Wednesday, September 19, 2007

NFL fading?

There has been some talk lately, particularly after the many scandals the NFL has faced lately including Pac-Man Jones, Michael Vick and the Patriots, of the potentially precarious situation the league faces. Some prominent reporters and writers have noted that while the NFL is clearly king of the American sports world right now, there is no reason to believe it will always be that way, as that crown has changed heads in cycles.
I've been thinking this for years, and if you look at some of the numbers, TV viewership at least is already declining, though not enough to fall below other sports.
Here's another reason I think the NFL will lose hold of the good thing it has: overexposure.
It is hard to avoid the NFL, regardless of what month it is, particularly on ESPN. Since earning the rights to Monday Night Football through parent companies ABC and Disney, Connecticut's crown jewel has made football an even bigger priority, with seemingly constant coverage.
Add to that the fact that the NFL itself is underestimating the beauty of one of its best advantages over other sports, the once-a-week format. That's how it used to be at least, with only the MNF broadcast to look for other than Sunday's schedule. Football fans waited all week to get their fix and eagerly sat glued to the couch for eight or more straight hours on the day of rest.
Now ...
Not only has the NFL added Sunday night games in the not-too-distant past, but has added occasional Thursday and Saturday games, not to mention the foolish twin Monday-night bill of week one, with the late game in San Francisco ending after 1 a.m. EST.
Add the NCAA to the mix and you can watch football almost every day of the week from late August to early January.
I predict that contrary to what the NFL believes, fans will lose interest in the sport the more accessible it is on a daily basis. Instead of getting more viewers, games on non-traditional days will drop off quickly, and (shock of shocks) Sundays will become less, shall we say, "sacred" to the pigskin fan.

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