NFL getting what it deserves

For fans who have had their heads in the sand or who have followed the baseball playoffs and the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, you may have missed what is growing news.

The ratings for the NFL are crashing. This past Sunday, Major League Baseball (granted, the World Series) crushed the NFL Sunday Night Football game featuring the Eagles and Cowboys by a staggering 32 percent. Guess what, the NFL is getting exactly what they are asking for, and have been asking for these ratings issues for an extended period of time.

Cubs Game 5 Win In World Series Gets Best Viewership Since 1997; Tops ‘SNF’ – Update

Just how did we get here? I will take a look at a couple factors that I believe have lead to the issues surrounding the league and their plummeting ratings.

First off, and while I’m not saying this is the most important, I recognize it as such. The league about a decade ago, perhaps a little less, decided to take the cloak and dagger, nuclear code level secrecy when it came to well information, access…anything. Fans who remember the Kent Babb article in the KC Star near the end of the Haley run as the Chiefs head coach will remember stories of people being chased down by security and forced to delete any and all photos that MIGHT show images of the stadium/practice facility/skylines/etc. This is an excerpt from that article that highlights the issue.

“Some of the first changes involved shutting off access and protecting information. Non-football employees, including those who had worked for the Chiefs for decades, were told that they weren’t allowed on certain floors, or in certain areas of the team facility. Business-side staffers with an office window facing the practice fields were made to keep their shades drawn during practices” Far be it an employee of a team sees practice. The humanity.

For an example of this that isn’t related to the Chiefs, one simply has to do is watch the post game interview a German journalist had with the Washington Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins. VP of Communications Tony Wyllie physically intervenes on the interview. Beyond the stunned and confused look on the face of the German reporter, its the fact this isn’t the first time Wyllie has physically stopped an interview from taking place. According to the USA Today, Wyllie confronted and physically intervened on an interview between then quarterback Chase McCoy and a reporter from ESPN Deportes. Heaven forbid someone asks a question about a game without someone saying something.

Bad and negative publicity never help a public image and the NFL is no different. From the numerous Goddell issues and complaints to the concussion issues to the players Anthem protest, the league is overwhelmed and awash in negative press and petty bickering. The league needs to find ways to create good news, to create positive news. As the league continues to shield the paying fan base of stories they may actually care about and stories about the players they love to watch on Sundays, the fans lost interest.

Fans want information, they want to hear from the players on the teams they pour their heart and emotions in every week. Fans want to know what’s going on, that the team they love is involved and cares as much as they do.  That the league banned their own teams from posting videos and highlights on game day is ludicrous. That many of the teams responded with creativeness and humor at such an absurd mandate is awesome. The league wants to ensure nothing gets out. Which leads to…..