I have talked about this in my previous posts, but boy, this season has shown that the NFL has some major problems on the horizon. Here are the two biggest it is going to have to deal with if it wishes to continue being successful in the future.
1. Streaming options: The NFL has improved its reach on the internet by live streaming games on Twitter and NBC's app, but it still has a VERY long way to go. The NFL has, overall, been very much opposed to the rising technology of the internet. They have signed asinine deals to keep NFL games virtually unattainable for most Americans not glued to their TV (for example, the NFL has given exclusive rights to stream games to Verizon solely, meaning that if you are a competing cellular provider, you CAN NOT watch games on your phone.)
The primetime games have a huge reach thanks to streaming, however, Sunday afternoon games remain out of reach to many cord-cutters. Pirate streams are really the only viable way to watch these games (r/nflstreams on reddit is a good place to look for good-quality streams.)
With more and more people ditching cable, the NFL must fully embrace the internet, or it will die.
2. The CBA- The Collective Bargaining Agreement (essentially the contract between players, owners, and the league itself) is coming up for renewal in 2 years time. This will likely be a bloodbath. Commisioner Goodell has steadfastly stood by his power to administer and punishment he sees fit. The CBA from 2011 gave Goodell ultimate power to punish players for transgressions as he saw fit. This power has been unjustly used in many circumstances and has caused a growing furor amongst players. They wish to see this power taken from Goodell.
Goodell has resisted at every turn and has seemingly become drunk with power. If does not see the error of this, a strike is coming. And I do not know if the NFL can survive a large-scale strike like in the 80's
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