The NFL’s Thursday Night Football Problem
December 9, 2016
In recent weeks, Thursday Night Football has become a hot controversy in the world of the NFL. The NFL is becoming increasingly upset with the declining ratings. There is speculation that the NFL might get rid of the Thursday night games, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the NFL should dump Thursday Night Football.
One of the many reasons ratings have dropped is the quality of the games; Thursday night games have been far from exciting for the most part. The games that have been close in score are frequently between lackluster teams. Matchups between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans simply won’t attract national viewers.
The season opened on Thursday with a rematch of the last year’s Super Bowl that was quite an exciting game, but since then, there has been a significant decline in the quality of the matchups.
Perhaps Nike’s Color Rush is contributing to the decline of viewership. Although the splash of color is nice in some cases, there have also been plenty of instances where the jerseys are harsh on the eyes. In fact, a problem arose with the jerseys of the Jets and Bills because those who were colorblind couldn’t differentiate the jerseys.
Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) catches a pass against Buffalo Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham (53) and Buffalo Bills safety Bacarri Rambo (30) and Buffalo Bills corner back Nickell Robey (37) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Thursday night games should be disposed of because of the health of the players. Football is a brutal sport in its nature, and players need as much time as possible to recover. Richard Sherman, one of the league’s most vocal players, is cited as saying “It’s rough on the body. Any time you play a football game and play another one a few days later, it’s going to be tough on the body. But it’s just another one of those things. Another one of those simple contradictions of the league, because they care about us.”
Many players around the league agree with Sherman’s concerns, and the NFL should make player safety a priority. It’s time for the NFL to walk the walk and take care of its players.
There is a good chance that ratings would increase if the NFL moved the Thursday night game to a different day and time. If players are given more time to recover, they will be more capable of putting forth their best effort on game day.
It will likely continue to be a big topic of debate in the NFL world until something is changed. Who knows, maybe the NFL can fix its money concerns while also prioritizing player safety.
