Texan Mosaic

by NICK ALVARADO//Sports Editor

With the 2016 NFL season in full force, there have been some surprising moments so far.

It also holds the most controversial topics in the nation.

It seems like every year, a player is fined for wearing some type of popular brand of earphones, custom cleats, or other accessories.

For the league, it is a sponsor issue violation. The reasoning for the silly fines is sponsorship. The NFL is heavy on promoting their sponsors and the brand, which forces the “silly” fine that many fans do not agree with.

The “Monday Night Football” game on Oct. 3 between the Vikings and the Giants was the lowest rated game in “Monday Night Football” history, drawing a 9.1 overnight rating, according to Forbes Magazine.

Looking at a bigger picture, “Monday Night Football” ratings have dropped 19 percent this season alone.

This season, the NFL has seen the lowest television ratings in five years amid controversial topics. It has also been a year since the league set an all-time record in total viewership.

With the low television ratings, questions are being asked about what is causing the problem and what can be done.

With the 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protesting the national anthem, fans created the Twitter hashtag, #BoycottNFL. Since the beginning of this trend, it has become a national campaign, and it receives the little media attention.

With a new deal with Twitter, the NFL was one of the first big-name sports leagues to partner with the social media site to allow streaming to the website. Fans can still watch the game via desktop or mobile devices in the Moments tab on their respective profiles.

Another question that is asked is the fact that fans may be burned out on football already. With some of them at a college game on Saturdays, or watching their local team play under the Friday Night lights, it is a possibility that fans may be burned out of watching the sport, or they do not find pro football a watchable sport.

A topic that may have fans stop watching the NFL is the “silly” fines that players receive. It is understandable if the player said a word that may not be appropriate to use in the professional world. If the player is fined due to a product that is not from a sponsor of the NFL, fans go crazy and it is perceived as a bad move by the NFL.

This all ties to the business part of the league. It is clear that nay business that has a sponsor will want to promote their sponsors in any ways necessary. When you watch another NFL game, the cameras cut to coaches talking to players while using a Microsoft Surface Pro instead of the old-fashioned white board they used previously. Microsoft is a sponsor of the NFL, and no coaches are punished for this.

Despite the controversial problems revolving in the NFL, fans do have a right to change the channel on their television every game day. Fans are tired of Kaepernick protesting the national anthem of the country, seeing “silly” fines against players, or just cutting the cord with football due to being worn out for the week. In order to raise the viewership, the league needs to find a way to stop the protesting and limit the controversial problems with the players.