re: How will the nfl spin the upcoming ratings drop??

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Won’t be nearly as much of that going on with COVID.

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See, I kinda think with less things likely going on in the fall/winter Sundays, most fans will wind up tuning in regardless of how well-intentioned and firm their “boycott” might have seemed in June and even seems now. It will be interesting for sure.

Somebody mentioned the awful MLB and NBA ratings so far, and I’m not sure how much it has to do with audiences rejecting their “wokeness” as it is that no matter how much they try to simulate the real thing (and the NBA has done just about as well as possible), the games just come off as exhibitions because their eventual champions will have huge asterisks by them. It’s inevitable. So the games don’t feel like they mean as much, because, subconsciously, they don’t.

I know guys on here have argued with me about the asterisk issue, and I get it—they are trying to proactively protect a potential championship their team may win (I’m looking at you, mostly, Lakers and Dodgers fans). And I probably would too. But the fact is that we celebrate champions not because they are the “best”—that can be determined on paper—but because they are the most “deserving,” have endured the grind traveling all over the continent playing 82 and 162 games respectively, then having grinded through the pressure of the playoffs and playing in front of full stadiums.

No matter who winds up standing at the end of those seasons, it cannot be argued that they weren’t the most “deserving.” And no matter how well-intentioned they are and through no fault of their own, without having to go through those grinds, there is just no way their championships can be held in the same esteem as past championships. They won’t have earned it like previous champions have. So with asterisks, come less stakes. With less stakes, comes less interest. Less interest leads to bad ratings.

The NFL won’t have to deal with the asterisk factor, assuming they get through the season. And I’m not saying that an official asterisk should be placed next to the NBA and MLB 2020 champions, nor that they shouldn’t hang banners or buy rings. I just think that subconsciously, we fans will add ourselves.