The primetime ratings are one of the indicators why ‘The NFL is dying’. As a capitalist society we’re obsessed with growth. This is something I’ve never understood. There’s a limit to all things. Nothing continues to propel upwards and upwards forever. And so when primetime ratings stagnated, the league who sold the Brahma, the television networks who spent the GDP size of nations for the broadcast rights, and the media who collects, reports, and compiles into narrative, collectively worried about the state of the game.
Why did the ratings drop? The reasons listed were numerous, players were kneeling and viewers were boycotting, people were turned off by the danger of the game, the lack of practice has ruined the product, injuries had demolished too many teams, and there’s an overall lack of quarterback talent.