The NFL and the NBA, two of the biggest professional sports leagues, may soon suffer similar fates, as their unresolved problems and issues make them both “ticking time bombs”—at least, according to sports journalist Jason Whitlock.
In one of the recent episodes of his show “Fearless,” Jason Whitlock likened the NBA and the NFL to each other, and labeled the two leagues as “ticking time bombs.”
“The same thing is eventually going to happen to the NFL,” Whitlock said. “It is a ticking bomb in the NFL and the issue is mostly related to officiating and [the] mainstream corporate media does its best to minimize talking about how bogus the officiating is in the National Football League.”
What Whitlock was referring to was the long list of problems that have been plaguing the NBA for years now. With the NFL suffering from the same woes, he thinks it would only be a matter of time before the bubble burst for both leagues.
“How are you going to celebrate the all-star game?” Whitlock said, talking about the NBA and its woes. “It’s a hot mess. How are you going to celebrate Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, and all the other players that have to load manage and can’t play back-to-backs? That’s hot garbage, that’s an excuse.”
“The product isn’t as good, the officiating, the lack of defensive competitiveness, the lack of physicality, all the flopping—they’ve softened the game. It’s the players and it’s what we tolerate. They don’t want to make the hard decision someone has to actually take care of the game and show real leadership.”
NFL Commissioner Acknowledges Officiating Criticisms: “It’s Not New”
The criticisms revolving around poor officiating in the NFL have been going on for these past few years, with comments coming both from fans and from players, too. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has previously acknowledged this, but highlighted how issues like this have happened in the league in the past, and are “not new.”
“We understand,” Goodell said in a 2023 interview when asked about his take on high-profile players expressing disappointment over officiating. “That’s not new. We get that. And it’s frustrating. You know how hard the players are playing, you know how hard the coaches are coaching. We know how much the fans put in with passion. So, we want to get it right.”
The NFL remains strong in terms of viewership and ratings, though some analysts are looking at college football as a potential competition from fans.
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