Ratings & Predictions

Getting ready for some Pond Hockey.  Westport, WI
1/20/2018  dwm photo

There is a lot of talk about National Football League ratings this season and there are nearly as many reasons as the Packers have NFL titles for why ratings are lower than years past.

That's 13, by the way, the most, and unfortunately the only reason to write about Green Bay this January.

My thought is one reason is how our sports culture has evolved.  While there used to be one or two magazines predicting standings before the season; now forecasts are everywhere.

Just take the NBA. 

It's been a foregone conclusion since last summer's Finals that Golden State play Cleveland again in this year's championship series.

Look, why play the season?  Just eliminate the other teams and get to it.  I've heard people who claim to be fans of one team or another not watch because their team doesn't have a chance.

You may agree, but for me the uncertainty, the hope, expectation, and the drama is why I'm a fan.  If your team is on the field, you have an opportunity to win.  It's what make sports great.

Prognostications are made before the season, before every game, and then again at the start of the play-offs.  In our hurry-up lives, we cut to the chase.  It's why we play out the next Presidential election the moment a winner is declared.

I like predictions too.  But, let's enjoy life and let the games play-out instead of hitting fast-forward all the time.