Despite the fact that pro football games look less and less like they did just five seasons ago, and despite the fact that generally strong coverage from network partners consistently reveals problems with officiating, the NFL sits on solid ground.
It remains (frustratingly so at times) the be all and end all for TV sports. And, with the final week of the regular season and playoffs ahead, more strong ratings and viewership trends -- especially for the Feb. 2 Super Bowl at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey -- seem likely.
Despite protest from media members. Despite a limit on tailgating for fans. Despite potential (seemingly likely) weather-related storylines. The Super Bowl will perform strongly, probably at record levels.
It seems like the NFL can do no wrong, and that's pretty much the case.
Still, there are problems. And, ironically, as much as television money funds the sport TV coverage reveals the flaws. League officials have long known they are producing television shows moreso than sporting contests. During the regular season, that means 256 episodes of professional football, and league officials prefer that those games fit in three-hour broadcast windows.
That's why team timeouts late in the first or second half of a game become "30 second timeouts" -- it's a nod to a team's right to stop play, and an even bigger nod to the fact that all commercials for the respective half have been played so game action will not be stopped for a regular-leength timeout.
Plays along the sideline, when officials decide to stop the game clock or not, provide an regular example of efforts to make games into TV shows. In those instances officials are consistently inconsistent in how they enforce what's out of play and what's not -- especially in regard to which actions prompt the game clock to stop and which do not.
For the all-powerful NFL, though, these matters and others (inconsistent work with replay remains the biggest problem) have not hampered ratings or the sport's popularity. Sure, they're problematic and troublesome, but the frustration they prompt just seems to become part of the emotional investment fans make on gameday.
Worst of all, we're still a significant way away from the point where the league's changes, TV-motiveate moves and updates really hurt ratings and viewership. Football has not gotten so powerful that it hurts itself as a TV product. At least not yet.
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