There are noticeably fewer penalties than a few years ago.

I’m watching less because life is just busier. I might catch the whole Dallas game, but 0 chance I’m watching any other full games.

They’re too damn long, and penalties are a small part of that, but it’s also just inherent in the broadcast at this point.

Yes. Yes yes yes.

It’s not just the nonsensical penalties each game, it’s a couple of things for me.

But the penalties and the way it seems to gear a game is at the top of the list. I paid for nfl+ to get red zone and use that most weekends as background noise. Other than that I only watch my team. And even if I can’t get the game locally I don’t go looking for it. I just watch the condensed game later. Something like this would have been unheard of for me even 5 years ago.

I actually cheer the (pointless) hope that ratings tank so badly that they realize they have to stop being so arrogant and fix the game. But, I remember many who “quit” the game years ago over politics and thought that was going to show em….and it so didn’t.

So, this is kind of what the game is becoming.

I’ve matured a lot and don’t buy into conspiracy much anymore, but the fact that the league registered their business as an entertainment company and not a sport does keep tickling my tin foil antenna.

I grew up watching the NFL in the very early 80’s; compared to then, football is a different game, with different rules, with different officiating, which has created imo a bad poor quality product that is less entertaining and can’t be counted on to appear fair, impartial, consistent, logical and simple while using common sense and reason.

This is a problem that I also feel is destroying the NBA and professional boxing.

I also don’t trust MLB home plate umpires to call a reasonable and consistent strike zone which really kills my enthusiasm, entertainment, excitement, and sometimes ruins my enjoyment and experience as a fan during Tigers games but that is my only real gripe with MLB.

For me it hasn’t been the same since the Covid season. Nowadays I mostly just watch the Packers. The NFL has been increasingly feeling a bit sterile and corporate.

First year watching?

It’s more so the ads than the penalties

I’m enjoying this season much less than normal but due to bad televised matchups, not penalties. The NFCE bores the hell out of me and we get a game of them per week in primetime. The Jets seem to have the max amount of primetime slots. TNF is always bad but I’ve skipped 2-3 SNF games this year, and I don’t know if I’ve ever done that by choice before this season. Just this past Sunday I believe 4-5 games ended by an FG margin and i didn’t have any of them televised in my area. Additionally, I hate the Europe games. Apparently my limit is 11 hours of football a day and 14 is too much for me.

I have slowly been watching a lot less football these last several years. I’m tired of the trash talking on social media by players and fans. Obviously bad officiating for the last decade, and the NFL refusing to fix it. It’s not even the number of penalties, but the inconstancy of it. The constant squeezing more money out of me just to watch it on TV. Plus the lack of player development. Now with gambling being sanctioned, I expect a major gambling scandal any day now. It seems like the current crop of owners only care about money.

“DAE think the whole league sucks now and is in decline because my team is bad this year?”

Seems like far fewer but stupider penalties

No

No but the amount of advertisements has become unbearable to the extent that I really only enjoy watching RedZone now. We’ll be right back after a word from [fill in brand] — whilst in split screen during a 30 second timeout. They might as well just show ads nonstop like that.

You’re just getting older man… embrace the depression.

Yup. But the penalties have been a problem for the last 3-4 years not just this one.