Football will die, you're right.
For all the reasons you stated, probably more so from number 1 than you let on. I played the game for 15 years and love it, but it's not hard to see the writing on the wall.
Unfortunately, football funds Division 1 college athletics. Sure, basketball pays for itself but can we agree that general interest in sports at all levels is good for you?
The death of football probably means the death of modern college athletics, a very important evaluation tool for the NBA.
What's your future recruiting and development strategy?
Requiring athletes to wait a year after high school before declaring for the NBA draft is brilliant. The quality of scouting reports on prospects is infinitely better after a year of college basketball than without it.
The NCAA and universities love it too because they have a higher value talent pool and can monetize off of it. So much so they give away recruiting and development to the NBA (and NFL) for free. Hell, sending players to the pros is a great future recruiting line.
Colleges have a fantastic, fanatical, fanbase to market to. The passion surrounding our alma maters make them a natural place to support athletic teams. But how far will universities subsidize college athletics if 2/3 of their revenue is abruptly erased?
Let's change college athletics
Athletes are cultural superheroes. We love them because their physical feats are incredible, they push the boundaries of willpower, and satiate our primal competitive desires.
Yet, most athletic departments and professional teams treat them as liabilities to be managed; their value is in scoring points and selling tickets, not being brand representatives.
Many people point to women's sports as necessary lost revenue because of Title IX, but a brief examination of the fervor that surrounded the US Women's Olympic Soccer team or the insane number of ESPN Magazine body edition sales demonstrates female sports are a underdeveloped market.
Want to help me?
It's my passion to transform athletes from liability to brand asset. Giving athletes the proper mediums to express themselves is empowering and can radically change the revenue profile of modern athletic departments.
I've always appreciated your brazen attitude and I think revolutionizing the perception of athletes takes a similar approach. So what do you say - let's change the game.