Aikman says Football may not remain as the most popular sport

Talk about burying the lead:

Aikman said if he had a son, "I don’t know if I would be encouraging him to play."

 

Times change, I doubt we'll see another sport pass football in our lifetime but I'm sure at some point another sport will pass it.

 

I only agree with what he's saying about it being watered down if they keep putting games on different days. But I don't think the NFL is at that point yet

The Thursday/Saturday games only start coming on during the later part of the season so I don't see it as a big issue. The NFL just needs to do a better job of scheduling those games

 

It's very possible that it could happen, just look at baseball. Until around the 90s, baseball was far and away #1 in the USA for a long long time.

Of course there would be many factors. I think the injuries, especially head injuries are something that shouldn't be taken lightly and may affect the game down the road.

 

I think that if they ever expand to an 18 game schedule that could do it

A big part of the reason why football is so popular is that every game truly does matter.

People don't like watching baseball/basketball during the regular season because 1 game out of 162 or 82 is fairly insignificant.

Baseball also screwed up by going back to the 5 game series for the wild card games. And the NBA lets more than half the league in the playoffs

So I don't see either of those sports catching the NFL any time soon

 

Soccer. But not for another 100 years or so.

 

If they keep watering down the game, then it will happen. With Goodell I wouldn't be surprised, even though he's got record ratings now.

 

I love the NFL, but the Thursday games are too much. I watch them but would prefer no Thursday games. Also, the players do not like those games.

 

If another Jordan type player comes along I think basketball might over take it

 

I hate the Thursday games especially since I can't see any of them(unless the Jets or Giants play) since I have cablevision. I like the Thursday opener w/ the defending champs hosting, obviously I like Thanksgiving games(even the night game) but there shouldn't be any other Thursday games and bring back the Saturday afternoon games late in the year like they always use to have.

 

that will never happen, the NBA has Jordan-types in the league now.

 

And so it begins...

 

NFL football and the sport in general are on a death watch at this point. The concussions are going to do them in. It's a generational process and will probably take a couple of decades but like cigarettes the public health issue is large and glaring and eventually will do the NFL in.

The NBA and baseball don't have this problem. Soccer doesn't have this problem. The NFL has the problem and although they'll try to fix it nothing short of flag football is going to resolve it in the end.

 

Rollerball

 

yeah I would say Kobe, Lebron,Wade are all "jordan types"

 

I agree with the watering down point - it has got with the premier league in that there are so many games on so many different days and at different times (to maximise TV audiences) that you end up not caring as there is nothing special about "game day" - on a Saturday now you usually get less than half the teams playing and pretty much none of the marquee games.

 

thursday night football begins week 2 next season. I like the idea, more Nfl more games to watch and examine more teams. Every team will be in primetime next year which is good because certain teams i never see

 

I like the Thursday night games, if they played on Tuesday mornings I'd watch that, I don't care.

Nevermind Jordan, the NBA needs more Lin types.