On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the media on Wednesday from Indianapolis, Indiana, the host city for the annual spring meetings, and told reporters some not-so-surprising things concerning the effects of the lockout on the NFL--like, for example, that fans are visiting the league’s TV network and website with decreased regularity.
"It has clearly had an impact on our fans already," Goodell said, per Reuters.
"You see that in our various metrics that we have, whether they are ratings, or traffic on NFL.com...and that is a reflection of the uncertainty and the frustration of our fans."
Indeed.
Goodell, who believes that the time for serious worry over the effect of the lockout on the 2011 season is rapidly approaching, also said that this year’s edition of the draft saw a dip in about four million viewers, a change that is certainly large enough to grab the attention of the league.
"It's a noticeable change," Goodell said. "That's a pretty significant decrease, about a 10 percent decrease as I recall.
"Fans want certainty. I don't think you can ever underestimate that fans are still going through difficult challenges just in the general economy. Those challenges continue to impact on their decisions and rightfully so."
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