Mark Cuban Predicts NFL Implosion

[Mathias 394]

"I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion," Cuban said Sunday evening when his pregame conversation with reporters, which covered a broad range of topics, swayed toward football. "I'm just telling you: pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy. Just watch. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

 

When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. Cuban said the NFL is making a mistake by valuing television money over the convenience of fans who are used to planning for their NFL teams to play on Sundays with the occasional Monday night game. He compared it to the decline in popularity of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" after the game show expanded to air five days a week.

 

"They put it on every night," Cuban said. "Not 100 percent analogous, but they handled it the same. I'm just telling you, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered."

 

 

He's got a point.

 

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=10662203

Edited March 24, 2014 by Mathias

[JetsFan4Life 542]

We talked about this in a Sports PR class I had a couple years ago. Maybe later when I'm not lazy I'll pull out some of the information and notes I had but my professor (who is also the SID for Buffalo State) was talking about how it's very possible the NFL is going to turn people away because it doesn't stop trying to expand.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

I can see a dip in ratings, popularity and revenue but a full blown implosion? Doubt it. Where the NFL needs to take a chill pill is with all this overseas BS. We're playing more and more regular season games in London every year and Goodell has a chubby over the idea of having a team located there.

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

I can see the risk of overexposure. It shouldn't be too difficult to reign in if that's the case.

 

They said the same things about MNF and TNF though. So until they hit the point of diminishing returns, it's hard to predict.

 

I do expect there to be issues with teams' health to crop up more and more. The lack of ability to recover will make it difficult to accept for both players and owners if we see a rise in attrition.

[Vin+ 3,121]

"The NFL plays a game every day! Well, not really, but you know what I mean."

 

A decade is a long time, who knows what's gonna happen over that time span. Maybe we get a new sport that takes the world by storm and everyone forgets about the tradition sports. But other than that, a singular Thursday and Saturday game isn't going to be the downfall of anything. I think the NFL knows that it can't stick a game on every day of the week without hurting the product. I'm kinda surprised that Cuban is so traditionalist in this regard. "Football is only supposed to be played on Sunday and Monday. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it should always be!"

 

And really, who says to themselves, "Man, I'm really glad my team isn't playing today." I don't think any fan is going to say that. Maybe I'm wrong though.

 

In the meantime:

 

Edited March 24, 2014 by Vin

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I can foresee a decline in popularity, but Thursday Night Football isn't the reason. It's the tendency towards offense creating arena football and the ridiculously long commercial airtime.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

If they keep expanding to Tuesdays or Wednesdays or whatever... It will become a problem. The significantly lower quality of Thursday games has been documented well since it's inception. Dare the NFL tread into Friday or Saturday territory? I doubt it -- they can't be that stupid.

[Cherry 1,302]

And really, who says to themselves, "Man, I'm really glad my team isn't playing today." I don't think any fan is going to say that. Maybe I'm wrong though.

I do. Every Thursday night game is a display of exhausted players and poor preparation for the game. Players can't be ready for a game in 4 days. It doesn't work like that. 96 hours is not enough time to physically heal and be ready for another game. Monday night games aren't great, but they are tolerable. Football is meant to be played on Sundays though. After a piece of the weekend, you wake up on Sunday morning ready to see some people get blasted. I don't think weekday football will ever truly be good.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Thursday games should be limited to the season opener with the defending champs having their celebration and Thanksgiving. It's already been pointed out that Thursday games hurt the quality of play due to a lack of rest and preparation, but the NFL's rule of getting every team on Thursday at least once creates horrible matchups. You have to force teams like the Browns, Jags, Bills, etc. on the public at least once it is unlikely to generate interest or a good game. You usually end up with a few dud Monday night matchups, but it isn't as much as Thursday and there is a long history of MNF so people are more likely to watch.

I don't think it will lead to the downfall of the NFL though. Maybe if you start talking about having one game every day of the week, but I can't see it working. I'm more worried about Goodell trying to force an overseas NFL team on us. If you think Thursday night games are sloppy and bad, wait until we have a team having to do the amount of traveling a London team will have.

[BJORN 679]

I don't think Cuban is saying week day games will be the cause of the implosion more so just as an example of the NFL's greed and the underlying theme of them failing to listen to what their customers want.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

More like the NFL expanding to weekdays (as a result of their greed) will be one of many factors leading to their downfall. The NFLs greed will cause their downfall -- but they are expanding to weekdays because of that greed. I understand what you are saying... But the connection is right there.

According to you.. expanding to weekdays is an example of the NFL's greed.. The same greed that Cuban says will eventually topple the NFL. Thus you can deduce that the expanding to weekdays, as a byproduct of greed, will be a contributing factor to their downfall. All connected. lol

Expanding across seas would and will suck a lot as well, as Milla pointed out.