Dear NFL,

[NorthGaBoy]

You have thriving and growing business.  It has taken bumps over the years with head trauma, gambling, cheating, and other nefarious acts.  Protect your business.

1.  Maintain integrity.  You cannot bend the rules for great players.  Most people see through that.  It takes much of the enjoyment from being a fan.

2.  Keep good advertisers.  Make sure the products are good, the message is clear, and nothing unethical in involved.

3.  Treat your fans with respect.  They ultimately pay for everything.

4.  Make it very clear that the NFL does not endorse gambling.  This is not just a rule to enforce on players.  Make it clear the NFL does not endorse gambling sites catering to NFL fans.

5.  Protect the players.  Make the rules clear.  We need gear that provides better protection for heads, necks, and knees. 

6.  Provide much greater transparency to the fans.  While I know there are 32 team owners and the Commissioner works for the owners, much of the way the NFL works is a mystery.  Divulge the behind the scenes activity involving referees.  We see bad calls every week and then hear nothing about action taken to correct this.

I know people who were fans for years and just gave up on NFL football.  I do not have access to world wide numbers, but I have seen local attrition.  Make the NFL something the entire family can enjoy with pride.  Your image is degrading.  You can correct this.

[DonDaLuvMaker]

NFL's personal statement response to us fans:

We understand your frustrations, but if we keep making more money then why fix anything???

 

We still getting yall's money. We going international beyoch!!!!

[NorthGaBoy]

3 minutes ago, DonOfThemBirds said:

NFL's personal statement response to us fans:

We understand your frustrations, but if we keep making more money then why fix anything???

 

We still getting yall's money. We going international beyoch!!!!

I did not know you were that guy.  I want to talk with you about the penalty thrown on Jarrett when he sacked brady.  Call me at BR-549.  We can talk, right?

[Xfactor]

Dear NFL

**** You

[Cheap Talk]

18 minutes ago, NorthGaBoy said:

You have thriving and growing business.  It has taken bumps over the years with head trauma, gambling, cheating, and other nefarious acts.  Protect your business.

Both of my neighbors know the NFL for what it is and have quit. I am right behind them.

The only way I would ever trust the NFL again is with a public admission, and then a pledge of integrity. Then.............maybe, maybe?

[Cheap Talk]

By the way, I know the NFL all too well, they will be watching this forum carefully this week for Fan reactions.

I hope everyone here let's them know what they think!

 

[Emmitt]

3 minutes ago, Cheap Talk said:

Both of my neighbors know the NFL for what it is and have quit. I am right behind them.

The only way I would ever trust the NFL again is with a public admission, and then a pledge of integrity. Then.............maybe, maybe?

Yeah, A lot of my friends and family have turned it off to. When the NFL went political a few years ago, it alienated half of its viewership.

As a business owner, I see the predicament. In the NFL’s defense, a lot of companies went in the same direction as to not be labeled as discriminatory. It has backfired on a lot of other companies (Netflix, Coke etc). At that point in time, companies that did not tow that line had a brief downturn, but recovered quickly. No one really knew which way to go, but I assure you that most of these companies did not choose their options with their heart. They chose to go with the strategy they thought would be the most profitable.

I know of one Fortune 100 company that decided to follow the political leanings at the time, but I’m close to the company president. He told me that the board was almost unanimously against going political, but they felt that would be the best way to keep the bottom line as stable as could be. They chose wrongly and are still trying to recover.

I didn’t want to deal with it and shut my small business down. Covid was going to kill it anyway.

[hjerry]

28 minutes ago, DonOfThemBirds said:

NFL's personal statement response to us fans:

We understand your frustrations, but if we keep making more money then why fix anything???

 

We still getting yall's money. We going international beyoch!!!!

Thank You

Reminds me of all the (valid) complaints made about Disney right now, but it really doesn't matter because no matter how much some fans complain, the amount of money made by the NFL increases every year. Clearly what they're doing is working.

Heck, on Brady specifically, it's been proven/shown that when he goes down, so do the ratings, so from a financial perspective, it's only natural that they'd be trying to protect him.

[BtK]

Born and raised in Europe, I started following US sports as a teenager in the late 90s. A few years later it became an obsession, especially with the Falcons. I remember even watching the second half of a Falcons game on the way home of my grandfather’s funeral. 
But after blackout MLB playoffs, where paying customers here in Europe are shut out and this joke of a game yesterday evening (afternoon for most of you), I think, I have to go more local and follow soccer or hockey clubs here. Maybe what happened in the top US leagues over the last couple of weeks is too hard to bear. 

[Emmitt]

6 minutes ago, BtK said:

Born and raised in Europe, I started following US sports as a teenager in the late 90s. A few years later it became an obsession, especially with the Falcons. I remember even watching the second half of a Falcons game on the way home of my grandfather’s funeral. 
But after blackout MLB playoffs, where paying customers here in Europe are shut out and this joke of a game yesterday evening (afternoon for most of you), I think, I have to go more local and follow soccer or hockey clubs here. Maybe what happened in the top US leagues over the last couple of weeks is too hard to bear. 

I can understand that. Throughout the years I’ve lost count of how many games that I thought the officials stole from us. Not only football, but other sports as well. The NBA currently is just a grade above the WWE as far as officiating goes.

The good thing is that with each week comes another chance to win. The bad calls usually fade in the background for me, but I don’t live and die for sports myself anymore. 

[Cheap Talk]

37 minutes ago, Emmitt said:

Yeah, A lot of my friends and family have turned it off to. When the NFL went political a few years ago, it alienated half of its viewership.

As a business owner, I see the predicament. In the NFL’s defense, a lot of companies went in the same direction as to not be labeled as discriminatory. It has backfired on a lot of other companies (Netflix, Coke etc). At that point in time, companies that did not tow that line had a brief downturn, but recovered quickly. No one really knew which way to go, but I assure you that most of these companies did not choose their options with their heart. They chose to go with the strategy they thought would be the most profitable.

I know of one Fortune 100 company that decided to follow the political leanings at the time, but I’m close to the company president. He told me that the board was almost unanimously against going political, but they felt that would be the best way to keep the bottom line as stable as could be. They chose wrongly and are still trying to recover.

I didn’t want to deal with it and shut my small business down. Covid was going to kill it anyway.

My complaint is more serious than being politically oriented one way or another. It is about the NFL's integrity and the integrity of their sport, and whether I am wasting my time watching and getting excited about something that in realty is no more real than a sitcom. Unfortunately, after what I have witnessed over the last couple of years, my answer in 'no'.

It is hard to bet on something that has a predetermined outcome, as well.

[SwampyMux12]

Technically, the NFL is legally recognized as "sports entertainment"... They do what they gotta do to keep butts in the seats.

[SavvyFalcon89]

Dear NFL,

 

 

 

[mjqvi]

That whole mess yesterday made me question the integrity of the game with how that last drive felt rigged and almost planned by the refs. I watch everything outside of the Falcons games. 4:25pm, SNF, MNF, TNF games because I love the game and the strategy of football. Last night was the first time in years I simply turned the TV off and didn't watch what looked to have been a solid SNF game. I just didn't care. They say protect the shield but damaging the integrity of your game does its own damage. This isn't just an annoyed Falcon fan but rather one that loves the game as a whole and hates what its becoming. That mess was bigger than just the Falcons. 

 

[TheTrue7]

Honestly, the easiest and only thing I haven't seen on any outlets is a comparison within the same game. They keep talking primarily about how "that's the call that will be getting made now with all the Tua fallback". Stop with that!

This WAS NOT the only sack in the game. There were 5 others. All just happened to be against Atlanta. Why are the outlets not openly comparing the other sacks WITHIN THAT SAME GAME. That's the issue here.

Superstar biased officiating and media coverage.

[Spts1]

37 minutes ago, mjqvi said:

That whole mess yesterday made me question the integrity of the game with how that last drive felt rigged and almost planned by the refs. I watch everything outside of the Falcons games. 4:25pm, SNF, MNF, TNF games because I love the game and the strategy of football. Last night was the first time in years I simply turned the TV off and didn't watch what looked to have been a solid SNF game. I just didn't care. They say protect the shield but damaging the integrity of your game does its own damage. This isn't just an annoyed Falcon fan but rather one that loves the game as a whole and hates what its becoming. That mess was bigger than just the Falcons. 

 

Its way deeper than that game.  You are correct.  I did the same thing, ignored the rest of the games that were played Sunday. 

[PokerSteve]

2 hours ago, TheTrue7 said:

Honestly, the easiest and only thing I haven't seen on any outlets is a comparison within the same game. They keep talking primarily about how "that's the call that will be getting made now with all the Tua fallback". Stop with that!

This WAS NOT the only sack in the game. There were 5 others. All just happened to be against Atlanta. Why are the outlets not openly comparing the other sacks WITHIN THAT SAME GAME. That's the issue here.

Superstar biased officiating and media coverage.

 

[Herr Doktor]

4 hours ago, Emmitt said:

I can understand that. Throughout the years I’ve lost count of how many games that I thought the officials stole from us. Not only football, but other sports as well. The NBA currently is just a grade above the WWE as far as officiating goes.

The good thing is that with each week comes another chance to win. The bad calls usually fade in the background for me, but I don’t live and die for sports myself anymore. 

Totally agree.  Sports are way down the give a shot ladder for me.

[papachaz]

2 hours ago, TheTrue7 said:

Honestly, the easiest and only thing I haven't seen on any outlets is a comparison within the same game. They keep talking primarily about how "that's the call that will be getting made now with all the Tua fallback". Stop with that!

This WAS NOT the only sack in the game. There were 5 others. All just happened to be against Atlanta. Why are the outlets not openly comparing the other sacks WITHIN THAT SAME GAME. That's the issue here.

Superstar biased officiating and media coverage.

[Dr Long Shot]

3 hours ago, mjqvi said:

That whole mess yesterday made me question the integrity of the game with how that last drive felt rigged and almost planned by the refs. I watch everything outside of the Falcons games. 4:25pm, SNF, MNF, TNF games because I love the game and the strategy of football. Last night was the first time in years I simply turned the TV off and didn't watch what looked to have been a solid SNF game. I just didn't care. They say protect the shield but damaging the integrity of your game does its own damage. This isn't just an annoyed Falcon fan but rather one that loves the game as a whole and hates what its becoming. That mess was bigger than just the Falcons. 

 

Man if I had a nickel for everytme I felt the Falcons were getting hosed. Matt Ryan's "fumble", the Roddy PI no call, the entire second half of the superbowl. Yesterday proved it's not just paranoia. League is out there scripting ****. 

[Hashbrown3]

7 hours ago, NorthGaBoy said:

You have thriving and growing business.  It has taken bumps over the years with head trauma, gambling, cheating, and other nefarious acts.  Protect your business.

1.  Maintain integrity.  You cannot bend the rules for great players.  Most people see through that.  It takes much of the enjoyment from being a fan.

2.  Keep good advertisers.  Make sure the products are good, the message is clear, and nothing unethical in involved.

3.  Treat your fans with respect.  They ultimately pay for everything.

4.  Make it very clear that the NFL does not endorse gambling.  This is not just a rule to enforce on players.  Make it clear the NFL does not endorse gambling sites catering to NFL fans.

5.  Protect the players.  Make the rules clear.  We need gear that provides better protection for heads, necks, and knees. 

6.  Provide much greater transparency to the fans.  While I know there are 32 team owners and the Commissioner works for the owners, much of the way the NFL works is a mystery.  Divulge the behind the scenes activity involving referees.  We see bad calls every week and then hear nothing about action taken to correct this.

I know people who were fans for years and just gave up on NFL football.  I do not have access to world wide numbers, but I have seen local attrition.  Make the NFL something the entire family can enjoy with pride.  Your image is degrading.  You can correct this.

They are the complete opposite of everything you just said. Fk the NFL.

😀