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.
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Yet the NBA owners are greedy as well and I don't see him saying anything about the NBA imploding
I see a dumbing down of the game, but that seems to go hand-in-hand with the dumbing down of the rest of the country. We're distracted by bells and whistles. Instead of concentrating on the beauty of a 15-13 defensive struggle (i.e., 1990 NFC Championship Game), fans seem more caught up or convinced to be caught up on NFL Network/ESPN crappy sports coverage, all the crap now added to the TV screen, Fantasy Football, who is doing the halftime show at the Super Bowl, what the latest NFL diva is doing/saying, etc.
That's not just the NFL.
And his point about saturation of the televison screen is very well taken. Ratings will inevitably decline at some point because there is so much of it on the air and the quantity just continues to increase.
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.
Im not a huge fan of Thursday Night Football. But I agree with Hades07. If something knocks the NFL down a peg it won't be this. And they'd have a long way to fall to be anything other than the most popular sport in the country. It is so embedded into the culture right now its ridiculous, nothing is close
in the meantime, this seems like sour grapes from a guy who realizes that NFL teams are much more profitable than NBA teams.
NFL will remain king in our lifetime because it is the most exciting, dramatic sport that appeals to our violent natures. Each game is 1/16th of the season.
So the Yankees or Mets or Knicks or Nets drop a game. So what? Giants lose to the Cowboys and it is the end of the world.
If its not relevant than neither is anything but the NFL.
If Cuban wants to make the argument that greed will destroy the NFL, he has a better avenue in the frequency of commercial interruptions and high ticket prices. TNF makes for lousy football, but I can't see how that hurts viewership much.
NFL will remain king in our lifetime because it is the most exciting, dramatic sport that appeals to our violent natures. Each game is 1/16th of the season.
So the Yankees or Mets or Knicks or Nets drop a game. So what? Giants lose to the Cowboys and it is the end of the world.
People can entertain themselves with things that aren't major televised sports. It won't be one thing that displaces the NFL-- it'll be a thousand. Network TV didn't lose it's audience to any one cable channel, it lost a little bit to all of them.
then again, the 'its not the same as the old days' will always be something people will say about the past no matter what. the nfl could keep the product what it is now in terms of sunday, Monday, and thusrday and people will still say the same thing 20 years from now. mourning over the past and in some ways have a unrealistic nostalgic drive view of the past is within our human nature. the evil new generation logic in all walks and forms of life is something that has been screamed by older people since the beginning of time. so whatever the nfl does it wouldn't make a difference either way and if the product does get watered down it will still be the king of the ratings no matter what
To me the only things the NFL really has to be mindful of are concussions and the fallout from that coverage, and changes in broadcast media. DirectTV will not enjoy its monopoly on NFL games for long. There is no way it can, too many alternate media outlets out there.
Another thing that might be inaccurate about this is the NFL's ability to appeal to women. Anyone who has the NFL network can vouch for me when how many times did they play that women's lib commercial? "I own a football jersey, I'm a female! I'm a trendsetter!" ...
I don't see how a game that is this popular and increasingly popular will just decline in 10 years. It's going to get bigger and bigger in America. The NFL PR people know what they're doing. As long as the Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars of the world will continue showing up at NFL sanctioned events the NFL's popularity will continue to increase and increase. Maybe it's reached it's peak which is ridiculous already and then it will decline? Who knows.
but it's where demand is. I think the NFL's model is healthier than the NBA's, especially from a competitive standpoint. I'd say probably 75% of the NBA schedule is equivalent to a Thursday Night NFL stinker.
and if it wasn't for the Western Conference, shit, you'd be able to say that about more than half of the PLAYOFF schedule. That potential Raptors/Wizards series ain't putting asses on couches
Fantasy football
Redzone
the NFL has done such a fantastic job of mastering the average everyday Joe and warping them into an 8 hour couch potato who watches every play "with no commercials" on the NFL Redzone. Every Sunday is like a holiday to me. The appeal is sitting at home with your laptop or tablet checking your fantasy on the couch with nachos and your feet up relaxing on the couch cheering on the Vikings to beat the Cowboys.
And no the NBA isn't really relevant in this country at least. Its the one most likely to have fixed games, has a minor league system that's flawed at its very core and next to baseball, most likely has rampant PED use that goes ignored.
I don't see any logic in that at all.
And for me, not hitting the QB too high or not hitting him too low is ridiculous. And this defenseless receiver business? Uh, he's a receiver going out for a pass. He's going to get hit. Ridiculous rule changes that take the violence out of the game. This and not greed will hurt the game.
Yup. Then add the exorbitant cost to attending. I took my two sons a couple of years ago. $400 for tickets alone. When a day the staid costs upwards of over a weeks take home for most of the populace you are pricing too many people out as well.
Add that to the other issues and you can erode your fan base.
the only thing that can really prevent that from happening (without absurd rule changes that turn the game into glorified two hand touch) is some miracle helmet technology.
Still a Sam Huff fan : 6:44 am : link : reply
The game at home is becoming better than it is at the stadium. Maybe I'm just getting to be outside of the target age audience but other than a good tailgate, why bother? The tv services are terrific. I DVR it and just watch it through without commercial breaks.
Absolutely.......With big screen HD TV's coupled with a good sound system, and a couple of your buddies over for a few beers, it can't be beat......For me, to get to Foxboro, it's an hour drive.....then depending on when you get there, determines how long it takes you just to get into the parking lot.....if you get there early to tailgate, no problem.....if just getting there for game time, add 1/2 hour or more(likewise getting out)......If you work 5 or 6 days a week, the wife is not too happy if you are gone all day Sunday with your buddies...
I used to go to every game. Not any more. When I do go I just wind up watching most of the live game on the huge screen, so why bother? It truly is not the same....... At least for this pro football fan. Sad but true.
Being only able to afford the cheap seats, you are far away from the action....not fun watching the game with binoculars, and coping with the wind, cold, and obnoxious fans....rather use the money to go to the Cape for the weekend...
And for me, not hitting the QB too high or not hitting him too low is ridiculous. And this defenseless receiver business? Uh, he's a receiver going out for a pass. He's going to get hit. Ridiculous rule changes that take the violence out of the game. This and not greed will hurt the game.
We grew up with violence being part of the game......the newer generation, won't see it and won't miss it......but the safety of the game is at stake here....When you look at the cap, where is the highest % of it spent? QB and skill positions.....what happens when the QB goes down? More often than not, the team....Look at Indy when Peyton didn't play....in '07 or '11, did the Giants have a backup that would have enabled the Giants to win SB's? It's big business...your QB goes down, teams lose, attendance and TV audience goes down.... It all trickles down....
Guys like Dawkins, got away with murder for years....players were hurt....you can't single out Dawkins and others, so you make a rule change to help defenseless players....unfortunately, not all field referees see he game the same way.....
Players today are bigger, stronger, faster....thus the momentum of their impact on hitting someone, is much greater...hits that in the past, would have been "shaken off", are now taking guys out of a game, and causing problems down the road.....
If you consider, safety watering down the sport, it's true....the game will never be played like it once was....like I said, newer generations, will become use to this type of play and not miss it....I'd rather see guys stay on the field, rather than be taken out by injury......the colosseum mentality has been bred into us a long time ago....."Maximus! Maximus! Maximus!"
He has a minor point that sooner or later there'll be too much football for the average viewer. However, the NFL is slowly expanding. When the returns aren't there, they'll stop expanding. It's nothing like Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, which was a fad show that was suddenly expanded exponentially and then fizzled out. That's a horrible comparison.
Sports viewership is driven mainly by fans rooting for a specific team, secondarily by overall football fans wanting to watch any non specific football game as long as it's good. Attendance is driven almost solely by rooting fans, and that's driven by quality of product. As long as they don't increase the number of games per team per week, you're not going to seriously impact viewership or attendance. No matter what day of the week they're on, Giants fans will watch the Giants play.
It's equally stupid for Cuban to comment on fan inconvenience, when he presides over a team that inconveniences its fans for the majority of their games.
All this isn't to say that the NFL isn't driving the product into the ground.
Yup. The NFL doesn't have rampant PED use that goes ignored.
And the driving factor behind all the NFL's decisions? Fantasy football. I used to be into it, but the past couple years I haven't played as it was just too demanding on my time to be competitive. It is insanely popular with the youths. Every rule change encourages more scoring which is a direct result.
I'm 32 years old, married with a house. I don't have the time to sit and watch like I used to. I would be glued to the TV from 1pm to 11:30 every sunday, along with most of the Monday night game. I just can't (or don't want to) do it anymore I can't imagine how it'd be if children were in the picture as well. I don't think the NFL would be wise to invest any marketing dollars or incorporate any rule changes to satisfy people like me.
I see a dumbing down of the game, but that seems to go hand-in-hand with the dumbing down of the rest of the country. We're distracted by bells and whistles. Instead of concentrating on the beauty of a 15-13 defensive struggle (i.e., 1990 NFC Championship Game), fans seem more caught up or convinced to be caught up on NFL Network/ESPN crappy sports coverage, all the crap now added to the TV screen, Fantasy Football, who is doing the halftime show at the Super Bowl, what the latest NFL diva is doing/saying, etc.
That's not just the NFL.
Add in the crap play around the league by most of the teams. So few practices, not hitting during the week and rapid roster turnover resulted in many of us watching preseason football as late as mid-October.
Just wait for the old guard at QB to retire and see what's taking their place besides Andrew Luck. Talk about an awful product which will be marketed like the best ever and people will buy into it by viewing. Not sure if they'll pay to go to the stadium though.
And then there's the watered down aspect of the game. 5,000 yards by 10 QB's a year isn't out of the questions in the near future. It's already boring to me and i'm certainly not the only one.
I can actually see TV ratings continue to climb with mega stadiums being huge financial blunders.
As a 50 year fan of the NFL , I am not crazy about Thursday Night games as well as expanded Playoffs.While the Gamblers may love it there is a real posibility of over saturation of the product.
I do think they're killing the golden goose with the rule changes, Thursday night games, etc. Only a matter of time until they expand the schedule, expand the playoffs, and expand the league itself.
The point: Can this target audience sustain filled stadiums all season long? The cost is a factor for a young person. The time away from the babies is a cost for these same young people. And the argument we all used for years is responded to by the following: "but you can watch it on TV just as well and for free".
The NFL, in my opinion, cannot totally ignore the older fan. But they are going in that direction. And the argument that the QB is a high percentage of the cap, while true, just begs the question about investment in backups. Those with a strong bench will survive.
Reason being is the NFL is going after penny in the street,and they don't care what it does to the game.When the money stops coming in,that's when they will change things up,but the damage may already be done.
And no the NBA isn't really relevant in this country at least. Its the one most likely to have fixed games, has a minor league system that's flawed at its very core and next to baseball, most likely has rampant PED use that goes ignored.
If its not relevant then we only have one major sport in this country
And its crazy how a sport that isn't relevant consistently produces the country's biggest sports stars, both in this country and globally. Every time a Harris poll does a list of the most popular athletes in the country, nba players own the list. Guys like Lebron and Kobe make more money in endorsements than the top 10 NFL players combined, even a guy like Peyton Manning couldn't hold their jockstraps.
The two biggest changes they could make, alcohol management and ticket prices, they'll never touch, ever.
So they'll try nonsense like 'free wifi' and fantasy team state updates on the big screens.
But the NBA regular season is meaningless; the NFL regular season isn't. So that's as far as I'll go in comparing the two. Everything else is apples to oranges.
The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, its not even close. But The NBA produces the country's biggest sports stars, and its not close either.
I'm sure there was a time where baseball looked like it would rule supreme. Its naive. Humanity has an increasingly short attention span.
My fear is one day I will wake up 20 years or so from now and shit just won't be the same. With rules changes, lack of talent cause kid athletes are focusing on other sports, and the glory of a football sunday gone it just won't be the same.
I think Cuban might be onto something but I hope not
But the NFL has such a monstrous lead over the MLB/NBA that they still have time to figure out how to save their sport. Eventually they will go the way boxing and baseball but it's still their reign right now.
And Kobe is still making that bank after an assault charge. Now I don't think he did anything, but its amazing how he overcame that PR wise
"The undersigned agrees to watch 50 NFL games a year and buy our stupid jerseys and beer coolers and all that shit and we'll put the draft back where it belongs instead of prime time Thursday like it's fucking Seinfeld."
Why does it matter how many people follow which sport? We're not seeing any of that money.
How many of you would pay $1000 or more for the right to digitally stream old NFL games, for example?
None of it really matters because how do you define relevance? Where is the line between relevant and irrelevant?
The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, its not even close. But The NBA produces the country's biggest sports stars, and its not close either.
I thought a select few would be obvious. Yes there are known NFL players, but you can make at statement at so many different positions that its hard to focus on a few big names like LeBron and Durant.
Add up Peytons 12 mil, Brees 11 mil and Brady's 7 mil. And they *almost* add up to Kobe's 2013 off court earnings, and still fall 10+ mil shy of Lebron
And we're only talking about guys at the top when it comes to endorsement money, so roster size is irrelevant. Left Tackles aren't getting big deals the same way the 4th best player on a given basketball team won't either. Its quarterbacks, select skill players, and nba superstars.
NBA (@nba) - 9.66M
NFL (@nfl) - 6.12M
EPL (@premier league) - 4.1M
MLB (@mlb) - 3.49M
NHL (@nhl) - 2.33M
However, 8 of the top 10 athletes in terms of twitter followers are soccer players (Shaq and LeBron are the other two).
While I think Cuban is certainly trying to stir the pot, and maybe the game of football is more popular than its individual atheltes, I wouldn't dismiss his comments offhand. In the late 90's when McGuire and Sosa were having their home run race, it would have been hard to imagine the decline in poularity of the sport only 10-15 years later.
but what in the blue fuck does that have to do with cuban's comment that the NFL will decline in popularity due to greed?
oh, i read the thread, thanks. the "context" was that you tried to steer the conversation toward basketball for whatever reason. but your comments about the popularity of basketball have absolutely nothing to do with the issue that Cuban is pointing out (over-saturation of the football television market) or any of the other issues that others have pointed out pertaining to the potential decline in popularity of American football.
so, in other words, the two issues have absolutely nothing to do with each other, despite your effort to the contrary.
ha, don't flatter yourself pal. you got your panties in a bunch that someone called the NBA "irrelevant" and proceeded to blow up the entire discussion. nice work as usual.
the discussion about the NFL's popularity and business model was pretty interesting until the NBA's knight in shining armor got here.
What is the NFL cap 135 million for 51ish players? Compared to baseball with a 25 man roster and 189 million cap and basketball with their 15 man roster has 59 million.NFL owners are getting a bargain while the players are getting crippled and ripped off outside of the QB's
have a good night, though.
High School kids love their football and so do many parents and a lot of fellow students. Plus, jocks usually get the pick of the young ladies.
The NFL should stop this Thursday night crap and also stop making rules that totally favor the offense. Shit, they don't do that to soccer, do they? Worldwide, soccer is bigger than football.
Knowing you, it probably took expending every single brain cell to come up with that retort.
mark cuban is a poster child of the dot com bubble
he made his billions from building nothing lasting
zero..
While I don't see the NFL close to a collapse in the foreseeable future I do imagine that recent policy changes may indeed allow other sports like basketball and soccer to begin drawing more of the American sportsfans' attention.
Here's a link to an article where Cuban explains his thought.
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