Publicly, they put on a brave face and say the shaky ratings are endemic to the whole network television industry. Cable and satellite television, videos and DVDs, computers and Playstations, lap dances and Ultimate Frisbee are siphoning away people who would otherwise be watching their shows. Privately, though, they know this is rubbish.
Some shows still bring in huge audiences on network television.
Some shows are growing. Some shows are talked about around the water cooler in every office in the country. For professional sports to thrive, they re going to have to make changes. In fact, they ll have to make changes just to survive. Professional sports are too artificial.