I know Francesa has talked about ratings being down early in the season, and that it is partly attributed to the presidential elections and some of the world events that are occurring, as well as perhaps injuries to some of the star players around the league.
But I wanted to hear from you folks if there is a shared sense of, well I'm over this to a degree. I know it could be attributed to a few losing seasons, and maybe it's just me, but for whatever reason this season I feel incredibly dispassionate about this team. I feel no real connection to the current crop of players. I'm 31 so I for the most part missed the 80s teams, and thankfully was spared from the mid-90s Reeves era, but startingIn the late 90s and early 2000s I loved the Giants, I couldn't get enough. The Strahans, Armsteads, Keith Hamiltion's, Sehorn, on defense and Collins, Toomer, Shockey, Tiki on offense. I loved those teams and felt strong affection for those players. In the mid to late 2000s, I more than loved watching those teams, Eli, that offensive line, Plax, Tuck, Osi, Webster, Pierce, great passion, tremendous will, the persona of Coughlin. That 07-08 stretch was golden. Now as we closed that era and begin a new one, I don't feel any connection whatsover to this team short of Eli. McAdoo is bland, JPP has suddenly, despite his accident, become an average player. We have some decent players, talent wise, such as Shepard, Pugh, OBJ, Vernon, Jenkins, DRC, and Collins but we really only have one dynamic personality and that is OBJ and it feels like he might end up being like Calvin Johnson/Larry Fitzgerald, a great player on a bad team. I just don't feel any optimism about our team right now.
Back to the NFL, my feelings about the league are pretty similar. It just feels like overkill at this point. I don't get into any of the sports talk shows at all like i used to. I always loved listening to francesa and even joe and evan, but I just feel done with the sport, at least for the time being, everything just seems so predicatable. I think maybe parody is player a role, and injuries, there are no great teams, no Yankee like dynasty to take down (except the patriots). I just don't see any teams that are just fun to watch, there is a lack of crispness, tons of penalties, tons of side drama about bullshit things that mean nothing. The OBJ non-controversy comes to mind, that was the stupidest week of discussion, he is a passionate player and they had the cameras watching him every second of the game. It was a meaningless story, and there are now tons of meaningless stories. I watch the games, but they all just seem sloppy.
I don't know, something needs to change, the league feels like they overdid it and now there isn't quite as much excitement about the sport.
Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else feel the same way?
It used to be a game of big hits and tough dudes. Now that we're all on the same page that's gross to cheer for, we're left with a less violent game.
To offset that, the league wants more action. So they make defense impossible and slow the game down with penalties for basically everything.
I'd start with utilizing that 49 minutes nothing is happening. Trim the play cock down to 15 seconds after the ball is set. Maybe reward the offense with 25 if they get a first. Tire out the players but let them play defense. Make big plays happen because there are more plays. And see how quickly fans stop batching about too many commercials. It's not too many commercials, it's too few plays.
There are too many ads.
On the other, and I seem to be in the minority here, I love watching the TNF and MNF games. Redzone is great. The NFL is still great but there are some serious issues which need to be addressed. I'd start by replacing Blandino with someone who's worked as an official for at least one football game.
I haven't seen more than about half a game this season, and that now includes the GIANTS who are on their way to another losing season.
I find that I am watching meaningless Yankee games, the CFL, and the NHL instead of the NFL now. The Buffalo-Montreal hockey game tonight was a lot more entertaining than the Denver-San Diego color smush. Even a few years ago that would have been unthinkable for me.
I haven't completely cut the cord with the NFL yet, but it's coming. And soon.
Maybe this weekend I'll post about the family stuff.
Everything seemed so grand to me as I was digesting everything in. The players were superheroes the teams were like the avengers, justice league, suicide squad. I would be up late and watch NFL films on espn. I was hooked and I haven't missed a game since to this date. The Giants are more than a team to me, it's a bond I had with my father and uncle (RIP) its Sunday dinners, it's fun conversation, it's remembering the past when the current team sucks!! With all that being said the present NFL doesn't excite me. The programs for the most part do not have the character of the old NFL films. The Broadcast teams are not fun to listen to. The pregame shows do not excite me and the panels for the most part of full of egomaniac ex players. It doesn't help that the Giants have been awful for the past 5 years!
For many other expressing such sentiment I expect these sentiments will disappear when the Giants begin to win again.
I still watch every Sunday. The teams for the most part sucked under Fassell too, but I just connected more with Hammer, Armstead, Garnes, Barrow etc.
One thing I definitely don't watch much of now is Sunday/Monday/Thurs nights when the Giants aren't in the game. I would rather sleep.
I don't watch as many random games from like the Broncos or Falcons, but that's only because I'm normally watching the Giants game on TV & a division game on my phone.
In College, every game counts. Any high ranking team can go down on any given day which can effect your team and their rankings. It's also much more satisfying to see the Alabama's and Ohio State's lose when they actually do. If you lose one game it could be the end of your season.
The exposure league wide s over saturated and the product isn't as enjoyable, so I doubt I'll ever get interested in general if it doesn't involve the Giants.
Of course it's not pleasant to watch this trash. Of course it's more fun to watch Michael Strahan.
I've never watched a ton of other teams...I really only love the conference championship games - not even really the SB - which are often super high quality matchups. But I continue to love and plan my Sundays around Giants football.
Add to that the disrespect of the national anthem.
Hockey has gotten more traction even if I do root for a losing team.
Still very hard to avoid watching the jints, however much easier turning them off earlier than it used to be...
first, let me counter the replies of some that simply think its because the Giants aren't doing well. for me at least, that's not the issue. even in the crappiest of seasons over the last 25 years, an NFL game was always something i would just turn on to watch because it was entertaining and usually i could convince myself into some type of rooting interest (for the Giants) like cheering against another NFC east team for example. now, i'm less inclined to watch any non-Giants games because it's just not an entertaining product.
the game as is flat out sucks now. defense has been neutered, no two refs call a game remotely the same way, and i feel like i'm watching what is akin to an arena league game now. and that goes for NYG too. they're just so unenjoyable to watch versus many of the seasons i loved, even ones that didn't end in ring (most). we have what seems to be literally 1 running play and it feels like the playbook itself is about 10 plays deep.
i also agree with the sentiment of feeling no connection to the players anymore. hell, even in the 90s there was certainly a connection to the crop of defensive guys we drafted through the years. now since around 2010/2011, the team has become a massive revolving door. and you can say that's the NFL, but its been well documented that NYG has had an extremely poor retention of its drafted players.
i always liked the idea of build a core within and add pieces. hell just look at the '05 offseason. Plax/Piece/McKenzie. but those ended up being core guys and big contributors. they were part of a core to me for sure. now? who does anyone really feel a connection to on this team other than Eli? who's actually on this team that was there even say 3 years ago??
i saw somewhere that Vernon said they have to get back to playing Giants football (?!) you don't even know what the fuck that is! you've been in NY for a minute and haven't done a thing!
i hope this is just a passing phase. but with King Roger and crew, they've sure taken the golden goose and ripped it in half. luckily, the fans are responding.
Look at cable TV in general, it's all down.
My biggest issues is the length of time it takes to complete these games. It shouldn't be more than 3 hours.
The commercial kickoff commercial is absolute torture. I'm not convinced officiating is worse. I think the HD tv/relays makes it look worse.
From a business sense, they've succeeded in bringing in more fans and catering to fantasy football, but in the end, they have fans who are less invested and loyal and it is just a matter of time before that ends up coming back to haunt them.
I liken it a bit to NASCAR. NASCAR has a devout, loyal fan base. Then they started trying to appeal to everyone, changing the format for declaring a champion, expanding into other markets where racing is not as popular, and using gimmicks to attract viewers, and it has kicked them in the ass to the point where the sport has seen reduced attendance and viewership several years in a row.
The NFL hasn't hit that point, and has time to change things, but I doubt they will. for them, a 7-3 defensive battle is like reading War and Peace to Brahms Lullaby
From a business sense, they've succeeded in bringing in more fans and catering to fantasy football, but in the end, they have fans who are less invested and loyal and it is just a matter of time before that ends up coming back to haunt them.
I liken it a bit to NASCAR. NASCAR has a devout, loyal fan base. Then they started trying to appeal to everyone, changing the format for declaring a champion, expanding into other markets where racing is not as popular, and using gimmicks to attract viewers, and it has kicked them in the ass to the point where the sport has seen reduced attendance and viewership several years in a row.
The NFL hasn't hit that point, and has time to change things, but I doubt they will. for them, a 7-3 defensive battle is like reading War and Peace to Brahms Lullaby
A 7-3 game would stink.... I think great scorelines are 17-14 21-17 24-20
Still, I get the overall sentiment, CMicks.
Guys in my age bracket (40s/50s) have seen so much better, and even the much younger guys (20s/30s, and dudes my boy's age - late teens) have seen some good stuff.
But it's true - McAdoo is a vanilla character. As much as some of us love Eli, he's a vanilla character. And our most interesting and likely best talent? He's a child, emotionally. So while we are huge fans of his, we also think the way our former coach has articulated of late - I'll bet I could help that guy pull his head out of his arse.
Our passion for things NFL has waned. I think more than it being about the product (be it the Giants or the NFL as a whole), guys in my age range are simply more thinly spread. Painting with a very broad, general brush, your average 40s/50s guy is trying to follow the Giants and maybe the NFL closely but also working on his marriage, raising his kids (and for many, coaching/advising them in various extracurricular activities and sports), working a full-time job (plus), maintaining a house or properties, managing extended family (and if married, hers as well), and in some cases, trying to do all that while navigating a divorce and in some cases, re-entering the dating scene (and unenviable thing).
Put all that together, add a sprig of maturity/life experience, and suddenly, not every moment turns on a New York Football Giants win or loss. Yeah, the wins make the following days feel cleaner and easier, but the losses - if you've evolved even a small bit - while they sting and grind, don't really make a big difference in your Tuesday or Wednesday (notice I didn't say Monday, because hey, we're still human, and these past two days-after have SUXED).
There's another aspect that I don't harp on myself, but it's one I think factors at some level for many of us in our 40s/50s. At very least, it occurs to us now and again.
Tom Coughlin represented our Dads, or if not, maybe an uncle who was stern and you saw now and again and every time you did, you knew what to expect. He was the salt of the earth, and he was consistent (good or bad). You had respect.
NFL coaches - ours included - are seeming to be more like a younger cousin, or maybe little brother. Fight it as we might, many of us have had the moment when we think: there is no WAY he knows as much about this stuff as I do! What the fuck is he THINKING?!? I mean, does he even know what number John Mendenhall wore? Probably not. (Note: None of this makes logical sense, but we're not talking sense ... it's emotional.)
All this said, I get it ... all the CMicks commentary and much of the follow-up from others, I'm there ... and no matter how fucking pissed off I get at the league's changes, the delays, the stripping down of a much more glorious game "back in MY day," I'm still starting to get a little bit fired up for this Sunday's game on a Friday morning, and I will plan my Sunday morning (and much of that day) around those 3-plus hours.
The product is diluted. The junkie is still needy. And as much as the edges may be more rounded these days, the addiction isn't going anywhere any time soon.
When you spend time and money hiding health research and information from your employees, you deserve everything you get when it comes to criticism and lawsuits. Yes, playing Soccer and Hockey can lead to concussions and CTE, but the NFL has atleast half the players on the field colliding on every play, of which there are 100+ per game. It's pretty obvious to me why they are the whipping boy and they have only themselves to blame.
Were the commercials any worse in 2008, when the Giants finished 12-4 and were just rolling through teams in the fall? I had a great time watching then.
Outside of rooting for the Giants, the only other reason why I watch as much as I do (which isn't even 1/4 of what it used to be) is fantasy football. And even that I cut down from 3 leagues to just 1, which consists of the same 11 guys i've been playing with for 15 years. If that league ended, I wouldn't play at all, and would watch even less of the NFL.
Beyond the dwindling free time, though - everything from the shift to fantasy football and a more offensive oriented game to them making it as bland as humanly possible. I used to laugh at basketball for the technical foul, and now I'm seeing guys flagged for taunting for dancing after a TD. And flags? I feel like there's a ton more flags (with the requisite ton more stoppages) per game, but I don't have the stats so I don't know if that's just perception or reality.
Then add the safety changes, which I wouldn't have any other way but still diminish the original interest nonetheless, and the fact that owners are so damn cheap. They have limited roster sizes that mean and injury or two basically damn a team right out of the playoffs, and a tight cap that means roster turnover is inevitable to the point where you're not really watching the same team for more than 2-3 years running - and you lose the personal connection that you had to root for.
Put it altogether, inundate the airwaves with extra games on Sunday night, Thursday night, mornings from London - and yeah, my interest isn't anywhere near what it used to be.
The salary cap and the general mediocrity it enforces doesn't help. There's such a sense of randomness to the modern NFL, everybody can bear everybody else to a much greater extent than used to be true. Where are the great teams? There hasn't been what I would consider a great team since the back to back Broncos. No, I don't consider the Patriots on that level. How many HOFers have played for the Brady-era Patriots besides the man himself? Moss for a couple of years, and if Gronk stays healthy he'll likely get there. Maybe Vinatieri becomes the rare kicker to make it, but after those guys I'm drawing a blank here.
That's such a shitty argument. So you are telling me if the Giants win more games, I will be more interested in the NFL? I still watch every Giants game even when they are losing, so unless the Giants somehow play more games each season by winning more (not speaking about playoffs) how would that lead to me watching more football? What does the Giants winning or losing have to do with poor officiating, too many stops in action, too many injuries, and video game rules favoring the offense?
It is pretty clear that interest in watching other NFL games is dwindling, and that's being reflected in the ratings this year.
As others have pointed out:
1) too many bad games/poor quality of play.
2) Too many commercials. TD, commercial, kickoff , more commercials. Rules too technical to understand or for the refs to apply consisitently
3) rules changed to the point that it's not even football anymore. My father used to call it "association", which he said is what they called touch football when he was a kid. And he called the Bill Walsh Niners that. Imagine what he'd call this tripe!
Whether you're a baseball fan or not, at least it's still BASEBALL. Although with the advent of replay and banning of take out slides, I fear that MLB is copying the worst aspects of the NFL model.
This team, even whey suck, has competitive HoFers on the field. Back then, most days it felt like almost nobody on those 90s offenses could even make a roster until Tiki Barber showed up.
There are finite games and match-ups, if more are on TV it doesn't change anything. Now you can argue 4 days between games impacts the quality of play and I'll buy that.
The masochistic IR rules are an easy one to pick off. A 4,8 and season IR is so simple it's laughable. So much good ball is dumped down the drain because a guy who breaks a bone is shelved week 2.
The on the field calls are tough with ultra HD and 4K replay. The OBJ catch last week would have been a non-issue 15 years ago. But with optical zoom you get down to the green space between cleat and line.
Everyone says back in the day this was this a this and you just knew it. The variability was always there. But now the ref needs rails, because if s/he goes on gut, that red flag means 22-camera 4K replays, 4K jumbo display in front of 70K people, and millions at home.
sure, there are other reasons generally why ratings are down: people have less attention these days for a 4 hour tv show with a tonne of commercials for 11 minutes of actual action, have competition with their phones, streaming sites, are taking on more gig economy type jobs that require weekend work, etc etc
but at least as giants fans, things will look a lot better if and when we ever turn things around and start winning again.
Football on Sunday used to be event TV - the 6 hour stretch per week, barring the one game that ran on Monday night, that you could catch a football game.
Now take that window and stretch it out to include Sunday night, Thursday night, the occasional Sunday morning games, the Saturday games in December.
Biggest part though, IMO, is the salary cap and the roster turnover. I know all the Giants, because I'm a Giants fan. I won't miss a Giants game. My interest in other teams has waned, though, in part because those teams change so quickly I have limited knowledge of their personnel and identity. Granted, I don't play fantasy football or Madden, so that could be a limiting factor, but it's not like it used to be when a team's roster would stay static for a few years, and you identified certain players with certain teams.
I think you nailed it here. Nothing really to add.
Watered down talent, free agency, poor officiating, too many rules and penalties have sucked the excitement from the game imo.
When they lose - and are generally a miserable team all around, like they have been - I just tune out everything football related (for the most part) for the rest of that week. I have less interest in watching Dallas win, or the talking heads fellate Carson Wentz or Kirk Cousins, or Ben R when my team looks like they are high school caliber.
Half the time, I don't watch Thursday night games.
Blandino never officiated a game, but he is the head of officials, read his bio if you haven't.
Too many commercials as well, the NFL RZ might have something to do with the ratings? I have heard talk of that recently.
Next week, you have to watch the Giants at 9:30 (EST).
Games being played in London are a joke to me.
In recent years, the Giants have a losing culture going on,
it takes a lot less time to get over a loss.