Once upon a time, horse racing was one of the most popular spectator sports in America. Tens of thousands would regularly flock to the tracks–which were located in most of the country’s largest cities–but county and state fairs would feature horse races as well. While there was always the opportunity to bet on the ponies, some people went just to watch the horses run. Then came off track betting–which allowed people to go to a place not far from their neighborhood to bet on races without having to go to the track itself. You could even watch the races at the OTB through closed circuit television. That was followed by on-line betting–which allowed you to not only bet on races from almost any track in the world–but to also watch that race without ever leaving your home. Today, racetracks hardly draw anyone to watch the races–unless it’s a particularly prestigious race–and the sport exists solely for the home bettor.
This Sunday, if you watch something other than just the Packers game at night, pay attention to the wide-angle stadium shots and notice the number of empty seats at most games. The internet was full of screen captures last weekend of seas of open seats after kickoff in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Cincinnati. That has led to the TV talking heads discussing why fans are now staying away in droves–for a sport that used to force fans to attend by blacking out games that weren’t sold out.
There’s been a lot of talk that national anthem protests are driving away fans. Or that the media focus on concussions is turning off fans from the sport as a whole. And you can always point to sky-high ticket prices, outrageous parking fees and food and beverage prices that border on ludicrous–especially when high definition TV brings you much closer to the game at home–where the beer and food are 1000% cheaper.
However, I firmly believe that the decline in attendance at NFL games is due almost exclusively to fantasy football and gambling. People that play fantasy sports now care more about “their teams” on paper than they do about “their team” on the field. The league realizes that as well–which is why all stadiums are required to have high-speed wi-fi, there are more highlights shown in stadiums, and the NFL app will send you text alerts when any of the guys in your fantasy games score.
But the decision to build so much of the popularity in the sport on the “fantasy” side will be one that the NFL regrets for a long time. It has already affected the core of the game–with the entire emphasis now placed on offensive production–because that is where the vast majority of your “fantasy points” come from. Team alliances are whittled away too, as a huge day by Aaron Rodgers may be good for the Packers–but if you are going up against him in two fantasy leagues, that fourth touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson is killing you–and likely costing you money.
So until the NFL figures out a way to get all of your fantasy guys to play all of the fantasy guys on your buddy’s team in a stadium near you, fewer fans will feel the need to shell out the big bucks to sit at the LA Coliseum or Levi’s Stadium. And the once packed bleachers will look like the giant empty grandstands of horse tracks around the country.
