I think the reason everyone is scratching their heads about the decline in viewership of the NFL is that no one is asking the right question.
Why does a person watch one form of entertainment, read one sort of news, participate in one kind of activity versus another?
Entertainment, connection, reinforcement. We want an escape. We want to feel close to one another. We want to know what we think is right.
When the NFL was an exciting sport that you could talk about with your friends and colleagues, that embraced struggle, victory, and sportsmanship, then white people said, "well, this encapsulates the way I want to spend my free time."
When they slowed down the game to get every call perfect, put an interminable span of commercials in place that convince the viewer that drinking and erectile dysfunction are the only things with which he should concern himself, populate the game with high-flying athletes for whom modesty, sportsmanship, and fair play are obstructions rather that ideals, confuse the fan with needless pandering to special interests like breast cancer and domestic violence prevention, and then kill the sacred cow, a baseline respect for the flag and the country it represents, then even the least introspective sports fan says to himself, "why don't I just go play catch with my kids?"
The social engineers at the NFL are effectively hoist on their own petard. Mad with hubris, they disrespected the fan one too many times. Ten percent today. Boxing and horse racing tomorrow.
Oh, and you can spend those hours on Sunday afternoon with your wife and kids. You won't regret it.
I think the reason everyone is scratching their heads about the decline in viewership of the NFL is that no one is asking the right question.
Why does a person watch one form of entertainment, read one sort of news, participate in one kind of activity versus another?
Entertainment, connection, reinforcement. We want an escape. We want to feel close to one another. We want to know what we think is right.
When the NFL was an exciting sport that you could talk about with your friends and colleagues, that embraced struggle, victory, and sportsmanship, then white people said, "well, this encapsulates the way I want to spend my free time."
When they slowed down the game to get every call perfect, put an interminable span of commercials in place that convince the viewer that drinking and erectile dysfunction are the only things with which he should concern himself, populate the game with high-flying athletes for whom modesty, sportsmanship, and fair play are obstructions rather that ideals, confuse the fan with needless pandering to special interests like breast cancer and domestic violence prevention, and then kill the sacred cow, a baseline respect for the flag and the country it represents, then even the least introspective sports fan says to himself, "why don't I just go play catch with my kids?"
The social engineers at the NFL are effectively hoist on their own petard. Mad with hubris, they disrespected the fan one too many times. Ten percent today. Boxing and horse racing tomorrow.
Oh, and you can spend those hours on Sunday afternoon with your wife and kids. You won't regret it.