Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL: The Improbable Decline of America’s No. 1 Sport

By Peter Panacy

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and Connie Payton announce the number eight overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and Connie Payton announce the number eight overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the San Francisco 49ers on a bye, Niner Noise takes a look at how the NFL is falling in TV ratings and, perhaps, in the eyes of the American public. Football is still king, but is the sun setting on its reign?

Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the main stage during NFL on Regent Street prior to the International Series game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the main stage during NFL on Regent Street prior to the International Series game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Don’t get me wrong, I love football and the NFL. If I didn’t, well, I wouldn’t be doing this.

But the entire 2016 season has me wondering — is the NFL losing its edge as the No. 1 sport in America?

Just look at the television ratings, posted by the Wall Street Journal in early October. Viewership is down, and it doesn’t seem as if fans are nearly as interested in the sport as, let’s say, just a few years ago.

What are the reasons? Well, if I had them, the league would probably hire me. There are dozens of possibilities. Heck, even commissioner Roger Goodell tried to make sense of it all.

“It’s something that I don’t think there’s a single reason for. I really don’t. We look at all those factors,” Goodell said, via NFL.com. “Everyone’s got theories, you guys got theories, others got theories. We work closely with our network partners. We see tremendous strength in our numbers. But we also know that the prime time ratings we’re seeing the most dramatic decrease.”

What are the theories though?

Well, it’s impossible to pinpoint only the biggest ones. That’s the problem. Let’s break it down.