They are killing the Golden Calf!!!!!!

They are killing the Golden Calf!!!!

Much of the buzz in the world of sports this week has been the World Series and perhaps just as important the outright shock over the declining ratings of Pro Football. It appears to me that the NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell are killing the Golden Calf, the viewing public is either bored, unentertained or simply has better things to do.

HERE IS HOW I SEE IT

-The football viewer is just oversaturated with viewing options and in most cases the NFL has become a watered down offering. Games outside of Sunday afternoon rarely exhibit the same quality of play and/or competition. Thursday and Monday night football in particular are odorous. The reason the NFL offers these games for its fans are for one reason--- you guessed it----money. Making games available on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights gives the NFL the ability to market those games as separate packages to the TV networks to pay for the rights to broadcast. Equally frightening is a possible new added package, Sunday morning football quietly being implemented this year with numerous games being played in London with a 9:30 start time here in New York. In theory one can be on the couch with the remote from Sunday at 9:30 am to Midnight or early Monday morning. Are you ready for some football? Not that much? The quality of play has suffered combined with burdensome penalties elongated TV time outs, it’s impossible for the game to maintain its lustier. Here’s hoping that Goodell and company don’t commit the ultimate sell out and allow Europe to host a Super Bowl

There are some other factors that affect why football in general and pro football have a numbing effect on its fans.

-College football is also oversaturating football fans. Games are on all day Saturday well into the late night hours. As you have read here we believe college ball to be the best football offering and games at 3:30 on CBS on Saturdays are not to be missed, but how much is enough! In addition, cable networks such as ESPN, FOX SPORTS, and CBS SPORTS NETWORK all feature college games at night during the week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. One has to love the chance at finals and midterms when you are flying to meet Western Kentucky for a Wednesday night game yanno?

The end result is that TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS TOO MUCH INDEED, and people’s perception of football in general and the NFL in particular is changing. Add to the dilemma the concussion/violence feature to the discussion. Some area high schools now no longer provide freshman teams----due to lack of interest. Some schools combine freshman and sophomore squads. Kids are playing soccer, maybe lacrosse in some instances as well as walking around with the heads buried in their iPhone. At any rate the attraction to the NFL isn’t what it was and people are now using their giant screen high def TVs for other viewing.

BY THE WAY-Congrats to my Godson Cole on finishing an excellent freshman year at Ramsey. Cole played WR, Safety and QB …yep QB and looked like he had played it all his life….great job Cole…..Have you noticed the stench—I mean Cowboy fans and hats all of a sudden? If you didn’t know better, you would think they won something yanno? Giants fans can’t wait for Romo to come back he’s our best player against Dallas