Post#5 » by Future Coach » Thu Nov 17, 2016 2:31 am
I guess the article is saying that since people don't seemed concerned that Trump doesn't put an emphasis on factual evidence, that the USA viewing audience will no longer be concerned with the fact that playing NFL football is inherently dangerous. I suppose there is a logic there, but it is not very sound at all. In any event, any exec associated with the NFL has to say anything that they can think of to try to make people think ratings will go up.... but in the end, they won't (except for major games). Franchises will continue to increase in value for a while because live sports will continue to be valuable entertainment viewing events, while scripted programming will decline as the viewing options increase, but that is not to say that the NFL will be winning over a bunch of new fans. Potentially, just the opposite may occur as time goes on.
One thing that could have actual impact on the quality of football in the future though is if Trump continues with the trend of de-funding education. If the budget for schools around the country continues to get cut, football programs will continue dropping as it is by far the most expensive sport for a school to have, and it only caters to male students (typically)... very hard to justify (unless you're in Texas apparently). Most of these budget matters happen at the state level, but it's not like federal funding doesn't impact state budgets.
In any event, smart executives would realize that the NFL has likely already reached its peak. In addition to their being less funding available for schools in the future to provide opportunities to play football, less and less parents will let their kids play football as they become more educated about the alarming risks. Growing up I went to a small elementary school, and we largely didn't have a football team because of one parent - a retired NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman - who insisted that children should not be playing contact football until they were older... and who was going to argue with a former NFL player about what's-what regarding the reality of football? Basketball and Soccer (/football) are not only much less expensive for children to play, they are considerably safer while promoting healthier physical fitness than NFL football.
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