It really is sad to see the league fall into this over-commercialized, woke mess of bullshit. Football is a beautiful sport to watch at the highest levels. I'm in my 20s and have turned into a grumpy old man about it. There really is no need for cheerleaders, fireworks, and all the other gimmicky shit they have at games. It alienates the core fanbase in many ways. I don't go to NFL games to ogle a hot blonde cheerleader or get fired up by some cringey pump up video about how my shitty post industrial town is so tough before the game. It all feels theatrical and takes so much away from the game itself. What happened to Gruden is a byproduct of this new NFL environment. But for what? It's not like they're gaining hardcore fans in the gay community or women. They may watch a few minutes of a game, but they aren't growing the sport the way they may think they are. In reality, football is dying, the suits at the shield know that, but they took the wrong path to try to get it back IMO. If they took the sport back to it's roots, let fans be fans and get rid of all the theatrical nonsense it would be better for them in the long term. For a long time the NFL was the normal guys release from their reality. They got to enjoy drinking on a Sunday, throwing some money on the game, and bitching when a guy that would kick the shit out of them fucks up. The NFL is trying to cash in and make as much money as possible, it's all greed at the end of the day. It's ruining the game and it will ruin them in the long run.