Posted on 09/19/2016 5:53:39 PM PDT by 11th_VA
The NFL has been a ratings juggernaut for years, a consistent cash cow for the major TV networks. However, last weekend, there was a notable decrease in viewership. The incident was discussed on September 12th in an article by the Barrett Sports Media network:
When the NFL kicks off regular season play, television networks expect their ratings to soar higher than the previous season. Given the popularity of the National Football League, it’s understandable to have those expectations. But for the start of the 2016 campaign, the ratings were less than what FOX, CBS and NBC had hoped for.
The NFL has been changing over the last few years, an issue I wrote about in a previous article. We are seeing the growing presence of an SJW narrative: we now have a pink field in October (Breast Cancer Awareness), domestic violence commercials throughout the season, and recently, players not standing for the National Anthem in protest of racial inequality.
For the first time that I can remember, there was a vocal backlash against this growing trend. A #BoycottNFL hashtag surfaced a few weeks ago, and it trended on social media. Most of the outcry was against Colin Kaepernick in particular, who refused to stand for the National Anthem to protest racism in America. Many fans made rebuttal videos to Kaepernick, going so far as to burn his jersey. Actually, so many people decided to burn his jersey that there’s now a compilation video online of the best burns (110,000 hits and growing). Even Ted Cruz jumped into the fray on Monday, encouraging people to boycott, “rich, spoiled athletes.”
So now that week one of the NFL is over, and we can review the television ratings. Apparently, the fans stood behind their pledge! Let’s go back to the Barrett Sports Media article for a breakdown of the numbers.
All The NFL Games Showed A Decline In TV Viewership
Here is a brief overview of the numbers.
Thursday Night Opener (Broncos vs. Panthers): Down 10% from last year
Sunday game on CBS: Down 13% from last year
Sunday game on Fox: Down 3% from last year
Sunday game on NBC (Patriots vs. Cardinals): Down 11%
Monday Night ESPN (Steelers vs. Redskins): Down 7%
Monday Night nightcap (49ers vs. Rams): Down 25%
The one rating that should stand out here is the 49ers game. Colin Kaepernick stated that he would continue to not stand for the National Anthem. Well, the fans responded in kind. The largest drop in TV viewership was for the 49ers game (Kaepernick’s team)—down 25%.
Overall, these were the lowest TV ratings for an NFL opening day in a decade.
What Can We Make Of This Decline?
The NFL diehards will say the league is untouchable. The decline was just a blip on the map, and the ship will right itself in the upcoming weeks. 2009 had low ratings in week one, for example. The NFL’s domination of TV ratings will continue unfettered. Americans are too lazy, too addicted to the opium of sports viewership, to change. And I have to admit, the pessimist in me is inclined to agree. This might be true… only time will tell.
However, there’s an old biblical saying—pride comes before a fall. We’re living in a different era: an interactive digital world, where people are able to exchange ideas like never before. People who are frustrated with the NFL can now have a platform to express their disapproval. And in turn, they can share their ideas with like-minded individuals. As a case in point, the sheer number of people who are protesting the NFL online is unprecedented. I’ve been following the league since 1978, and I’ve never seen anything like it. The NFL is not bulletproof—nobody is.
Also, it should be noted that national sentiment about a sport has changed over time. In the early 20th century, boxing was big; in the mid 20th century, baseball was king; and in the last forty years, football has risen in popularity. More recently, we’ve seen people turning to non-traditional sports, such as MMA and X-Games. In short, football is not the only game in town; it can be replaced, just like it is outside of the United States. Americans might not turn to watching soccer, like in Europe or South America. But it’s quite possible that they will choose from a growing variety of options.
And finally, the future of football is in jeopardy; this is due to the rising number of head injuries. There was a movie in 2015 entitled Concussion, starring Will Smith, which highlighted the health problems that many former players are experiencing. The movie made waves across the NFL. Former star Troy Aikman commented on the message of the movie, stating that if he had a son, he would not encourage him to play football. How many other parents are out there like Aikman? Quite a few, I’m sure. In the future, we’ll see fewer parents who encourage their children to have a passion for the game. The result will be a continued decline in TV viewership.
Also, it should be noted that national sentiment about a sport has changed over time. In the early 20th century, boxing was big; in the mid 20th century, baseball was king; and in the last forty years, football has risen in popularity. More recently, we’ve seen people turning to non-traditional
Conclusion
I didn’t watch the NFL’s opening day for the first time in many years. Recently, I‘ve become increasingly disillusioned with the direction of the league. Moreover, I now realize that my support is a tacit form of approval. I am letting the league know, as well as its athletes, that I approve of their dysfunctional behavior.
The only thing a bully respects is a punch in the nose. And the SJW army is very much a bully, using their power to destroy the edifice of American tradition. The way that you can punch them back is very simple—turn off your television on Sunday, or find something else to watch.
The PCNFL must be destroyed to save football.
Sticking to small high school football and Division 3 college games.
You are all DEAD to me!
Thank you. I am a recent ‘retro’ MLB fan so I missed that...but that’s all I need to know. I can’t support that.
kg/nancy
If they take a knee, do Eagle power stands, or disrespect the nation where they enjoy the freedom of expression that allows them to disrespect the great nation they live in, they need to understand its going to cost them. Remove the multimillion dollar contracts.
Been onboard for a few years myself. Screw professional sport generally, and the NCAA is not far behind. And once you drop the sports, there is really no reason to keep cable....
Now we have entire high school teams doing it. Time to get with the school boards and tell them we will voted down any and every tax increase earmarked for schools until those teams get their heads and butts wired together.
Allowing the next generation of American-born America haters...disgusting.
Let them play to an empty stadium for peanuts “
All the seats for the Houston Texans are sold out for the season. Probably the same for a few other teams. Somehow can’t see people not going to games if their seats were paid for last spring. We watched them play KC Sunday - but we won’t watch or listen to any other games unless the Texans are playing.
Houston is hosting the Super Bowl next year so we’ll see what happens to attendance at that event. People in Texas are rabid football fans. If Houston makes it to that event, it will be SRO.
Enjoy football here. Concessions are run by the Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters club. A little different than the NFL :o)
I see a lot of good Americans dumping their sports here because the networks are anti-American. I am proud of them!
As far as I’m concerned, sports are to be participated in not watched.
Help make “boycott nfl” and “nfl boycott” top search terms on google and bing.
Search the terms and open a few pages from each of the results. If enough people do this from different ip’s it could make it so searching “nfl” brings up nothing but negative results. If we can freep a poll, why not freep search engines?
NFL: Negros, Felons, an Liberals. No on else invited or accepted.
Thanks for that.
America’s SJW adult children whiners are just ignorant brats.
Oh well, nothing lasts forever. I've moved on to other forms of entertainment in the Internet age. There are plenty out there, including tons of traditional hobbies, without having to support these PC loving anti-American scum.
I know people who quit watching NASCAR for their wussification and PC BS in recent years. I watch IMSA, F1, and even Global Rallycross and Austrailian Supercars now after almost 40 years of watching NASCAR every weekend.
The consumer CAN find alternatives.
I am NOT watching NFL this season. Now way.
James Woods says it exactly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZMgjQVl6N0
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