A lot has been made about the decline in NFL ratings this season. Many reasons why have been discussed, from issues about concussions, fans losing interest because

of players protesting the national anthem, and the scheduling of massively popular presidential debates during two of the league’s prime-time games. But something that hasn’t been discussed as much is that the NFL just isn’t very much fun to watch right now.

With the explosion of fantasy football, the NFL has more eyes than ever on the sport and it seems to be doing everything in its power to push the average fan away from the game. People watch the NFL like anything else on television — for entertainment. The bone-crushing hits, exciting returns on kickoffs and punts, and celebrations in the end zone are things people expect to see on Sundays and look forward to.

The NFL has made it impossible for there to be a big hit because of its inability to admit it had an issue with concussions years ago. So in an effort to right that wrong, players can’t make a big hit without awarding the opposing team a free first down and 15 yards and an envelope from the league office that will put a dent in their bank account Monday morning.

With kickoffs and punts, on any return for a touchdown, the first thing you hear the announcer say following the score is, “There are no flags on the play.” The fact that the first thing you need to speak about after a player makes a play that spans the entire field is that there isn’t a flag speaks to a major problem.

Anytime a major play is made, either a big run or a deep pass downfield or return, fans and players are conditioned to look to the ref to see if the yellow flag is coming out and the play is nullified. Fans don’t want to watch the game looking for penalties.

Another major problem the league has is the insane fines it levies on players for touchdown celebrations and designs on customized cleats. To highlight this disconnect between the league and its players and fans, let’s look at Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Brown is the league’s best wide receiver, leading the NFL in receptions the last two seasons and finishing second in 2013. One would assume that a league would want to treat one of its stars as favorably as possible, but the NFL wouldn’t agree.

Brown was penalized for excessive celebration and fined $6,076 for a dance move the kids call “twerking” in the end zone, following a touchdown catch in a week-one game against Washington. If you’ve been on the Internet in the last year, you’ve seen this dance, but the NFL felt the dance was “sexually suggestive.”

Brown performed the same act three weeks later and was again slapped with a fine, this time for $24,309. The determination and drive that it takes to make it into the NFL and then ever more time practicing and in the weight room to score a touchdown should allow a player to be able to dance for a few seconds and not cost him money he’s worked extremely hard to earn.

For Brown, his pockets haven’t only been lightened by his dancing, but his choice of footwear as well. Also in week one, Brown wore blue cleats, which is against the NFL rule that states you must wear cleats matching your team’s color scheme, and was fined $9,000. Brown then donned black and yellow (Steelers’ colors) cleats with butterflies and bees on them to honor the late Muhammad Ali, but the NFL threatened he would not be able to continue to play unless he changed his cleats. Brown obliged.

Brown has now been fined almost $40,000 for something that has no effect on the game of football and does nothing to harm the image of the NFL. The response to his demonstrations and the actions of other players by the NFL are the problem.

ESPN reported after week four that taunting penalties were up 220 percent and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were up 56 percent. Fans want to see their favorite players make big hits, score long touchdowns and do whatever dance move is currently cool, which changes every season if not every week.

Fans shouldn’t know the names of the NFL refs because they are not the reason why people watch the game. Let the the players play, let them dance and let them wear different cleats if they want. We don’t live in a time when traditions are honored and things are done as they always were. Times are changing and the NFL needs to change with them or it will be left wondering it has lost its spot as the most-viewed sport in America.