guys become less action figures and more just fellow men.

yeah i used to catch myself looking at guys on a football field as basically robots running around rather than actual people, as messed up as that is

 

[Cary Kollins]

Ratings have been down this year big time. If you believe Rush Limbaugh the ratings are down due to the liberal media, but you're not an idiot so you don't believe anything Rush Limbaugh says, right?

 

Mark Cuban called it a couple of years ago: "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered".

 

 

[Ricky Spanish]

11 minutes ago, Cary Kollins said:

Ratings have been down this year big time. If you believe Rush Limbaugh the ratings are down due to the liberal media, but you're not an idiot so you don't believe anything Rush Limbaugh says, right?

 

Mark Cuban called it a couple of years ago: "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered".

 

 

I just read an article on his comments a few years ago, and he raises some good points. 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/03/mark-cuban-nfl-implosion-facebook

[bleys]

I won't be surprised if the NBA provides a more exciting season..   

 

The extreme hypocrisy will plague the league.

 

  It's ridiculous to see, especially when you have cheerleaders on the same screen gyrating their hips right after Antonio get penalized for twerking.. 

[mc52beast]

NFL admits viewer attendance is down, could be because 11 teams are 1-3. Talk about stupid fines, AB on the Steelers got fined 24g for moving his hips more than 2 inches.

[PhillyB]

nah, it's just a big comedown from last year's nonstop fun.

[Newtcase]

I'm with you but mostly for a different reason.  I went all in last season, spent thousands attending Seattle, Arizona and ultimately the Superbowl.  It was a crushing experience, I honestly felt robbed by the NFL.  When I got home the first thing I told my wife was I just couldn't get that invested in men in tights anymore.  I still watch every Panthers game and will attend whenever I'm able to but I'm just not as emotionally tied to the outcome anymore.