Chris Long Says YouTube NFL Broadcast Made Him Feel Like a ‘Boomer’ as League Chases New Audiences

Former NFL defensive end Chris Long said he felt ostracized by the YouTube-only broadcast of Friday’s preseason game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo, calling the production a clear bid to court younger, social-media–native audiences.

Long, 40, made the remarks on his "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast on Tuesday, describing the stream as an experience that left him feeling "like somebody who was being ushered to, like, an early grave." He singled out the broadcast’s use of influencers and personalities, saying it felt to him like an explicit message to older viewers: "Time to die, boomer." Long said he did not want to disparage younger fans or creators but added that the presentation was "jarring." He also said he still planned to watch football despite his misgivings.

The YouTube feed featured several internet personalities, including MrBeast, Deestroying and IShowSpeed, and leaned into social-media–style commentary rather than a traditional play-by-play broadcast. The unconventional approach mirrored the NFL’s recent efforts to diversify how it delivers games, joining earlier experiments with Nickelodeon-themed telecasts and other streaming partnerships.

YouTube and the NFL billed the broadcast as a ratings success. In a press release, YouTube said the São Paulo game set a record for most concurrent viewers of a livestream on the platform and posted a 17.3 million average-minute audience. The company said 16.2 million of that average-minute audience was in the United States, with 1.1 million viewers from outside the country representing more than 230 countries and territories. The Chargers won the contest, 27-21; it was the lone YouTube-only game on the NFL’s slate this season.

Long, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and later played for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots after being selected second overall in the 2008 draft, framed his reaction in generational terms. He recounted feeling like the broadcast was a signal that older fans who did not know influencers such as Deestroying were being written out of the experience, and said the show’s tone—complete with exaggerated, personality-driven moments—felt geared to a different audience.

Critics and proponents of the newer broadcasts have pointed to competing goals: expanding the game’s reach by tapping younger viewers accustomed to creator-led content, while preserving the traditional telecast that long-time fans expect. Nickelodeon’s kid-oriented telecasts, for example, have used cartoon overlays and references to children’s programming to target families; YouTube’s feed appeared to adopt a parallel strategy targeting streaming and social-media audiences.

Representatives for YouTube noted the size and international scope of the audience for the São Paulo game as evidence of the platform’s ability to draw viewers. The NFL has said it will continue to explore alternative ways to present games in hopes of broadening its fan base, while also maintaining conventional broadcasts on network and cable partners.

Long’s comments underscore the cultural tension that can accompany such innovation: broadcast experiments can produce large audiences and new fans, but they may also alienate viewers accustomed to a different viewing experience. The league and its broadcast partners face the immediate task of balancing those competing objectives as they roll out alternative telecasts alongside traditional coverage.