NFL Again THE Most Popular Sport

[PatsWickedPissah]

Harris Poll -- NFL still most popular; MLB 2nd - ESPN

Don't anyone tell The Boston Globe!

In 1985, the first year the poll was taken, the NFL bested MLB by just one percentage point (24 to 23 percent), but since then interest in baseball has fallen while the NFL has experienced a huge rise in popularity.

Nine percent fewer fans call baseball their favorite sport over the 30-year span, the biggest drop of any sport. The polling numbers suggest that the sport hasn't been able to recover from a popularity standpoint from 1994, when a strike forced the cancellation of the World Series.

30 years of dominance with MLB enthusiasm falling precipitously that is outside of Cambridge MA where the pseudo intelligentsia extoll BB's supposed cerebral aspects (as if)

 

[patsinthesnow]

College football closing in on #2. It already is #2 based on viewership.

Those nuts in the leather helmets carrying the pigskin 100 years ago would be proud of their sports dominance.

 

[DocHoliday]

On one hand I'm a little distressed. Things inevitably get worse when you try to please everyone.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

On one hand I'm a little distressed. Things inevitably get worse when you try to please everyone.

A sagacious observation. The sport's innate attributes and the availability of quality color televisions helped it grow. The internet propagated the meme that yes there is a deep analytical side to football; it's not just the sudden violence. And as society's tastes evolved quicker paced action became the desired entertainment vs the old days of leisurely listening to a baseball radio broadcast during the lazy days of summer.

The last decade saw an explosion of fantasy football expanding the interest further. Not without it's downside in my view. I too share the concern that the effort to continue customer growth, which becomes more difficult to sustain over time as the market approaches saturation, will see "changes" targeted to new participants that will deleteriously impact aspects that us old time "purists" value most. We will see.

 

[Joker]

one thing us old time purists like is the ability to watch the game in the comfort of our own home,as compared to being gouged and shorn of our wool like so many blind baa baaing sheep at these stadium venues.

There is the adamant belief that expanding into global markets will create even more fan popularity, a belief that has seen any number of shipwrecks the past few decades. Ask McDonald's execs about THEIR Euro experiences.

Personally, I'm an old , ex-leftista who now resides firmly in the middle/right and has learned a healthy suspicion of any nationally publicized "polls" pertaining to anything. I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop..."well, this great news give us a Fort Knox sized cache of cachet which we can use to.....INVADE EUROPE!!!!".

Tell me when THAT Harris poll comes out...well into this expansion when there is no going back?...and please tell me why I have this uncomfortable feeling that expanding rosters will dilute the supreme talent it takes to play in the NFL today....and why is this expansion any good for us, Americans? WE will avidly follow the Barcelona Conquistadors and the Lisbon Anchovies, playing to half full "stadiums" filled with "futbol" fans?

Let me put it another way....the last time the Pats played in London, I only caught the lowlights. I am a die hard, never miss a game NFL fanatic for 5 decades. Having seen the product displayed previously, having watched the complete ignorance of the majority of the fans in attendance, and having gotten the sense of a carnival atmosphere attached to these "games". I had no interest in watching any further "exhibitions" linked to any NFL lab experiments.

I'm guessing, just by the total disdain and outright antagonism toward us, the silver slice of the demographic, shown by Goodell means that expansion is inevitable and dilution of the product, degradation of the rosters and departure from long standing rules of play are all necessary evils in the quest for more billions upon billions of dollars in revenue for the owners.

At what pooint does the Golden Goose get it's head blown off point blank by Greedell and the NFL Colonization Initiative?

 

[SalemPats]

NFL is king, no other sport has a season where very game matters and hope rules because of parity.

I thought the NHL was great with the condensed season, i hope other leagues realize that less sometimes is more. I love the NBA, but it's painful with half the league tanking after the first 20 games

 

[CelticPatriot]

I think this poll would be better if you could rank your sports. It just says your favourite sport... people like more than 1 sport. Just cause you like the NFL do esn't mean you can't like anything else.

 

[dannydyn]

Whenver I want to fall asleep I tune in for some baseball... easily the most boring and idiotic sport... right up there with Curling...

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

one thing us old time purists like is the ability to watch the game in the comfort of our own home,as compared to being gouged and shorn of our wool like so many blind baa baaing sheep at these stadium venues.

There is the adamant belief that expanding into global markets will create even more fan popularity, a belief that has seen any number of shipwrecks the past few decades. Ask McDonald's execs about THEIR Euro experiences.

Personally, I'm an old , ex-leftista who now resides firmly in the middle/right and has learned a healthy suspicion of any nationally publicized "polls" pertaining to anything. I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop..."well, this great news give us a Fort Knox sized cache of cachet which we can use to.....INVADE EUROPE!!!!".

Tell me when THAT Harris poll comes out...well into this expansion when there is no going back?...and please tell me why I have this uncomfortable feeling that expanding rosters will dilute the supreme talent it takes to play in the NFL today....and why is this expansion any good for us, Americans? WE will avidly follow the Barcelona Conquistadors and the Lisbon Anchovies, playing to half full "stadiums" filled with "futbol" fans?

Let me put it another way....the last time the Pats played in London, I only caught the lowlights. I am a die hard, never miss a game NFL fanatic for 5 decades. Having seen the product displayed previously, having watched the complete ignorance of the majority of the fans in attendance, and having gotten the sense of a carnival atmosphere attached to these "games". I had no interest in watching any further "exhibitions" linked to any NFL lab experiments.

I'm guessing, just by the total disdain and outright antagonism toward us, the silver slice of the demographic, shown by Goodell means that expansion is inevitable and dilution of the product, degradation of the rosters and departure from long standing rules of play are all necessary evils in the quest for more billions upon billions of dollars in revenue for the owners.

At what pooint does the Golden Goose get it's head blown off point blank by Greedell and the NFL Colonization Initiative?

Anschluss!

"why is this expansion any good for us, Americans? WE will avidly follow the Barcelona Conquistadors and the Lisbon Anchovies, playing to half full "stadiums" filled with "futbol" fans?
the last time the Pats played in London, I only caught the lowlights... Having seen the product displayed previously, having watched the complete ignorance of the majority of the fans in attendance"

Let me be the first to blame Joker for our next European war!

 

[Pessimistic Pete]

It's only a matter of time before 18 regular season games, 8 playoff teams per conference, two Thrusday Night Football games and a team in London.

 

[Joker]

The Thursday games have already eroded the NFL product. Players cannot physically recover from a Sunday game in time to perform at the advertised professional level on Thursdays. EVERYBODY knows this, EVERYBODY sees this. It will continue ,however, because the decision has been made to tread THIS particular path for monetary reasons.

The rules are another disaster area in the making. Does everyone realize that the "pushing the pile" penalty has only been called ONCE since it's inception?..in overtime AFTER a MISTAKE, a missed FG, giving the team that DID NOT perform, another unearned chance to WIN without any recourse by the opponent. Called ONCE in NFL history...and that call was the difference between the Pats AT HOME to the Broncos, a gamer that could have at least been more competitive than the farce played out in Denver.

But popularity is at an all time high...proving the ol' Vince McMahon axiom, "Give 'em a show and you can trick them into believing anything"

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

It's only a matter of time before 18 regular season games, 8 playoff teams per conference, two Thrusday Night Football games and a team in London.

One of the few good reasons why sometimes it's not that bad to get old and die before you see this s*** happen

 

[SB39]

At what pooint does the Golden Goose get it's head blown off point blank by Greedell and the NFL Colonization Initiative?

It's hilarious how many people foolishly blame the commissioner for simply carrying out the desires of the owners.

Don't blame Goodell for things which fall on the shoulders of Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder and, yes, Robert Kraft.

 

[SB39]

The Thursday games have already eroded the NFL product. Players cannot physically recover from a Sunday game in time to perform at the advertised professional level on Thursdays. EVERYBODY knows this, EVERYBODY sees this.

That's a nice cliché, but sorry... the facts just don't bear it out.

Now don't get me wrong. The Thursday games are usually duds, but that is because the NFL doesn't want to take the marquee games away from Sundays and MNF. Fact is it has nothing to do with days of rest or anything like that, despite what the NFLPA wants you to believe. If days of rest was a legit concern, they would schedule it so that every team playing on Thursday night had the bye week beforehand.

But popularity is at an all time high...proving the ol' Vince McMahon axiom, "Give 'em a show and you can trick them into believing anything"

You seem to have an awful lot of disdain for a group of people which you belong to. If NFL fans are such suckers, then why are you here, 15 thousand posts and counting?

 

[Joker]

besides being the worst troll on this board, you obviously don't understand English...Goodell is the spearhead being used by the owners to carry out their plans. You constantly insult any Pats fan here whenever Goodell's name comes up. You wipe his azz clean of any responsibility for the damage he has done to the Patriots at the same time minimizing his inaction in response to the continuous string of reprehensible and deviant acts committed by employees of the NY Jets..YOUR main rooting interest. You mock, denigrate and demean members of long standing here with your "little boy" insults. Either come clean for what you really are or leave.

 

[Joker]

You seem to have an awful lot of disdain for a group of people which you belong to. If NFL fans are such suckers, then why are you here, 15 thousand posts and counting?

This is none of your business. I don't answer to you. You have a problem with that, time and place.