The NFL Season Just Began, and America Yawned with Indifference

Yesterday evening, in Canton, Ohio (” Where, ironically, you ca n’t get any good Cantonese food”, quipped Dennis Miller during his cup of coffee with” Monday Night Football” ), the 2024 NFL season began with a thrilling, riveting, nail-biting, fantabulous preseason matchup between the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears. Last report: Bears 21, Texans 17.

And … America yawned with apathy.

You remember the NFL, do n’t you?

You once used to count the days until the NFL time came to an end. It was a time of renewal, a brief, flickering moment of hope and optimism … until a lack of talent ( and those stupid refs ) dashed the Cowboys ‘ your team’s dreams yet again ( Dez caught the ball!! ). But more than anything else, you cared. You really, passionately cared about what happened on the football field.

And today?

( Scrolls phone… )

Sure, you’ll also enjoy it. And you’re generally aware of the major conflicts and stories. There is still a valid excuse to avoid wasting time with your in-laws. And to be honest, a fine, hard-hitting activity can still get your adrenaline pumping.

But man… the secret is gone.

It’s not just the kneeling and/or National Anthem conflicts, sometimes. That surely accelerated, and then some! – but it was n’t the root cause.

Nor did the numerous law changes that stifled the havoc we adored. I mean, I get it: In recent years, we’ve learned a lot about mental health, and even though it’s great to see, big men running total speed and smashing into each other is not good for your noggin’. But on the other hand, as a physical presentation, it’s changed the people ‘ knowledge. The presentation has now become more sport but less harsh, more orchestral but less genuine.

It was n’t because of an erosion of talent. Yesterday’s athletes are extremely brilliant. Patrick Mahomes is just getting better as Tom Brady wraps up his career, which Tom Brady only watched. If something, we’re living in a Golden Age of NFL skills. About across the board, the people are getting bigger, stronger, faster, and stronger. &nbsp,

The NFL’s annual” Underwear Olympics” ( the NFL Scouting Combine ) is where the league invites a few hundred of the top college prospects to be weighed, measured, timed, prodded, and asked ridiculous questions ( Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland once asked the aforementioned Dez Bryant if Dez’s mom was a prostitute ( she was n’t ). ( By the way, DEZ CAUGHT THE BALL!! ) The second Combine was in 1982, for 40+ times, the NFL has kept detailed records of players ‘ figures and dimensions. The trendlines are evident: Decade-to-decade, the people are getting larger and more sport. &nbsp,

So why is the solution worse?

Are the telecast personnel to blame? Howard Cossell ate on anger half a century before, so it’s not a new habit to hate the announcers. However, the NFL announcers of the past had a wizened warmth and a gravitas that today’s top voices lack. Not to mock people like Tony Romo, Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Greg Olsen, Kevin Burkhardt, Mike Tirico, or Cris Collinsworth, but do any of them also approach John Madden’s postal script? I had n’t believe them to buy me a bolt or treat my athlete’s foot– but I’d trust ol’ Brother John to tell me Ace is the spot, and BOOM! That strong elastic ‘ Tinactin.

It’s not because of completely firm, corporate greed, Computer grandstanding, or any other go-to evil. It is n’t any one thing at all.

It never is.

Everyone is a byproduct of all. It’s death by a thousand cuts, where the fun-to-annoying amount tilts in the wrong way for very long, and your audience is exhausted. There is a breaking point for everyone. &nbsp,

Yet the NFL.

Trouble is, you usually do n’t realize it’s a tipping point until you’re farther down in the descent.

Generational shift is a real possibility. Heed its challenges properly.

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