PAGE B6 WEDNESDAY THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW SPORTS for TV with a 31 percent crash in viewers over the same time as last year. Thursday night games are down 11 percent, Monday night 27 percent. NBC still won Sunday night over everything else with the Steelers rout of Kansas City, but the networks are not paying their billions to merely win. They need to crush the competition. The league will blame it on competition from the Presidential debate opposite Monday Night Football or the JonBenet redux or the season debut of or whatever else they can find.
Those are excuses. Now for those real reasons: greed and stupidity. Fantasy Football. The NFL picked up the ball on this hobby and ran with it big time and now helping to kill the game. Fantasy players are not interested in watching a three-hour football game between two teams.
They want to know how their team is doing, and you do not get that watching one football game. While the NFL and its teams, including the Steelers, promote and gladly rake in money from gambling sites such as DraftKings, the viewership of their game product has plummeted as fantasy players take their eyeballs to media websites that deliver the goods that only interest them. The Red Zone channel. The league gleefully promoted this through their NFL Network, which cuts in and out of all Sunday afternoon games when teams approach the scoring area or There are no commercials and, therefore, brings in money only from the Dish Network, where it is shown and also on Verizon smartphones. Who had this bright idea? paradise for short attention spans but saps viewership from real games elsewhere.
Penalty flags. Nothing kills the flow of a game like a penalty, which often is followed by a group discussion among the officials. Penalties are necessary evils, but not at this rate. A record was set last season for the first three games when 730 penalties were called. That overall pace has not continued but taunting penalties are up 220 percent over the first four weeks of last season, according to ESPN.
Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are up 55.6 percent. Roger Goodell proposed the new rule, adopted this season, that two unsportsmanlike penalties by one player in a game will automatically get him ejected. In other words, if Antonio Brown celebrated both of his touchdowns in the first quarter the way he did one of them, he would have been tossed for the rest of the game. And that abysmal Sunday night football rating would have been worse. Protesting the national anthem.
Whether you agree with the protest or just do not care, many Americans apparently are turned off with the trend that Colin Kaepernick inspired. Sporting News cited a survey of 1,000 adults in which 32 percent said less likely to watch an NFL game on television because of the various protests kneeling, fists raised, etc. during the playing of the National Anthem (13 percent said they were more likely to watch because of it). This, even though the networks rarely televise the national anthem. Diminished kickoff returns.
The NFL virtually eliminated kickoff returns when it moved the kickoff to the 35. Now, most are kicked into or out of the end zone for a touchback. The league then reduced the chance that a return man might be tempted to run it out by giving the receiving team the bonus of placing the touchback at the 25 instead of the 20. The rule was passed in the name of safety, so why they just eliminate the time wasted on the kickoff and go with a jump ball or something to start the game? Instant replay. That is a conflict in terms because when it is used to check an decision, it is anything but instant.
It disrupts the flow of a game, the reactions to touchdowns and turnovers and adds more time to games unnecessarily. This is all in the name of it even though replay often does not and even on occasion gets it wrong. Somehow the game survived and thrived without using replay to it Product saturation. There are too many games: Sunday morning, early Sunday afternoon, late Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night. Whew.
worn out just writing that. Who has all that time, or wants to use it watching that much football? The numbers say fewer and fewer of you. The safety issue. While the NFL virtually had to do something to reduce the chance of concussions, big hits were popular. The league and its network partners promoted them before it became politically incorrect to do so.
They have succeeded in reducing those hits but I suspect they also lost some viewers because of it. Whatever the reasons, TV viewership of NFL games is off considerably. Maybe it was inevitable since football grew in such great popularity year after year. But if that trend continues, the league will have more headaches than those it has gotten from the concussion quagmire. Continued fromB1 RATINGS By Jacob Thorpe (509) 710-8070 Pac-12 Power Rankings PULLMAN Now that there have been three weeks of Pac-12 games, the conference is starting to sort itself out.
But definitely not the way we expected it to at the start of the season. Who would have thought that in Week 7California, Oregon, Stanford and UCLA would only have three combined conference wins, with one of them coming when Stanford and UCLA played each other? Colorado, universally projected to finish at the bottom of the Pac-12 South is instead one of just four teams with four wins and Arizona, who won the division two years ago, is still searching for its first conference win. We should see even more separation after this week, with none of the Pac-12 Conference games expected to be especially close. 1 Washington (6-0, 3-0; last week: No. 1) With a bye week and a game against Oregon State upcoming, the Huskies are going to make it to at least Week 9 with quarterback Jake Browning in the Heisman race.
2 USC (3-3, 2-1; last week: No. 6) Fooling the rest of the Pac-12 into thinking USC was vulnerable, only to start playing like a team full of high school All-Americans once guards were down. How like a Trojan (horse). 3 Colorado (4-2, 2-1; last week: No. 2) sign of growth: Even when the Buffaloes lose to more talented teams, they make a competitive game of it.
not all-or-nothing with this crew. 4 Washington State (3-2, 2-0; last week: No. 8) The Cougars make three players available to the media each week. We reporters would be fine with just one, as long as it was always outrageous orator Gabe Marks. 5 Utah (5-1, 2-1; last week: No.
5) The Utes cannot keep sacrificing a running back to the football gods in exchange for a win every week. Somebody actually has to tote the rock. 6 Arizona State (5-1, 2-1; last week: No. 9) going to reach Week 13 and realize that ASU still only has one or two losses and deserves a little more respect, we? 7 Stanford (3-2, 1-2; last week: No. 4) it turns out quarterback play IS pretty important after all.
8 UCLA (3-3, 1-2; last week: No. 7) Just two years removed from back-to-back 10-win seasons, the UCLA program feels like it is floundering. 9 Arizona (2-4, 0-3; last week: No. 11) season was always going to be astruggle for the Wildcats, even before they were beset by injuries at crucial positions. 10 Oregon State (2-3, 1-1; last week: No.
12) Hey! Look who knocked off one of the (formerly) better teams in the Pac-12. Good for the Beavers, who needed something besides dams to build on. 11 Oregon (2-4, 0-3; last week: No. 6) a good thing freshman Justin Herbert appears to have some talent, because I imagine any more Big Sky quarterbacks are going to be too excited about spending their senior seasons in Eugene. 12 California (3-3, 1-2; last week: No.
3) Shameful. PULLMAN UCLA coach Jim Mora is not telling whether starting quarterback Josh Rosen will be healthy enough to play against Washington State on Saturday. During Pac-12 coaches teleconference Mora said simply, ready to play, he will Rosen sustained two injuries during loss to Arizona State last Saturday. He returned from a lower-body injury that occurred in the second quarter, only to apparently injure his throwing shoulder when he was sacked with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Rosen threw for a career-high 400 yards in the defeat.
The Bruins need their passing game to be on point against the surging WSU defense, since they are averaging a hair less than 100 rushing yards per game and just 2.95 yards per carry. Associated Press UCLA coach Jim Mora revealing Josh playing status. Mora coy over Rosen By Jacob Thorpe (509) 710-8070 touchdowns and six interceptions. The offensive line has overcome injuries and its own inexperience, and the next generation of running backs is emerging to critical acclaim. The receiving corps is living up to its preseason accolades.
just what I wide receiver Nic Sblendorio said. week, been another person breaking Last week against a Northern Colorado defense that paid too much attention to Cooper Kupp it was Shaq Hill, who caught a school-record four touchdowns in a 49-31 win. Running back Sam McPherson had a career day with 46 yards rushing and 68 receiving against a three-man rush. expect that at McPherson said. you have to do checkdowns with our receivers, so it felt great to get some of those checkdowns and get something out of On defense, the Eagles are still giving up too many yards (461 yards per game, 107 th in FCS), but are clamping down in the second half.
also getting better on third down. Two weeks into the season, they were second-worst in the nation. Now up to 97 th downs are Fettig said. Aided by a strong pass rush, secondary is making plays in the air it forces the quarterback to make throws he want to The bottom line: 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Sky, or only one game better than last team that stumbled to a 6-5 finish. Comparing the teams, Baldwin said, in a little better control of games.
In that way, that has been definitely been big for us, but at the end of the day we have to earn Continued fromB1 EAGLES A I BRAUGHT, Dayle Durene (Age 79) Passed away October 10, 2016 Neptune Society, Spokane, WA CHAPLYGINA, Asya S. (Age 80) Passed away October 10, 2016 Heritage Funeral Home, Spokane, WA FISCHER, Christine M. (Age 57) Passed away October 9, 2016 Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of Spokane, Spokane, WA HOSTETTER, Lynn Eugene (Age 85) Passed away October 7, 2016 Neptune Society, Spokane, WA IMPECOVEN, Heather Laurel (Age 45) Passed away October 8, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral Spokane Valley, Spokane Valley, WA INGE, Dennis Allen (Age 70) Passed away October 7, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral, Spokane, WA KIME, Cheryl N. (Age 70) Passed away October 7, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral Spokane Valley, Spokane Valley, WA LANDIS, Cynthia L. (Age 56) Passed away October 8, 2016 Hazen Jaeger Funeral Home, Spokane, WA LINVILLE, Jennifer Kathryn (Earley) (Age 41) Passed away Oct.
9, 2016 Schanzenbach Funeral Home, Rosalia, WA McKNIGHT, Archie Jr. (Age 87) Passed away October 9, 2016 Heritage Funeral Home, Spokane, WA MILLER, Lorene Delores (Age 84) Passed away October 7, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral Spokane Valley, Spokane Valley, WA NORDSTROM, Kay L. (Age 62) Passed away October 7, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral, Spokane, WA PAMPLIN, Cecil A. (Age 82) Passed away October 9, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral, Spokane, WA PAMPLIN, Lois I. (Age 80) Passed away October 8, 2016 Community Cremation Funeral, Spokane, WA PETERSON, David A.
(Age 71) Passed away October 10, 2016 Bruning Funeral Home, Colfax, WA RICKARD, Shirley Jean (Age 84) Passed away October 10, 2016 Hennessey Funeral Home and Crematory, Spokane, WA RYEN, Elnora May Passed away October 10, 2016 English Funeral Chapel, Coeur ID STEELE, Nena Patrice (Age 65) Passed away October 8, 2016 Hazen Jaeger Valley Funeral Home, Spokane Valley, WA WARDIAN, Lloyd J. (Age 90) Passed away October 8, 2016 Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of Spokane, Spokane, WA Death Notices are published as a complimentary service of The Spokesman-Review. Look to the following obituaries or call the funeral home for further details. I A I ALLENTON, Joyce Catherine (Age 85) Joyce Catherine (Furness) Allenton, passed away on September 22, 2016 of natural causes. Joyce was born on October 15, 1930 in Spokane, WA to Clifford and Elsie Furness.
Joyce married Robert Junior Allenton in 1952 and committed to Donald Olmsted in 2006. Joyce worked for US Bank (formally Old National Bank) as a senior clerk for 41 years before retiring in 1992. She was a member Moran United Methodist Church, Edge Cliff Scope member since 1996 and a lifetime member of the Moran Prairie Grange. Joyce is survived by two daughters, Janet Harding and Nancy Allenton both of Spokane; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, one sister and her husband.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 PM, Saturday, October 15, 2016 at the Moran United Methodist Church, 3601 E. 65th Ave. Spokane, WA 99223. Special thanks to Horizon Hospice. In Lieu of memorials may be made to Horizon Hospice or Moran United Methodist Church.
BROWN, Margaret E. (Age 94) Passed away October 11, 2016. She was born October 13, 1921 in Billings, MT to Erwin and Edith Reed. After graduating from high school in Cheney, WA Margaret met and married her love, Fred Brown in 1938 at Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane. She retired from Crystal Laundry where she worked as a seamstress then went on to work as a custodian for the next 12 years at Joey August Distributors with her husband Fred.
Survivors of this wonderful, strong-willed woman are three sons, Fred (Della) Brown, Herman (Denise) Brown, Ron (Patty)Brown; three daughters, Terry McLeod, Bernice Zielke (Larry Hale), Betty Mae Smith (Sandi Moore); 16 grandchildren; 27 great- grandchildren and 19 great-great-grandchildren. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Fred Brown; her son Larry Brown and brothers and sisters. Special thanks to Hospice and Royal Park Assisted Living for their loving care of our mother. A viewing will be held on Thursday, Noon to 5PM at Heritage. Funeral Service 10AM Friday, October 14, 2016 at Sunset Chapel, Fairmount Memorial Park, 5200 W.
Wellesley graveside to follow. BorntoJamesandNellie Attendedschoolin ChewelahandValley, graduatingin1959from ValleyHighSchool. Upongraduationheentered intotheU.S.Navywherehe learnedhislife'scareerasa machinist.Heworkedfor hisownbusiness.His expertisewassoughtbythe likesofKaiserAluminum. andcountrymusic. sisterCorinneCastle.
Murphy.OnesisterCarolBordwell(Mike). potluckwillbeprovided. If you need to place an Obituary Notice, contact the funeral home or crematory and they will place it for you. -B6Main.
