Bowsite.com

"DeFries told Fox News that when he called to get a refund on his DirecTV NFL package, he was told he'd have to eat the $6,000 fee. DirecTV told him it was giving refunds only to residential customers and not business accounts. He said that his restaurant has formally requested a refund."

"“Every day our sales have been up between 200 and 300 percent. People we have never seen before are driving hours to support us and the employees. We have received heart-warming and supportive phone calls, emails and direct messages from people all over the United States thanking us.”

I say, quitcher bitchen, let the sod-knees go down under the pressure that We the People exert, and continue to watch the honest America-loving players play.

But you left-footers could lobby to raise taxes on the guyz you despize, and maybe even manage to legislate such a tax 'incentive'. Hey, toss it into the bump-stock bill.

Mz, Tax & Spend, Senator "All-Red" Feinstein would likely go for something like that. Work with her.

Seriously??? You realize that only a very small percentage of college football players are even considered for the NFL, let alone make it.

Actually, I think college football would significantly benefit if the NFL went away. For one, you wouldn't have players entering college with no intent of staying the full term, only expecting to play college ball until they're offered a contract from the NFL.

But I'd much rather see both, NCAA & NFL, pull their acts together and make it a great game like I grew up with, than to watch them become extinct.

Take a Knee! - To All Ballplayers, Everywhere

Take a knee at the beach in Normandy where man after American man stormed the beach, even as the one in front of him was shot to pieces...the very sea stained with American blood. The only blockers most had were the dead bodies in front of them, riddled with bullets from enemy fire.

Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. from Khe San to Saigon... Anywhere will do. REAL Americans died in all those jungles. There was no playbook that told them what was next, but they knew what flag they represented. When they came home, they were protested as well..and spit on for reasons only cowards know.

Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110 degree heat.. Wear your Kevlar helmet and battle dress... Your number won't be printed on it unless your number is up! You'll need to stay hydrated but there won't be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. You're on your own.

There's a lot of places to take a knee. Real Americans have given their lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought as a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who bled for the very freedoms you have. That's what the red stripes mean. It represents the blood of those who spilled a sea of it defending your liberty.

While you're on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on a manicured lawn striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch of ground taken...but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and sweltering forests and bitter cold mountains...every inch marked by an American life lost serving that flag you protest.

No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans...just American men and women...delivering the real fight against those who chose to harm us...blazing a path so you would have the right to "take a knee."

You haven't an inkling what it took to get you where you are; but your "protest" is duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation of real heroes, it serves the purpose of pointing to your ingratitude for those who chose to defend you under that banner that will still wave long after your jersey is issued to another...

If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church on Sunday and we'll both kneel before Almighty God. We'll thank Him for preserving this country for as long as He has. We'll beg forgiveness for our ingratitude for all He has provided us. We'll appeal to Him for understanding and wisdom. We'll pray for liberty and justice for all...because He is the one who provides those things.

And there will be no protest. There will only be gratitude for His provision and a plea for His continued grace and mercy on the land of the free and the home of the brave. It goes like this...

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

"I wouldn't do it, but it's protected by the constitution. So either you respect the document or you don't. "

Another shining example (not that any more were required as proof) of liberal hypocrisy, not to mention a level of ignorance that is simply breathtaking in its scope.

My guess is that most of them will stand like someone shoved a red hot poker up their keister because most of them don't even know what the hell they are protesting other than white people.

Insert any other race or "women" instead of "men" and people would be losing their minds over her comments.

God bless, Steve

You graduated high school in 2011. Your teenage years were a struggle. You grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Your mother was the leader of the family and worked tirelessly to keep a roof over your head and food on your plate. Academics were a struggle for you and your grades were mediocre at best. The only thing that made you stand out is you weighed 225 lbs and could run 40 yards in 4.2 seconds while carrying a football. Your best friend was just like you, except he didn’t play football. Instead of going to football practice after school, he went to work at McDonalds for minimum wage. You were recruited by all the big colleges and spent every weekend of your senior year making visits to universities where coaches and boosters tried to convince you their school was best. They laid out the red carpet for you. Your best friend worked double shifts at Mickey D’s. College was not an option for him. On the day you signed with Big State University, your best friend signed paperwork with his Army recruiter. You went to summer workouts. He went to basic training.

You spent the next four years living in the athletic dorm, eating at the training table. You spent your Saturdays on the football field, cheered on by adoring fans. Tutors attended to your every academic need. You attended class when you felt like it. Sure, you worked hard. You lifted weights, ran sprints, studied plays, and soon became one of the top football players in the country. Your best friend was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. While you were in college, he deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice. He became a Sergeant and led a squad of 19 year old soldiers who grew up just like he did. He shed his blood in Afghanistan and watched young American's give their lives, limbs, and innocence for the USA. You went to the NFL combine and scored off the charts. You hired an agent and waited for draft day. You were drafted in the first round and your agent immediately went to work, ensuring that you received the most money possible. You signed for $16 million although you had never played a single down of professional football. Your best friend re-enlisted in the Army for four more years. As a combat tested sergeant, he will be paid $32,000 per year. You will drive a Ferrari on the streets of South Beach. He will ride in the back of a Blackhawk helicopter with 10 other combat loaded soldiers. You will sleep at the Ritz. He will dig a hole in the ground and try to sleep. You will “make it rain” in the club. He will pray for rain as the temperature reaches 120 degrees.

On Sunday, you will run into a stadium as tens of thousands of fans cheer and yell your name. For your best friend, there is little difference between Sunday and any other day of the week. There are no adoring fans. There are only people trying to kill him and his soldiers. Every now and then, he and his soldiers leave the front lines and “go to the rear” to rest. He might be lucky enough to catch an NFL game on TV. When the National Anthem plays and you take a knee, he will jump to his feet and salute the television. While you protest the unfairness of life in the United States, he will give thanks to God that he has the honor of defending his great country. To the players of the NFL: We are the people who buy your tickets, watch you on TV, and wear your jerseys. We anxiously wait for Sundays so we can cheer for you and marvel at your athleticism. Although we love to watch you play, we care little about your opinions until you offend us. You have the absolute right to express yourselves, but we have the absolute right to boycott you. We have tolerated your drug use and DUIs, your domestic violence, and your vulgar displays of wealth. We should be ashamed for putting our admiration of your physical skills before what is morally right. But now you have gone too far. You have insulted our flag, our country, our soldiers, our police officers, and our veterans. You are living the American dream, yet you disparage our great country. I am done with NFL football and encourage all like minded Americans to boycott the NFL as well.

LOL...pics of stands. Scalpers hurting...

Matt

Matt

I think even Hillary would attest to that....if she were honest.

I only got to watch 2 games last week. The Chiefs/Raiders game on Thursday, and last night's Pats/Falcons game. Both stadiums were packed with enthusiastic fans.

Matt

They know it has effected them. They are getting pressure from one side to hire Kaepernick and support the player's protest and pressure from the other side to stop the protesting and just play football. They would like to avoid taking a side and hope it calms down before their hand is forced.

They branded themselves on patriotism and the flag, built a fan base that is made up of people who aren't happy with the product when they see the kneeling, and they know exactly how its effecting them.

People love football. That results in the NFL surviving and probably thriving after this. It also shows how pissed people were with how many tuned out.

Hmmm.......?

Matt

Looks like the people of Cleveland had anything better to do pic.twitter.com/Hd79hU4oTF

— David Simone (@DavidNSimone) October 22, 2017

(2/X) RT @lauriekor: Look at all the empty seats - #Bears #nfl #emptyseats #chi #CARvsCHI #unreal pic.twitter.com/C5CwhfDx9X

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

Chicago #NFL #CARvsCHI RT @chrisbleck: lots of empty seats at kickoff pic.twitter.com/hrs7vXgj6Z

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

#NFL #NYJvsMIA RT @nsbbcom: Nobody cares about jet or dolphins @[me] pic.twitter.com/k6wPSlIRJG

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

?? by a Miami scribe #NYJvsMIA RT @ArmandoSalguero: Swaths of empty seats here post kickoff. pic.twitter.com/q4Mmdv5UU3

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

#NFL RT @EdwardEgrosFox4: An 0-6 performance means plenty of good seats still available at @LevisStadium, if you can fight Bay Area traffic. pic.twitter.com/p2qtYe2jq4

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

#NFL #JAXvsIND RT @arbarche: @[me] Colts vs. Jags second half pic.twitter.com/2kRMMQfkZh

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) October 22, 2017

“There is no question,” Jones told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday. “There is no question the league is suffering negative effects from these protests:”

The NFL and the media are extremely powerful and rich. I would imagine that they are fully capable of fudging the numbers somehow. If they admitted that viewership and ticket sales were falling, that could be seen as giving the proletariat (us) tacit recognition that our own "silent" protest is more effective than those poor millionaire slaves that play a game are trying to pull off.

A friend of mine owns a local bar, and his Sunday, Monday and Thursday saales are down on those days. the bartenders complain the tips are way off as well. It was a pretty popular place with a half dozen TV's going at any one time. He would tell you that the business he typically gets during football season is now down to just what he would get during the off season.

I just don't see it in my neck of the woods, at least amongst me and mine. I would imagine that the Patriots/Falcons MNF game rose because it was a matchup of last years superbowl contenders...that would happen anyway. I see the other franchises , and especiallly the middle of the road and poorer teams are losing revenue. GB, Denver, Dallas,Boston will always have their fans show up.

You're absolutely, 100% correct...you can be a schmuck, or not be a schmuck. The choice is yours to make.

If the NFL fined the players who kneel or otherwise show disrespect at the playing of our national anthem I'd still support the NFL because they have at least SHOWN that they do not condone this. But they haven't/won't. So I can only conclude that they agree. So AMF............

Michael Bennett, who last graced the pages of Outkick when he was proven to be a lying, race baiting fraud when he claimed racist police officers in Las Vegas targeted him because he was black only to proven wrong by over 190 videos of the incident, is back in the news because he compared himself to 19th century slave Dred Scott yesterday.

Bennett, who will make $15.4 million per 2017 salary cap analysis, took issue with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saying he wanted all his players to stand for the national anthem before games. Somehow, in the most unintelligible and stupid analogy in the history of athletes, Bennett analogized his own situation with a 19th century slave who challenged America’s existing slave laws in a famous 1857 case.

Maybe we could convince him to bring a like minded friend or three back with him!

With that said, I think that the NFL's postulate that the fans are being over-saturated by football (pro and college) being the reason for the ratings drop is a bit of an over-reach. Within the linked article, it stated that the ratings have dropped 21% since 2015. I can believe it. The NFL is blaming "too much football" or younger fans are more into the highlights of the game instead of sitting through the games. I look at that reasoning with a jaundiced eye. Ask yourselves this: In 2015, as alluded to in the article, the NFL was doing quite well. Kaepernick started his bullshit in 2016. 2017 is showing more of these millionaires taking a knee or doing their black power salute.

Fans of the game are tired of the protest. They are tired of the "game" being politicized. The NFL would have you believe otherwise; blaming the falling ratings on over saturation and the loss of young viewership. I would ask them this: So in two years, you've lost 21% of viewers because of too much football and millenials catching highlights on their smart phones? You cannot possibly give any creedence to the idea that maybe since 2016, fans of the games are sick of the blatantly racist black power salutes and the disrespect shown to the country and the game that has made even mediocre talent richer than most of us can imagine?

Perhaps the NFL should take pains to cure their grossly obvious Pollyanna Syndrome and address the real reason behind the loss of their fans.

LOL! that's just what I will do, but only until I need glasses......

I'm not boycotting an entire league because of a couple dipwads. If that were my criteria I'd have to boycott nearly everything...... including bowhunting. Those dipwads will reap what they sow, as Kaepernick has found out and others will as well.

There are some dicks for sure, as in anything (again, see: bowhunting) but there are a great many good folks as well. If you don't see them it's only because you refuse to look. I refuse to throw all that out over a few idiots.

BTW...... If you weren't a regular fan before how is not watching them now any kind of boycott? kinda like boycotting brussel sprouts...... no I never liked them before but now I'm REALLY not gonna eat any.....

BTW..... it's Baltimore 7-0 start of the second quarter. Tony Romo IMO is hands down the best guy in the booth of anyone. He knows his stuff inside out, sometimes calling the plays before the ball is snapped....

The downturn is more likely a combination of things, but I'm sure the politics have had an effect. People are getting turned off by the likes of ESPN, etc. Unless I was shown 2015 was the very peak, I'd have to go with "many factors".

oh...... 10-0 Baltimore.......

EXACTLY!......and WHY is it costing them money? PEOPLE STOP WATCHING! That's the ONLY thing they understand........$$$$$. You want this crap to end? Then hit the NFL where it hurt$.

And I admit I was never a die hard fan. Oh, I'd watch a game if I had nothing else better to do on a fall afternoon, and I would watch the Superbowl (the actual GAME and not the halftime carnival freak show), but I personally know of at least a half dozen people who WERE real "never miss a game" fans who have stopped watching. And I have a feeling there's a lot more people like them.

Four more months 'til spring training #Giants #NFL #LARvsNYG (https://t.co/W7heOa1fEv + https://t.co/r9W5Die2rb) pic.twitter.com/KVdJqjPGvn

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 5, 2017

#NFL #CINvsJAX #shotwithapotato RT @JScottRadio: @[me] well into the 1st quarter in Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/KwjxV7BDqH

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 5, 2017

Those look like empty seats. They are actually the smart people in disguise.. pic.twitter.com/KIjktaJNSW

— Michael Shea (@cirrusdriver) November 5, 2017

Another early shot from Houston #NFL RT @StrosBros1: @[me] pic.twitter.com/Hptv1HKts5

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 5, 2017

. .

. .

- Vin Scully

Now, I'll attempt attempt to stay on topic. It wouldn't bother me one bit if NFL owners fired the players who kneel or sit. That's their right as owners of the business. Protests can have consequences, and that would be one example. But, the employees still have the right to protest, even if it costs them their jobs. Just like how you and others have the right to protest by boycotting the NFL, even if it means you deny yourself the enjoyment of following a team and sport you enjoy.

You'll never see me kneel or sit during our national anthem. I love our nation... warts and all. And, the right of FREE SPEECH is among our most treasured rights. I fully support it. I hope you do, too.

Personally, I think the players who are protesting have chosen a very poor way to go about getting attention for their cause. But, they get to make their own decisions... not me. And, I think the NFL boycott counter-protest is silly. But, those who boycott also get to make their own decisions.

I respect the right of kneelers and the boycotters to protest in ways they see fit... as long as they're non-violent and not infringing on the rights of others.

.. ..

.. ..

I do not respect their manner of protesting. I do not agree that anyone has the right to disrespect the Flag.

This is my protest speech: Obey the law, treat Cops respectfully, and Cops probably won't shoot you.

Now was this in observance of veterans day or in response to the anthem controversy or perhaps a bit of both? Damage control you might say.

The first nail in the coffin for the NFL for me. Then they strung St. Louis along with keeping the Rams and the city spent millions of dollars doing what they asked and then they left for LA was the 2nd nail.

The kneeling and protesting was the last nail...

Haven't wasted a Sunday afternoon watching TV once this year and do not anticipate that changing...

It is NOT as so many leftist liars state....... a freedom of recrimination resulting from your speech. Leftists seem either easily confused or blatantly dishonest.....

From ESPN:

"Vin Scully, the Dodgers' Hall of Fame broadcaster, said Saturday protests by NFL players during the national anthem will keep him from watching the games.

Scully made the remark during an appearance Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California.

During a question and answer session after his speech, he was asked about the players' protests.

Said Scully: "During the fall and winter, I watch the NFL on Sunday, and it's not that I'm some great patriot. I was in the Navy for a year, didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything, but I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war. So the only thing that I can do in my little way is to not to preach; I will never watch another NFL game."

His comment was greeted by lengthy applause and cheers."

He's the ONLY one here who judges people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.

Don't forget LeftHandCanyonArcher, unless he got poofed.

NFL Ratings decline could soon become more pronounced.

Some sports writers are projecting the NFL will never fully recover and remain damaged goods.

Still fun, despite the antics of a couple of rebellious players. If they only knew what we know, they might wake up and take their stand for America with the rest of us.

#EmptySeats #Bears #Packers Not good folks! pic.twitter.com/PVIc6RoCa0

— South Side Cards (@southsidecards) November 12, 2017

#NFL #CINvsTEN RT @DavWri5: @[me] empties in Nashville pic.twitter.com/gJWgVSzbcb

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 12, 2017

Press Box seat #HOUvsLAR 1st Qtr. pic.twitter.com/17YAKBGekL

— Liz Habib (@LizHabib) November 12, 2017

Monday Night Football suffers another NFL ratings disaster, this one featuring the Miami Dolphins

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article184733378.html#storylink=cpy

Wow. I have never seen this many empty seats here before. John Mara must be thrilled. #GiantsPride. pic.twitter.com/G7Nw7g9Hlq

— Kevin McCleerey (@KevinMcCleerey) November 19, 2017

Lots of empty seats at NRG as they are about to toss the coin pic.twitter.com/PJvF07byVl

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) November 19, 2017

Cleveland #NFL #Browns RT @middlebunns: @EmptySeatsPics #JAXvsCLE Opening kickoff pic.twitter.com/WjDTdfamD0

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 19, 2017

Bears v Lions. Opening kick off against a divisional opponent at the smallest modern stadium in the #NFL

It's empty (great shot of Trump Tower in the background though) #MAGA ???????? pic.twitter.com/4xRoKknjMv

— Buda (@labuda_robert) November 19, 2017

Originally scheduled for Week 1 #NFL RT @bprowell: @[me] Dolphins packing em in!! pic.twitter.com/0Z7DaMHkX2

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 19, 2017

@Vikings sec345 row 6 seat 19. pic.twitter.com/DzThB1r26i

— Peter Klages (@pakman75) November 19, 2017

Ratings for the National Football League have gotten worse as Week 11 passes in the rear-view, with the league losing one million viewers over the numbers from 2016 as protests during the national anthem continue.

Some analysts felt the ratings slump showed signs of slowing over week 9 and 10, but the downward trend picked back up for Week 11. With a loss of 6.3 percent compared to last week’s loss of 5.7 percent the loss of viewers deepened, the New York Post reported.

The 6.3 percent dip reflects a viewership of 14.9 million viewers, which is down a million from the 15.9 earned in Week 11 last year.

Two games for Week 11 did have audience gains.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football saw a 12 percent hike over last year’s numbers as the Philadelphia Eagles topped the Dallas Cowboys 37 to 9.

Fox’s matchup between the Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints, also saw some growth with a ten percent hike.

With TV ratings off nearly 20 percent for the season over all, the networks have reportedly lost up to $500 million in ad revenue. The ratings slide is reflected in the sparse attendance at the stadiums, too, with Week 11 photos showing that there are still empty seats galore.

Indeed, stadium attendance has been so bad that there is some evidence that ticket prices on the secondary markets such as StubHub have fallen to new lows. Tickets to the Thanksgiving game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants were selling at $10 a piece at one point. That reflects poorly on tickets that, in some cases, would normally sell for over $100.

Black Friday will have different meanings to different people this year, for 99.9 percent of American businesses it will be a day when profits soar and businesses finish the year strong. For the NFL, it will be the day they received yet another reminder that they’re doing the opposite of those things.

In what has become a consistent pattern for the league this year, the NFL put a bad product on the field, insulted the country with another protest by a privileged millionaire, and got a bad television rating. Thanksgiving’s primetime clash between the Redskins and the Giants registered a 9.7 in metered markets, down 10 percent from last year.

I am just sharing what the pontificating closet democrat claimed would not happen along with those who are too self absorbed with their own entertainment.

I appreciate Landry's service but it has nothing to down with whether he was able to win football games. That is all that matters for coaching in the NFL.

Food for thought. pic.twitter.com/2ita0blH0O

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) November 23, 2017

WRT Giants and Redskins, even more clear cut.... a mediocre and bad team playing..... in the THIRD game of the day.... and ratings are down.... shocked, just shocked...

And I believe Big Bear is correct, the figure I heard was a grand total of one player did not stand for the anthem in thursdays 3 games.

God bless, Steve

.. ..

. . .

I wonder, did the game really pass him up, or does todays Prima Donnas not have the mental toughness to learn and absorb Landry's discipline.

Given the crying and the bended knees, I think it is the latter.

Empty Seats Trend Moves into Week 12 in Stadiums Across Country as Anthem Protests Continue !

Browns-Bengals #CLEvsCIN (ht @StewieGilchrist) RT @FOX19Joe: pic.twitter.com/GRVqcPbPE0

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 26, 2017

#TENvsIND #NFL RT @NoahStranahan3: @[me] kickoff in Indy pic.twitter.com/s0AhpQYSeR

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 26, 2017

#TENvsIND (2/2) RT @willspringer: @[me] Titans at Colts. Colts fans still fed up. pic.twitter.com/3RnusV2c8e

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 26, 2017

#NFL #TBvsATL RT @ej3333: Kickoff at the ATL. @[me] pic.twitter.com/sS8Dq4qDqE

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 26, 2017

#BUFvsKC RT @beyondfliight: @[me] chiefs vs bills beginning of the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/0oI5TA3u0P

— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 26, 2017

Brilliant day for November #Football #CHIvsPHI #GoEagles pic.twitter.com/9bOewH2otb

— John White (@jmwhite66) November 26, 2017

Here's 7 Broncos going after Michael Crabtree on the sideline. Crab did start it, but man ...pic.twitter.com/LhDbOcHII5

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) November 26, 2017

More than a dozen NFL players went back to protesting against the country in the first NFL action since the Thanksgiving holiday. Not surprisingly, while the protests continued, fans continued to leave thousands of empty seats in stadiums across the league. With players from at least ten teams once again speaking out against the U.S.A. in a variety of ways during the national anthem, photos of empty seats filled the Internet once again.

With the San Francisco 49ers playing at home and players once again mounting a protest during the anthem, fans stayed away in droves for the 49ers loss to the Seattle Seahawks:

I will never understand a patriotic American choosing to support the NFL after these players have been allowed to do this. I'm not judging anyone or, suggesting I'm more patriotic. I simply cannot reason how any American that loves their country, would chose to support these clowns over their own country. Call me simple I suppose. God Bless men

""NFL to Contribute $100 Million to Social Justice Causes as Part of Anthem Protest Surrender''

The NFL has agreed to pay 89 million dollars to “black causes” in exchange for… nuthin.

While the NFL pays the extortion, players can continue kneeling, protesting, or do whatever else it is they want to do. Forbes reports that the “plan also includes player-directed donations to other community-oriented groups.”

Fans are expected to shell out cash to watch millionaire players whine that blacks get a raw deal in America while they get side money to donate to other racist organizations that are for the advancement of blacks only.

I’ve honestly seen more people show up for a high school game at AT&T Stadium than I do tonight pic.twitter.com/kCyPMhD7HO

— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterTes) December 1, 2017

The NFL paying 100 million in blackmail money to social justice organizations while charging the US Defense Department a 100 million to honor our soldiers is not going to help their ratings, its going to hurt the rating even more. The NFL has just put themselves on the same level as the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. its a down hill slide from which the NFL will never recover. Stick a fork in them, they're done.

Many viewers got tired of constant commercial breaks... that will also have to be addressed. Stupid that a 60 minute game stretches over 3 hours. That is why I stopped watching several years ago...too many things to do than sit in front of the TV all afternoon.

After ignoring for a few games, the NFL just wasn't important any more and I found I got more time outdoors and hobbies.

Probably the next game I take the time to watch will be the Lion's in a Superbowl; i.e. never. ;0)

It seems paradoxical: The Ravens, who have sold out every home game since they arrived in Baltimore in 1996, are advertising tickets for Sunday’s contest at M&T Bank Stadium.

But this is where the Ravens find themselves in 2017: Contemplating the prospect of empty seats, and appealing to fans to “Win Together. Purchase your tickets today!” even as the team is contending for what would be its first playoff berth since 2014.

Thousands of fans are trying to resell their tickets to the sold-out game Sunday against the Detroit Lions at 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium via Ticketmaster, the team’s official resale outlet, or StubHub. Seats were available this week in almost every section; an $80 ticket for an upper end zone seat could be had for as little as $29.

Every week, some ticket holders must miss the game. But the NFL is laboring across the board this season to maintain its fan base and minimize no-shows. It’s not just the Ravens. Television ratings are down league-wide and empty seats can be seen at many games.

Not in our lifetime. The NFL will never pass on a opportunity to make the USA look bad in front of the entire World.

NFL stadium attendance continues to suffer as the backlash from players protesting the National Anthem extends into week 14. Fans from across the league are sharing photos of empty seats at kickoff and well into the first quarter this Sunday.

Prompted by poor attendance, the teams like the Buffalo Bills are selling tickets at rock bottom prices.

A beer costs more than a ticket to the Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills game this Sunday

.. .. .

.. ..

Pot, meet kettle.

Near the end of the 1st, still plenty of empty seats. pic.twitter.com/8bq0ytV0b1

— Brandon Weigel (@brandon_weigel) December 23, 2017

Pretty sure there are quite a few empty seats for the team’s that are 4-10 right now. Every game that mattered was jam packed!

Go VIKINGS !!!

@EmptySeatsPics Det vs. Cin...tons of empty seats, got a quick glimpse as NFL is trying to get networks to not show... pic.twitter.com/lPynnzSwJI

— #LegislationNOW (@Sit4Something) December 24, 2017

Halftime @Panthers up 12-6 over Tampa Bay! #KeepPounding #MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/SrGLhD6bMI

— Heather Childers (@HeatherChilders) December 24, 2017

Ralphie from #achristmasstoryhouse is at the #ChiefsKingdom game today pic.twitter.com/OtCbtQLra9

— KelCon Technologies (@kelcontech) December 24, 2017

For the fans at home: 11 minutes left in the first quarter, and these are the west side stands. pic.twitter.com/ozCfFGwLtK

— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas

For the fans at home: 11 minutes left in the first quarter, and these are the west side stands. pic.twitter.com/ozCfFGwLtK

— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) December 24, 2017

Hehe - I have said that (sometimes with less cursing and reversing the teams) every year since I can remember my first Vikings season - maybe 1970...

I noticed a few weeks ago that USAA ads were no longer running on the telecasts. Since then it appears the Navy Federal Credit Union has also pulled their ads.

My guess is the kneeling will end before the 2018 season kicks off.

If you owned a move theater or a retail store and consumer traffic in your store dropped significantly, would you say that was irrelevant as well?

What I've been seeing this year is that over and over and over again, DURING PLAY, are somewhat good crowds in the lower deck, but pathetic crowds in the 2nd and 3rd decks.

Remember, most seats at NFL games are sold out long in advance, mainly by season ticket holders who have to submit payment months in advance of the start of the season. So comparing tickets sold (which is what the NFL counts) vs. actual butts in the seats, ie., reality, is in no way a fair comparison to what's happening this year.

Sure, there are a FEW stadiums like Lambeau Field, for example, that will be jammed packed. But everywhere else, not even close.

"How Sports Attendance Figures Speak Lies

Maury Brown , Contributor

If you go to a sporting event, somewhere between the time when you get situated and when start heading back for home, you look around at the crowd and take it in. Is the crowd electrified for the home team? Has the town turned out in support? How's the attendance?

For clubs across the major sports leagues in North America, attendance is one of – if not the – key revenue streams.

But, it’s more.

Have a bunch of sellouts, and it drives sponsorships. Come up short in the NFL, and you have television blackouts. The number reported in Major League Baseball determines factors as it pertains to revenue-sharing.

In other words, attendance is a big deal.

But, here’s the thing: since attendance has become such a key component for sports leagues, the actual idea that it shows how many people are actually at a game is a fantasy. Here’s some ins and outs of the attendance game based on research by the BizofBaseball.com for Forbes SportsMoney.

Paid Attendance is not “attendance”

If you followed the business of sports, you’ll know that about 20 years ago, the move to count tickets sold, as opposed to turnstile clicks, became what is reported in the boxscores. The reason – wholly done for accounting purposes for the clubs – showed what matters to owners most: money.

In the age of legitimate ticket resale, more emphasis on corporate sales, blocks of premium seating, etc. how many people actually come to the game is not nearly as important as whether there are tickets sold. Sure it matters who goes, but ticket sales, especially in advance, gives cost certainty.

This issue, one might contend, creates revisionist history. Ask yourself: in 20 years when a budding student is taking sports business classes and is asked to say whether the sport was popular or not, don’t you think pointing to published attendance figures will be used to talk of its popularity? In that sense, we can only say how willing consumers, which includes large and small businesses, were willing to purchase tickets, not how many actually attended the live sporting event.

Fudging the numbers

The NFL’s blackout policy has helped drive artificial attendance across the league. Faced with a “sell it out, or it’s blacked out” mandate, those clubs that are near the edge of not being sold out have seen actions that artificially reach sellout numbers."

After an 8 game losing streak, the Broncos only had 5186 no-shows in a stadium that holds 76K, in a meaningless game against the Jets a few weeks ago. I guess 70K folks had forgotten about the kneeling nonsense.

I think the NFL is going to be fine, despite the hopes of the whining boycotters.

Matt

Using the Broncos, Patriots, Steelers or Packers as an example is not going to reflect the rest of the league. Their attendance is always great. On the contrary....showing Paul Brown Stadium empty means nothing either. The truth is, attendence is down but I am not sure it is at alarm level for the NFL. Also...don't think that the owners are not concerned because the trend is not good over the past few years.

But they are paying a steep price for allowing some of their employees to $h!t on a large percentage of their fans and will continue to do so until they put a stop to this crappola, and rightly so.

"Payback is a bitch!"

From a financial perspective, the NFL plateaued at a very high bar a few years ago, and has remained mostly flat since. Despite that, most companies only dream of the profits NFL teams make, even now. I don't see any NFL team owners anxiously trying to sell their interests. In fact, I can't think of one off the top.

NFL football remains a widely popular entertainment, and profitable business. It's not going anywhere quickly.

Matt

I guess you've never heard of Jerry Richardson.

Make all of the false and uninformed claims you like.

But they are false and uninformed.

You smoke a LOT of joints, don't you.

NFL now has a creditable image lower than that of the WWE. LWL gang-bangers and protesters gaining even more control of the NFL. Any gains in ticket sales will have to come from their new demographics, one that's not accustom to paying. Saying the NFL has not lost a good part of their conservative fan base is out right denial.

I have been enjoying my personal little boycott and don't understand why anyone would be obsessed with the NFL failing or not failing....unless of course you have some kind financial interest in them...

Personally, I think the thing that will kill football will be the brain injuries. Regardless of how prevalent they are, the 'don't want to do anything that might injure someone' crowd will either shut the game down completely or will modify it so much it won't resemble the game of today...JMO

This. Liberalism is already creeping into football and has been for a while. It is nothing like the game we watched 10 years ago. I never thought I would see the day where a penalty was assessed due to a guy hitting someone too hard.

"NFL plots a cure for sagging ratings, empty seats

Jazz ShawPosted, December 26, 2017

We’re quickly approaching New Years, which is traditionally a time for reflection on the events of the past year and plans for how to do better over the next twelve months.

That’s particularly true for the NFL, which has seen both its television ratings and live attendance in many stadiums plunge precipitously in 2017. As the Washington Times reports this week, the leadership in the league is busy analyzing precisely what caused all of this and how they might address it in 2018.

Your first guess might logically be that the National Anthem protests were a big driving factor. That was definitely part of it, but media analysts and league insiders are also seeing a number of other disturbing trends affecting their bottom line, many of which were entirely of their own making.

The NFL is approaching the playoffs looking for a ratings turnaround after a year of record-low television numbers.

Outcry over players protesting by taking a knee during the national anthem isn’t helping, but it’s only one of several reasons fans are turning away from professional football, media analysts say.

Injuries to marquee players such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, teams with losing records in the nation’s largest media markets such as New York and Chicago, a glut of prime-time games, and viewers with other options have also taken a toll.

“I’d be stunned if any single factor contributed more than 2 percent to the ratings decline,” said Andrew Billings, director of the University of Alabama’s Sports Communication program.

So how bad were the numbers overall? In week 15, average television viewership was down 9 percent from the same point in 2016. Week 14 was similarly off. That translates into an average loss of 1.6 million viewers for each televised game overall. And it’s been an ongoing problem rather than a case of a single week here or there when the nation was otherwise distracted.

Some of the drivers of this were, to be fair, beyond the control of the league. Two of their biggest markets are New York and Dallas, and if you’ve been following the fortunes of the Giants, the Jets and the Cowboys you can see how people might be less excited to tune in. Ratings for the Cowboys and Giants games are down by 7% while viewership for New York Jets games is off by, er… 37%. Doesn’t that seem a bit unfair? True, my Jets are stinking up the joint at 5-10 going into the final week, but the Giants have only won two games! C’mon, man.

The league couldn’t predict or correct for the implosion of those popular teams in large media markets, but other factors were definitely under their control. The obvious target of criticism is the anthem protests which the league could have shut down as soon as Kaepernick started all of this. They didn’t do that and they’ve paid the price. If a combination of new rules from the top and a tougher line from the owners can eliminate that problem over the offseason they may begin to recover next fall.

But the other big driver seems to have been market saturation. The NFL Network has simply gotten too greedy, trying to have football on for half the days of the week. (That’s in addition to locking off certain games so they are only available on their own cable network, which not everyone has or wants.) We’re up to four different game slots on Sundays when there’s a game in London (another colossally bad idea), with prime time games on both Monday and Thursday, in addition to Sunday night. No matter how big of a fan you may be, there’s such a thing as too much football. Fans primarily want to watch their own team, and if they’re not playing they’ll watch one or two other games. But now the market is drowning in games and fewer people are making the time to watch.

On the bright side, all of these things sound fixable… except for the Jets fielding a winning team, apparently. Now that Roger Goodell has somehow landed himself another plush, five-year contract, will he make the needed course corrections and turn this around? Money is what makes the league go ’round, so I’m holding out hope that he will".

"Preserving the ability to use tax-exempt bonds for sports stadiums was "a priority for Mr. Trump," according to a GOP aide who spoke to The Wall Street Journal."

Looks like the Boycotts over ;^)

-- Cowboys post lowest overnight on FOX "Game of the Week" at least a decade

-- SNF ties 6-year low (huge caveat: Saturday night

From the end of August to the end of September, the favorable ratings for the NFL have dropped from 57 percent to 44 percent, and it has the highest unfavorable rating – 40 percent – of any big sport, according to the Winston Group survey provided exclusively to Secrets.

The Winston Poll from the Washington-based Winston Group found that the attitude of those fans went from an August rating of 73 percent favorable and 19 percent unfavorable to 42 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable, a remarkable turn against the sport.

According to the poll analysis, “more critically for the NFL, the fall off in favorables occurred among important audiences. Among males, NFL favorables fell 23 percent, going from 68 percent to 45 percent. In looking at a more specific audience, males 34-54, NFL favorables fell 31 percent, going from 73 percent to 42 percent. Among this group the NFL has a surprising negative image, as it went from +54 percent in August to -5 percent in September.”

The NFL is struggling. I mean for the week of December 11-17, NFL related programming only made up the top 8 rated shows on cable, the top 3 spots for prime time broadcast television shows.

War on Christmas: NFL Fines Saints RB for Wearing Christmas-Themed Cleats

Having already thoroughly alienated veterans, the military, the flag, the police, the legal system, and the president of the United States; the NFL is quickly running out of sacred institutions to throw under the bus.

However, it appears they’re not done. The NFL has now decided to take on Christmas.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara donned a pair of Christmas-themed cleats during the Saints game against the Falcons on Christmas Eve.

continued at link

Matt

The National Basketball Association’s annual Christmas games delivered some of their most successful overnight ratings in recent history. The league’s five games Monday, spread across ESPN, ABC and TNT, averaged a 3.35 overnight rating, up about 20 percent from last year’s Christmas games.

Now, during the NFL’s week nine all three teams who had at least one player kneel during the anthem, the Seahawks, the Giants and the 49’ers – all lost and lost well outside of their predictive “Vegas” odds.

Week 10 in the NFL repeated Week 9’s “sweep” in demonstrating the power of Self Inflicted Degradation of Performance Syndrome or SIDOPS in that all “anthem-kneeling” protest teams lost to their non-kneeling opponents. While Week 9 featured a perfect 3 out of 3 results where at least two of the kneeling teams embarrassingly under performed in record fashion — see results in SIDOPS Part III — this week’s results featured only one example yet yielded similarly stark underperformance results."

What week is it now?

Ratings are still in the tank, I'm guessing their relying on the black panther and BLM groups to keep the ratings from total collapse.

"That’s A Switch Award: Democrats embrace states’ rights. Across the nation, they fought to make sure their states wouldn’t have to help federal immigration officials enforce the law."

;-)

Matt

If they made it to the Super Bowl in their own stadium,,, The ratings will be off the chart ......

All Four NFL Playoff Games See Double-Digit Ratings Decrease

Yes, the overall numbers for 2017 were down 9.7% according Nielsen, but they still don't suck. An average of 14.9 million people watched each game.

Sorry haters.

Matt

Pittsburgh Steeler. I guess he's selling his American soul.

I'm with you. I think Vikings vs NE would make a great Super Bowl. And I'd be rooting for the Vikes. Brady and Belichick have had their day.

Didn't Tillman, Kalsu, and Bleier all make a good living playing in the NFL before they decided to enlist? They must be thugs....

Matt

I'm sorry the kneelers have impacted some people's patriotism to the point where they feel the need to wear it on their sleeves. Now, go back to your boycott and carry on.

Go Patriots! (Love the NFL)

The people that buy in to the dumbing-down and effiminization of the NFL,

-Are armchair stat experts They can tell you not only who won 1982 NFC Championship, but what score was in each quarter - try to tell you, today's Players are SOOO far superior to the "old NFL" Very, very few actually played EVEN POP WARNER! - "yeah I played in the street, after school, flag football!

They have weaseled there way in to these armchair GEEK-PSUEDO-FOOTBALL experts They never did nut crackers, Oklahoma drills, double sessions in August heat where your blinded by the salty sweat in your eyes. They don't know what the bull in the ring means. They never got F'd up on a kickoff. THEY NEVER GOT THEIR BELL RUNG! Never been under a slow to get up pile of a dozen men and there gonna tell US what the game should be about???? NO F'in way! Mad Dog

There goes Minnesota's chance at home field all the way through the playoffs...... if they beat New Orleans then they'll have to go to Philadelphia......

"Life is getting harder for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

After a nightmare season that saw TV viewership fall a record 9.7 percent, an even larger wave of fans passed on watching the first round of the NFL playoffs last weekend.

Overnight ratings for the four Wild Card games fell by an average of 13 percent — with one game, the Saints-Panthers matchup, off a whopping 21 percent, according to Nielsen...."

It was those racist southerners after all it looks like.....

I can tell you this, if I noticed NFL was on my tv, the channel was immediately changed. Sometimes a tv gets left on or I got to bed and bedroom tv was on per usual, with an NFL game going. I immediately shut it off or turned the channel.

I'll never allow it on my televisions again. Our men and women have died for our country. The flag represents that hope and determination (see the old glory history).

Vikings all the way!

Pig doc, I have such confidence in the Vikings I scheduled my Lake of the Woods trip for the weekend of the pro bowl. :)

Big Bear, I think the weekend after the Vikings winning the super bowl will be a good weekend to visit Devils Lake. :)

Between quarters of the Steelers game they honored Mark Nutsch..... Special Forces Afghanistan Veteran..... On the field.... I guess he's a sell out...

Go VIKES!!

Matt

When the kneeling became the story of the game, I realized that the SJW had found its latest venue and had politicized what was intended as entertainment.

At this point, I could care less who does and does not watch...this is still a free country and those that want to spend 3+ hours to watch a 60 minute program must not have much to do other than sit.

As far as the politicization...what did it really accomplish but reduce its viewing audience--nothing more.

The pathetic results of the NFL kneeling spree

By Monica Showalter

What, exactly, did the NFL "take-a-knee" protests by wealthy black football players protesting racial injustice accomplish?

Based on what most people could see, pretty much nothing, other than lost ticket sales. People go to football games to be entertained, not to be lectured by their supposed betters in another dreary virtue-signaling game.

This is why longtime cultural observer and critic Shelby Steele thinks black protests have lost their power in his must-read op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal.

The recent protests by black players in the National Football League were rather sad for their fruitlessness. They may point to the end of an era for black America, and for the country generally – an era in which protest has been the primary means of black advancement in American life.

The reason, he concludes, is that it's hard to protest The Man's power when you yourself are now the man. As Steele puts it, freedom has arrived, and with freedom, accountability. Black protesters must now be judged on the actual merit of their protests, instead of just the identity reality the protesters' black race, which up until now, has pretty much sent whites scurrying. They aren't scurrying anymore in deference to the protests; they just aren't buying tickets.

This demonstrates how hollow these protests from pampered, millionaire athletes, honored on the field for their talents – with no affirmative action to ensure white representation, which is how it would go if affirmative action were enforced in football – really fail to resonate among the captive audiences of live football games. In the past, Steele notes, protests really did take courage. Black protesters were fired, beaten, fined, jailed, and killed. Today, anyone who goes out there as a black protester enjoys the pleasures of virtue-signaling and laps up the attention from the cultural elites.

Black protests in the past also brought change, Steele notes. They were black Americans' means of achieving the American Dream, just as immigration was the way other Americans achieved it. He writes:

It is not surprising, then, that these black football players would don the mantle of protest. The surprise was that it didn't work. They had misread the historic moment. They were not speaking truth to power. Rather, they were figures of pathos, mindlessly loyal to a black identity that had run its course.

What they missed is a simple truth that is both obvious and unutterable: [t]he oppression of black people is over with. This is politically incorrect news, but it is true nonetheless. We blacks are, today, a free people. It is as if freedom sneaked up and caught us by surprise.

Freedom means accountability, which is where black protests of today fail to produce any results. Steele cites the horrific murder rate of Chicago, which is largely black-on-black crime. He writes:

For any formerly oppressed group, there will be an expectation that the past will somehow be an excuse for difficulties in the present. This is the expectation behind the NFL protests and the many protests of groups like Black Lives Matter. The near-hysteria around the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray[,] and others is also a hunger for the excuse of racial victimization, a determination to keep it alive. To a degree, black America's self-esteem is invested in the illusion that we live under a cloud of continuing injustice.

Steele points out that when people feel lost and don't know where to go, they retreat back into the tried and true, which is what these ineffective protests are about.

What he might have added is that the protests show that the black community of today is profoundly lacking in leadership. That might be attributed to black leaders buying into the entire Democratic Party package in large numbers, leaving the black community with failed, corrupt one-party cities such as Detroit; lousy schools due to teachers unions' grip on power; abortion targeting and hitting black communities hardest, weakening the family structure; and the absence of a significant black business community due to the massive regulations imposed from Democratic rule. There are bright lights, such as the Rev. Alveda King, the niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who will be honored this weekend. She has identified these problems in the community for years and has absolutely refused to go along with the Democratic leadership package.

If I had to guess, the time is coming that she may well be rising in prominence in a black community, which, as the football protests show, desperately needs such leadership.