Classic reason why the western US is always a lower value live sports broadcasting proposition than the Midwest, East, and South. College sports is proof enough of that.
Too many other lifestyle options and an outdoor culture (hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping, surfing, etc); even in winter time (skiing, snowboarding, etc) that we just don't get the high ratings.
This is why I stopped watching football; it just took over the whole Sunday for NFL and Saturday for college, and I'd rather be active on one of the few true days off.
I always wondered if DVR/Tivo recordings counted towards ratings; as that is how I plan my sports watching; if I can watch it at the end of the day after kids go to bed and all our activities are over then it works for me; but not sure if the networks count that (me skipping past commercials probably is a reason why it doesn't).
