Another week, another protest during the national anthem at an NFL preseason game. I guess some players feel the need to warm-up their protesting for the regular season, too. All I know is that, as a sports fan, anything which decreases the “fun” factor in what is supposed to be a game makes me look for other viable options to spend my recreational time and money.
Since ol’ SwampSwami lives in the bayous of the deep South, football season is the annual reminder for us Southerners that an end to the brutal June-July-August heat is just around the corner. It’s probably like those who live in the northern states who look forward to a springtime high temperature reaching above 60 degrees again. But down south, it has always been the start of football season which serves to remind us that cooler fall temperatures are coming to the rescue soon.
Speaking for myself, football season signals it’s also a great time to take a vacation or play some golf or generally enjoy the great outdoors. Yes, the start of football season signals that a few glorious months of outdoor fun are on the way!
Recently, though, fun has been increasingly missing around the National Football League. The NFL (aka No Fun League) has plenty of problems on its hands. The biggest one (and also the quietest) is the mounting evidence that, despite advances in equipment, the human brain just doesn’t like to be jarred and hit hard on a regular basis. The increasing reported cases of long-term brain damage in football players continue to unfold. This type of brain damage is called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (better known as CTE) and has today’s parents rethinking whether it’s such a good idea to have their kids playing football. Fewer youth playing football likely translates into lower interest in the professional game down the road.
On Friday, Hibbett Sports (HIBB) reported a quarterly income down by nearly 10% year-on-year. On the earnings conference call, it was reported that sales of cleated footwear and seasonal athletic gear (mostly football equipment) were down more than expected. Business trends reflect that fewer kids are playing football today than in prior years despite a growing American population.
The cost of attending an NFL game has been prohibitive for as long as I can remember. Between high ticket prices, unreasonable parking charges, the high cost of mediocre stadium food and beverages, attending an NFL game is, for some of us, a rare opportunity. As long as the overall experience of attending a professional football game remained a happy or fun experience, though, the tickets have continued to be sold and have kept the NFL ship afloat.
Personally, I think another season of protesting football players will continue to erode the NFL’s “fun” factor as a growing number of fans are realizing that they have many other options to spend on a pretty Sunday afternoon during autumn. I know I do.
If you are an NFL owner in August, 2017, what is the upside value to your franchise today? If another year of fewer fans watching on TV decrease the ratings in 2017, the trend will signal a lower valued television deal in a few years (see also – PGA tour). The NFL shoots itself in the foot in other ways, too. Greedily moving franchises from St. Louis and San Diego to Los (yawn) Angeles only serves to turn-off fans in both of those regions, too. Don’t think that fans in cities like Jacksonville and Buffalo don’t know that they could be next. Thursday night NFL games are equally hated by both the players and the fans alike. Playing regular season games in London? That’s just plain dumb as it reminds the upset fans in the two participating cities that there are other things they can do on a Sunday during the fall.
Again, I ask. If you owned an NFL franchise today, where is your upside value?
In the oft-heard words of CNBC’s stock market soothsayer, Jim Cramer, you always want to buy low and sell high. I could be wrong (and occasionally am), but the growing evidence is that the NFL brand is losing favor quickly with its customer base. Let’s see if the NFL owners take heed and begin to “Sell, Sell, Sell!”
I’ve been thinking a big problem is the moving teams around. But you are the first I’ve heard that actually says anything about that. If the NFL teams have no loyalty to their fans, why should the fans have any loyalty to the NFL? And even those that don’t move threaten to move to get the city/county/state to cough up money for a new stadium which costs us even more money. How much is an NFL team worth to the economy vs. how much extra in taxes do we residents end up paying? The blackmail turned me against the NFL several years ago.
Thanks,Bill! Ask Miami Dolphins fans how they like losing a home game to London after NFL refuses to reconsider after Hurricane Irma. The league doesn’t care about the fans very much, and the market will exact a revenge down the line.