Is the NFL a crap product?

[JohnnyGold]

:)

Generally I'm the one to make this thread every offseason, but I've taken my foot off the pedal a little bit this year.

The thing that makes the NFL so absolutely incredible is actually the thing that makes it seem so insignificant in the offseason--the consolidation of action. What I mean by that is, the NFL is only truly the NFL for 17 weeks a year, when 32 teams are waging simultaneous war against each other on Sunday afternoon.

It's amazing how, no matter the circumstances, when that "first on the field" segment airs week 1, and it shows the Bills players warming up on the field, and 75000 going crazy in the stands, with fighter jets racing over head and flags waving in the wind, all my cynicism disappears and I'm ready to run through a brick wall with my face painted red, white and blue. Their product is so damn compelling that America grinds to a halt every sunday for 4 months to watch it, and I can't wait to be a part of it again.

Yes, there is a laundry list of problems with the game, and they tend to reemerge when Goodell comes on stage to hand the Lombardi trophy to the champion, as he is roundly booed and the texts start between me and everyone I know that it's time for a new commish--and those texts continue all offseason right up until the week leading into week 1, when the NFL Network moves from glorifying the has beens and starts previewing week 1.

So, I say to you, everything said in this thread is absolutely true, but no, the NFL isn't in trouble.

Why?

Picture how you're going to feel at 10:30am, Sunday, September 13, when you realize "man... the Bills kick off their season in a couple of hours!"

[coastal]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13...sexual-battery

[Generalissimus Gibby]

For the first time in over a decade, I am no longer a subscriber to NFL Season Ticket on Direct TV.

reasons (in no particular order)

the 6 yard pitch and catch game is entirely boring.

the injuries and the stuff with concussions is really a human issue. Sure people chose to do this job, but it still doesn't change the facts of what becomes of many of them post football.

rapists, murderers, child beaters, wife beaters, dog beaters... and the #1 pick in the draft this past year had all kinds of alleged drama surrounding him... including a rape investigation.

The cheating...

the money involved...

the hubris...

really at this point... what are people paying for that's oh so great anymore?

I wouldn't call it a "crap" product, but I find it far less enjoyable than the college or even the high school game because most of the kids playing high school and college actually love the game, too many of the pros are in it just to get paid

So yeah, I'd continue to watch it for free, and provided I could find a ticket for less than 50.00 I would even go to a game. However, I could not see myself shelling out more than 50 to 100 a season to watch pro football or buy NFL related products.

So in short, while it is not yet a "crap" product, it is a product that has greatly diminished in value and not worth all the money one has to pay for season tickets, Sunday Ticket, and the like. . . .

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Not to mention the ten minute commercial breaks after every possession.

Goodell has no love for the game, his job is to squee2e every last nickle out of the product.

Haven't you guys ever wondered how it's all about love and fandom and support your team when it comes to the paying stiffs, but when it comes to their own contracts, it's all business?

Ever heard the expression "cash cow"?

We're the cow.

BTW, I have serious doubts about the future of the NFL and the NHL. You can work out all you want and turn yourself into 100% muscle, but you'll never be able to do anything about your brain smashing against the inside of your skull.

Amen, back in 2011 I went to the season opener at Arrowhead and enjoyed the 41-7 win had against the Chefs, I enjoyed my friend's BBQ tailgate in the parking lot, the weather was nice, and the friendly back and forth banter was fun too. However, I absolutely hated all the damn TV timeouts. I also balked at paying 9.00 for Bud Light. The Arrowhead Chili Dog was okay, but **** between parking, vending, long time tv timeouts and the traffic nightmare getting onto I-70 ****, its just not worth it except for a once in an every few years distraction.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

But whining that it's a crap product is such a cool, hipster thing to do. We should all go out and buy gay soccer jerseys and scarves and cheer on the lads! (I just threw up a little in my mouth).

I got the chance to see FC Barca take on Real Madrid a few years ago, and no sport has more devoted . . . insanely fanatical . . . fans than soccer. That being said, I just can't get into soccer. Sporting KC and the MLS are a niche sport and honestly, I don't really pay attention to them. I think soccer is more of a passing cultural fancy more than anything.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Does the problem start with the NCAA?

BCS series? Absolutely. However, the NCAA and "student" athlete are special pet peeves of mine that deserve at least a passing look in a Spinzone thread.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

I'm not speaking for anybody else, but for me, sports in general have become less interesting, compared to when I was a kid. I could rattle off the roster of several different sports teams ranging from basketball, football and baseball from the early to mid nineties because that was when I read the box scores in the Saturday and Sunday papers for my favorite teams. I didn't have cacble, so no sportscenter. I ****ing stayed up till eleven to watch the 2 minute sports segment from John Murphy or Ed Kilgore. I collected cards and did all that other trivial bull**** kids loved. I played some madden as well. it seemed like back then, players all had unique personalities and playing styles that stood out and it was endearing. It was like a drug following those sports players, I couldn't get enough of it.

Now a days, I could give two ****s about some of these players from different teams and leagues. It's mostly because I'm an adult with adult things to do and other worries and things on my mind. That's in addition to all the very good points people are making in this thread about the NFL. I don't have the capacity to remember who's on what team or which Williams or Johnson is good. I still hold on to my Bills because they are local, close to my heart, and always on the cusp of turning the corner. It's become a pride thing with me more than anything. I'm with most of you guys, if the Bills ever left or folded, I'd be done with the NFL as well.

Honestly, I used to have the same ability, now I can only name most of the Bills starting line up, other than about half the OL and the Secondary, the WSU Shockers starters, and half the Royals (of course it helps them bunches that for the past three years they have been competitive again because otherwise -as Mr. Pink suggests - I don't think I'd even care for MLB). Of course this is probably because as a kid I loved watching sports, but now I really only pay attention to the Bills, Shox, and - while the going is good - the Royals.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

The NFL is a crap product because it is stepping, consciously, toward becoming the Arena Football League on a larger scale. Who wants to see NFL scores 75 - 52? It's stupid moves like trying to bring the read option to the rust belt that make it a joke. And the fans that drool over moves like that.

Those can, if done rarely, be exciting. Some of Kelly's duals with say Steve Young and Dan Marino, Frank Reich's comeback v. Warren Moon's Oilers, that shootout between Kenny O'Brien and Dan Marino back in like 86 that was 51 to 45 or something are good for the game, but weekly scores of 40 to 30, nah.

[JoeMama]

Lol, soccer is more about technic and tactic than athleticism. It would take decades to get a competitive league in the US and then building top end players. Not in your lifetime would that work out.
Disclaimer: I love football and I am not really interested in soccer.

We're already a very competitive team in the World Cup. We advanced from the group of death last year losing only to Germany (the champions) and a close loss to Belgium in the knockout stage. We have also advanced to the quarterfinals as recently as 2002.

US soccer isn't far off from making a serious run.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

We're already a very competitive team in the World Cup. We advanced from the group of death last year losing only to Germany (the champions) and a close loss to Belgium in the knockout stage. We have also advanced to the quarterfinals as recently as 2002.

US soccer isn't far off from making a serious run.

That's a very charitable way of looking at it. We lost to Germany despite needing only a draw to advance to the Quarterfinals, and failed to manage it. The only reason we advanced over Portugal was because Germany crapped all over them 4-0 in the opening game and they were behind the 8 ball in terms of tiebreakers. Otherwise, their stealing a point from us in game 2 would have be a complete disaster. And our close loss to Belgium came because Tim Howard put on one of the greatest single-game performances by any athlete in any sport. Other then him, the Belgians ran circles around us.

And then we completely horked out of the Gold Cup despite playing on our home soil the following year.

The US Men are not quite that close.

[JoeMama]

That's a very charitable way of looking at it. We lost to Germany despite needing only a draw to advance to the Quarterfinals, and failed to manage it. The only reason we advanced over Portugal was because Germany crapped all over them 4-0 in the opening game and they were behind the 8 ball in terms of tiebreakers. Otherwise, their stealing a point from us in game 2 would have be a complete disaster. And our close loss to Belgium came because Tim Howard put on one of the greatest single-game performances by any athlete in any sport. Other then him, the Belgians ran circles around us.

And then we completely horked out of the Gold Cup despite playing on our home soil the following year.

The US Men are not quite that close.

I think you're too harsh about our escape from the group of death. We only lost 1-0 to Germany. Even if Portugal didn't get their **** ruined by Germany and only lost by a goal or two, we still would have advanced to the knockout round. And we did all that despite losing Jozy Altidore like 30 minutes into the first match.

And yes, we choked HARD in the Gold Cup but keep in mind that we didn't have our complete ensemble.

No Tim Howard. Jozy Altidore was deactivated midway through the thing. We didn't have any reliable guys working the corner kicks.

It seemed like the US Men's team had a let down after their great stretch just prior to the Gold Cup where we beat Mexico, the Netherlands, and Germany in consecutive friendlies.

And remember, we have three guys that are going to be monsters for us in 2018. Gedion Zelalem (so we can have Michael Bradley fall back to a more defensive midfielder position where he's best suited), Julian Green, and DeAndre Yedlin.

Plus, we still have Fabian Johnson who's also a burner and just hitting his prime.

And Clint Dempsey will still be young enough to compete. Tim Howard is a workout warrior and he may have one more World Cup in him. That's a tough call those since we're 3 years out.

I don't think they're as far off as you do. Too much young talent being recruited by Jurgen Klinsmann overseas.

Let's see how they do at the Olympics at full strength. That's only a year off.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I think you're too harsh about our escape from the group of death. We only lost 1-0 to Germany. Even if Portugal didn't get their **** ruined by Germany and only lost by a goal or two, we still would have advanced to the knockout round. And we did all that despite losing Jozy Altidore like 30 minutes into the first match.

No, if everything else had played out exactly the same but Portugal lost to Germany 1-0 instead of 4-0, the tiebreakers would have gone all the way to a random draw. We would have ended with the same points (4), same goal differential (0), same number of goals scored (4), and a head-to-head tie.

And who knows how Portugal plays if they know a 3rd goal gets them through vs. Ghana?

And yes, we choked HARD in the Gold Cup but keep in mind that we didn't have our complete ensemble.

No Tim Howard. Jozy Altidore was deactivated midway through the thing. We didn't have any reliable guys working the corner kicks.

It seemed like the US Men's team had a let down after their great stretch just prior to the Gold Cup where we beat Mexico, the Netherlands, and Germany in consecutive friendlies.

And remember, we have three guys that are going to be monsters for us in 2018. Gedion Zelalem (so we can have Michael Bradley fall back to a more defensive midfielder position where he's best suited), Julian Green, and DeAndre Yedlin.

Plus, we still have Fabian Johnson who's also a burner and just hitting his prime.

And Clint Dempsey will still be young enough to compete. Tim Howard is a workout warrior and he may have one more World Cup in him. That's a tough call those since we're 3 years out.

I don't think they're as far off as you do. Too much young talent being recruited by Jurgen Klinsmann overseas.

Let's see how they do at the Olympics at full strength. That's only a year off.

I hope they improve but so far their depth is super raw and we still don't have enough players in the top world leagues.

[imbondz]

No the NFL isn't a crap product.

[BillsImpossible]

If the NFL is a crap product, why are so many people talking about it?

[feldspar]

If the NFL is a crap product, why are so many people talking about it?

A more pointed question would be to ask why a person has thousands of posts on a football website and, at the same time, thinks the NFL may be a crap product. Makes no sense.

[gebobs]

And there are ways around the commercials, children.

Is there a way to get back some of the analysis and commentary that they replaced?

[gebobs]

A more pointed question would be to ask why a person has thousands of posts on a football website and, at the same time, thinks the NFL may be a crap product. Makes no sense.

Perhaps, like me, he recalls when it was better and hopes it might be again.

The NFL isn't sport. It's entertainment.