The NFL remains the United State’s most popular sports league. Millions upon millions of people tune in every week to watch their favorite franchises and players take on their rivals. It’s a content juggernaut that is raking in money hand over fist. But recently, all-time great NFL quarterback Tom Brady has brought to light that there are huge problems at play. In his eyes, the NFL has become an almost unwatchable product. And recently, it seems Brady is far from the only one to echo that sentiment.
So we’re going to identify the reasons why the NFL has become a shadow of its former glory. It might have more viewers than ever before but it also has more people changing the channel. The current product is unsustainable for many reasonss, so let’s identify the biggest reasons the NFKL is becoming unwatchable below.
Quarterback Bias
One of the most obvious problems with the NFL today is that it’s a quarterback’s league now more than ever. There’s always been an inherent bias toward the game’s most important position. But these days it goes beyond paying them more money. 15 of the past 16 MVP before 2023 were quarterbacks with Adrian Peterson an exception in 2012.
Meanwhile, there’s an on-field bias because defensive players can’t breathe on a QB without a roughing-the-passer flag. It’s so frustrating because often they win the ball fairly or make good tackles. Everybody knows that football should be safer but these days, quarterbacks play in bubble wrap (via Opta Analyst).