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Aikman: NFL may not be the biggest sport in America in 20 years (NWT)

RollWave35

RollWave35

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Some interesting thoughts from a guy who works so closely with the NFL.

Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, the lead analyst on the NFL on Fox, told a Los Angeles forum last Friday he feels the wildly popular sport may be in jeopardy.

"The long-term viability, to me anyway, is somewhat in question as far as what this game is going to look like 20 years from now," Aikman said.

The Super Bowl XXVII MVP said the NFL Network's struggles should be a red flag to owners: "People couldn't get [the channel] in the homes and, all of sudden, fans, me included, were saying, 'I wasn't getting the Thursday night game and I was OK with that.' That’s not a good thing."
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Aikman spoke of his worry about the dilution of a product that is currently wildly popular.

"At one time, watching football was an event," Aikman said. "'Monday Night Football' was a big event. Now you get football Sunday, you get it Monday, you get it Thursday and, late in the year, you get it on Saturday."
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"I think we’re going to look back at this point in time and say these were the missteps that the National Football League took that kept football from being the No. 1 sport," Aikman said, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. "I believe, and this is my opinion, that at some point football is not going to be the number one sport. You talk about the ebbs and flows of what’s popular and what’s not. At some point, the TV ratings are not going to be there. I can’t justify that because the numbers say otherwise (now), but I guess time will tell."
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More: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201202/troy-aikman-nfl-wont-continue-americas-no-1-sport
 
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What will pass it??? NBA is nothing, MLB is fading, NHL lol...Don't even say soccer...
 
When my dad was growing up, the most popular sports were baseball, boxing and horse racing. A lot can change in 30 years.
 
He's wrong. Football will be more popular in 20 years than it is now. The only problem for football is that people might eventually wise up and decide that they don't want to risk head injuries for their kids and stop putting them out there at six years old. But even that won't stop people from watching other people get the brains bashed in.
 
He just needs to admit he's a homosexual and move on and never broadcast another game, he's utterly worthless in the booth.
 
Football is an unstoppable juggleknob
 
HeavyPetter said:
He's wrong. Football will be more popular in 20 years than it is now. The only problem for football is that people might eventually wise up and decide that they don't want to risk head injuries for their kids and stop putting them out there at six years old. But even that won't stop people from watching other people get the brains bashed in.
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The head trauma thing is the key. I love the sport, but I believe something will have to change in the next 10 years or so to prevent the issues of concussions and head trauma for the game to stay relevant. What that is, I don't know.
 
We're comin' to get ya

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Bubbadeac said:
What will pass it??? NBA is nothing, MLB is fading, NHL lol...Don't even say soccer...
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I agree with this premise, but there's a lot more excitement surrounding the NBA and MLB these days than you may recognize.
 
I think the decline of colelge basketball will only serve to hurt the NBA long term. When you're churning a bunch of kids in and out of the league by the time they're 22 years old, it makes it difficult for the fans to become attached to the players. Having those kids in college for 2-3 years helps to give them an identity, whch is more important in basketball than football. Not to mention the fact that they might actually learn how to play the game.
 
Football may not be as popular, but I don't see another sport passing it.

Sports in general are just losing interest because of the great amount of alternative entertainment experiences.
 
Maybe curling could catch on. Nothing like sliding a rock across a curling sheet to the house.
 
TownieDeac said:
I agree with this premise, but there's a lot more excitement surrounding the NBA and MLB these days than you may recognize.
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I wish there was a lot of excitment surrounding baseball. But I don't feel like there is. I think baseball will continue to dwindle unfortunately.
 
There are too many baseball games in a season and too much downtime during a baseball game.
 
Fantasy Football is the greatest thing to happen to the NFL in years. Its gives the casual NFL fan like myself a reason to watch the Sunday night game. FF = ratings. Its just a matter of time before the ESPN Ocho has a Fantasy channel.
 
captruss24 said:
Fantasy Football is the greatest thing to happen to the NFL in years. Its gives the casual NFL fan like myself a reason to watch the Sunday night game. FF = ratings. Its just a matter of time before the ESPN Ocho has a Fantasy channel.
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You just hit the nail on the head. Fantasy Football has made the NFL what it is today and as FF evolves and becomes more and more a part of our culture, the league will grow with it. I do not know a single male in my age demographic (mid 20s) who does not play FF, and I even know some women who play it as well. I must admit, prior to four years ago (when I started playing FF) I would only watch Panthers games and then the playoffs. I now watch every single game I can because I now have a vested interest, as do many of my peers. As we grow older we will continue to play FF and that interest will continue with it, and a new generation will come of age to do the same thing.
 
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