Posted on 04/26/2024 6:39:53 AM PDT by Starman417
I learned a few days ago that tonight is the start of the NFL Draft. For many years this date was marked on my calendar months out, and today I don't even now in which city it will be held. That was then; this is now.
It's hard to believe that it's been almost four years since I got tired of being insulted by the NFL and walked away from decades of fandom. Then two years later the league was kind enough to offer several reasons to affirm my decision. So now we check in at 2024, and the league is going to improve play by... having the referees throw more penalty flags for... (checks notes) tackling? Yes, it looks like the NFL is doing all that it can to alienate the kind of fans who turned the league into an empire. And yet, with all of these bad moves in the last few years, the league is getting more viewers than ever. Why? No, it's not thanks to Taylor Swift, although this has helped the league in the all important 13 year old girl demographic. The answer is far simpler: gambling.
For those unfamiliar, fantasy football (FF) is a game that allows a group of friends (or strangers) to pick various players for their fantasy team and compete based on how those player perform each week. Although FF has been around since the 1980s, it really took off around Y2K with the rise of the internet - the perfect tool for tracking and communicating in real time. But the NFL's Great Leap Forward in popularity had its roots in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Short explanation: a law written to regulate online gambling left a carveout for fantasy sports. Fast forward a few years and outfits like Draft Kings launched fantasy based sports gambling. It didn't take long to jump from professional sports leagues giving a coy wink and nod to the notion of gambling, punishing the occasional player who got caught up in it (for which Philadelphia Phillies great Pete Rose has become the poster child) to where now the NHL and NFL have franchises in Las Vegas.
I won't recap the legacy of Colon Kaepernick and the BLM protests, but viewership took a dip as a result of the NFL endorsing the Marxists. The league dialed back glorifying them, but never left it behind. They continue to sing the "Black National Anthem" before certain games (while not answering the question of where that "nation" resides), while continuing to plaster Marxist slogans in their end zones. Many forgave and returned, and I'm not among them. As a result of openly embracing gambling, the league found a way to replace the fans who loved the game with fans of gambling on the game. It was while watching this video from the always great Jason Whitlock that I finally pieced together that the changes that the league has been making over the last few years (I read the occasional news story on the league and my Eagles fandom rubbed off onto Sister Babe and she regularly watches their games when they broadcast here) have been all in the name of expanding gambling tied viewership. Hell, Commissioner Goodell has gotten arrogant enough to not unequivocally rule out ever having the Super Bowl in London. As the post concluded, "Probably, but only when the money is right".
The NFL has set itself up quite well for short term gain, but long term ruin.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
The NFL is still and will always be relevant if for no other reason than the proliferation of gambling and fantasy football in all it’s variations.
The vast majority of the games on played on Sunday and all are on TV and for a price anyone can watch any game from the comfort of their home.
Most of the people ignore the political BS and pay attention only to the point spread, over/under total, propositional bets, etc., and individual performances that effect their fantasy football team.
Everyone is WELCOME to be a Green Bay Packers Fan, no matter where you live! We are the ONLY publicly owned team - none of this BS on the field.
https://www.packerseverywhere.com/find-a-bar
On, Wisconsin! :)
He’s right that the NFL is run for the gambling industry (and television). When you have a booking company sponsoring games as an “official partner to the NFL” you know the sun has about set. At the same time, get ready for a big push toward flag football. It has already begun in a small way. Expect it to get bigger. I don’t see how any of this will end well.
This was true 2 decades ago...
For a long time, the NFL served to create a sense of fake community. Fantasy Football does take something away from that, so the next few years will be interesting to see. I will continue to attend high school football games (now to include girls flag games) and watch college games (really minor league pro games) on television. The NFL would need to take several steps back on the politics to get me back. I don’t see that happening.
Turned the NFL off when they wouldn’t let Rush buy in.
A wise move on my part.
Quot watching professional sports and get back into the community leagues, like you are supposed to.
Time to invest in Gamblers Anonymous stocks.
Boo hoo.
You’ve got something there. Too many messages. It will get worse before it gets better. Mellenkamp thought he could get away with it and was called out but he’s an old has been. The NFL is still ascending. Choose Love on the back of the helmets. What happens if a player adjusts it to Choose Life? The national anthem was never part of the broadcasts until Kapernicks antics were worth the valuable commercial time. It’s getting sick and we’re the frog in the boiling water.
Ping!.......................
There’s been several stories of late about players gambling....even on their own team......you can’t tell me that players gambling isn’t common in the nfl.......and if thsts the case, and I think k that it is, the whole league is compromised.....college football as well more than likely.
Gave it up a long time ago.
A slogan such as choose life on a helmet?
I think we all know that could never happen. Only slogans in support of some liberal message are allowed.
They’ve been playing pansy football for a few decades.
I gave up on the national felon league after the incidents involving Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.
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