Thursday, March 27, 2014

Midweek #HotSportsTakes: Is the NFL About to Implode?

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the "greedy" NFL is 10 years away from implosion.
By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Midweek #HotSportsTakes is a new weekly segment here on SuiteSports, where we will offer shallow and somewhat incendiary analysis on random hot-button sports topics of the day. Jeremy is taking the week off to prepare our Sweet 16 preview, so I'm riding solo today.

Here we go...

On Mark Cuban's Claim that the NFL is "10 Years Away From an Implosion:"

I mean, that would be really good for Mark Cuban, right?

Maybe fans will get sick of Thursday Night games, as he claims, but they already watch them on NFL Network, and with them being on CBS, I would only expect more eyeballs. But I think the larger point he's getting at is that people aren't letting their kids play football, so the die-hard fandom won't last another generation.

Well, he's sorta right. Kids are playing football in smaller numbers every year, but the same is also true about baseball and basketball. Do you know what sports are growing? Hockey and lacrosse, the other sports that doctors are warning parents about for concussions and traumatic brain injuries.

Kids are leaving sports for a number of reasons, cost being one of them. But for the parents that can afford sports, they're pushing their kids into activities that they're more likely to succeed in (i.e., less people are playing those sports).

So, sports like lacrosse, hockey, tennis, golf and wrestling are growing, as parents search for scholarships, while mainstream sport participation at the youth and school level dropping.

You know what isn't dropping though? NFL ratings. Yeah, those LAX bros still watch pro football.

On the Jets Signing Mike Vick:

Rex Ryan says that the Vick-Geno Smith quarterback battle will be "great competition." If Vick can't easily beat out the worst quarterback in the NFL, the Jets are in real trouble.

On a side note, think about how many "big-name" quarterbacks have played in New York and underachieved lately. Brett Favre, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, and now Vick. This is just sad, because you almost wish it was Vick running that crazy show in Philadelphia, but instead he's stuck on one of the league's worst offenses.

On Bob Knight Claiming the NBA is "Raping" College Basketball:

Well, at least it isn't as bad as his last rape comment.

During an interview with Connie Chung in 1988, Knight compared the experience of losing to rape by saying, "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."

Wow, what a great leader and molder of young men. So sad they don't make coaches like him anymore...

On the Crazy First Weekend of the NCAA Tournament:

Freakin' Duke man!

Freakin' Ohio State man!

Freaking upsets all over the place, this stuff is awesome!

How can you not love the first two rounds of the tournament? Man, I wish I was in Vegas...

On the Battle of Kentucky in the Sweet 16:

These are two of the five most talented teams in the country, and when Kentucky is on, they can beat anybody. This ain't your daddy's 4v8 match up. It's a little sad that the Wildcats underachieved this regular season, and that the committee under-seeded Louisville, because this is a Final Four caliber game.

On the NFL Outlawing the Goalpost Dunk:

This is sure to change the perception that the NFL is no fun.

On the Dodgers Becoming the First MLB Team to Outspend the Yankees in 15 Years:

It's about damn time!

Wait, are they paying A-Rod now?

On the 49ers Preparing to Give Colin Kaepernick $18-20 Million Per Year:

 Probably the smartest contract since Joe Flacco's.

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