Why are the NFL television ratings dipping in 2016?

The NFL has been the king of network television for as long as many can remember. They dominated Thursday’s, Monday’s and Sunday nights. Now their numbers are sliding.

Profootballtalk.com has been watching these numbers closely over the first four weeks of the season and as they pointed out, one time is a fluke, three times is a trend, and the fourth time should start to be a concern. At least to some degree.

"Sunday night’s ratings for Chiefs-Steelers were down 26 percent from Saints-Cowboys a year earlier, the early Sunday Colts-Jaguars game was down 24 percent, and the FOX late-afternoon window was down 10 percent. The FOX 1:00 p.m. ET window also saw a decline, with a 20-percent decline from 2015 to 2016. – Profootballtalk.com"

With the numbers dropping over the first four weeks there seems to be an issue. The question is why? The answer is likely only a guess but there are many likely theories.

The economy is nowhere near as bad as it was 5 years ago but there are still a lot of people opting out of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package. Including this author. For the first time since Direct TV began offering ST, I decided I wasn’t paying for it this season.

And I haven’t really missed it.

Some speculate that many fans are turned off by the National Anthem issues with players taking a knee. While I agree that many fans are probably upset over the actions of some of the athletes it’s not likely the reason for numbers decline.

A more likely reason could simply be that the NFL isn’t fun anymore. When players are constantly getting fined for “taunting” or celebrating a touchdown, the fun is being taken out of the game for the casual fan. It’s the casual fan that is likely the reason for the numbers dip.

The rules that the NFL has implemented are becoming almost a joke and when you add to that the bad calls on the field by the referees it all can become a little much. That is the point when fans begin to find other things to do.

The NFL has become more known for its legal issues, its constant suspension of players, ridiculous penalties that supersede or cancel out physical penalties like late hits and shots to the head that it’s starting to be a  turn off.

Adding to this is the fact that the NFL is kind of becoming a “pussy” game. Quarterbacks are practically untouchable anymore. Bump into their helmet and it’s a 15 yard penalty that often changes the dynamics of a drive and sometimes a game. Why not simply red-shirt the QB or put flags on their hips?

Defenses have gotten stronger and players are playing much faster but the NFL has driven the point of upper body impacts to such an extreme that players are more likely now than ever to suffer severe lower body issues. Many players have said they would rather take an upper body shot than have their legs taken out.

Whether the declining trend continues will be interesting but overall 19 of the 32 teams through four weeks of play are at or below .500. That’s hardly a reason for people to tune in.

I can say that even with losing NFL Sunday Ticket, I also changed my programming package that eliminated both the NFL Network and ESPN. And I’m not missing anything. Games are found much easier on the internet these days and while the quality of the broadcast may not be that great, the quality of the match-ups on the field are not that great either.

Tell us if you think this trend will continue or why you think the ratings or down. Or tell us if it really matters at all.