Posted on 10/10/2016 5:49:16 PM PDT by SkyPilot
The NFL has a ratings problem. The causes are many, and the leading cause is certainly up for debate. But that isn’t stopping the NFL from denying that the problem has some controversial undercurrents – or that the problem exists in the first place.
Sunday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants drew a 10.2 overnight rating as it mostly went up against the second presidential debate, according to Sports Media Watch. It’s a steep drop from 13.1 in Week 5 of the 2015 season and the lowest overnight rating since Week 8 of the 2013 season.
The presidential debate, and the 2016 election season, are no doubt cutting into TV ratings for everyone, not just the NFL. But for an 11 percent overall drop through the first four weeks of 2016 that is likely to deepen after Week 5? Seems more like a convenient excuse.
Yet, here’s the NFL sending an internal memo to all 32 teams reassuring them that the ratings are nothing to worry about. “There is no question that unprecedented interest in the Presidential election is impacting primetime ratings,” reads the letter from NFL reps Brian Rolapp and Howard Katz. Curiously, the letter brings up the effect that the backlash over the growing national anthem protests among players is having on the ratings, which they dismissed.
“Finally, it is worth noting that we see no evidence that concern over player protests during the National Anthem is having any material impact on ratings. In fact, our own data shows that perception of the NFL and its players is actually up in 2016.”
Surely the fans are going to trust “data” coming from within the NFL. They never lie about anything. …
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.cbslocal.com ...
It’s the same bloody teams in it year after year. I watched no football at all and it was actually very nice.
I felt bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. They were wearing their bumblebee prison stripe uniforms and they had to add pink accessories.
Paging Tim Gunn!
right there with you.
I know that some of us follow a special team, sometimes for years-—we can still get a final score when they play ‘BUT’ do not tune in and watch the games for that is where their money is—commercials make them rich, along with sales of all kinds at the games or stores—we must ;hit them in the pocketbook’ as that will bring them down-—also, fight any politician who dares call for tax dollars to be spent on new stadiums, etc——cheers
Watching overweight men get down on their knees is just not for me.
Same here. It's been an accumulation of factors over the years, but all this SJW nonsense was the last straw.
Living in Atlanta, it’s easy to ignore pro sports. Anyway, being a “sports fan” just seems a little silly at my age.
And to think most of them went to college on a scholarship. . . with little intention of using the education or for that matter graduating. I gave an F to college player . . .I’m not sure if it was ever recorded if you know what I mean.
And let’s not go there about them being good role models for the kids these days. NOT. We have soldiers fighting for our freedom, police officers for our safety and then there are those NFL players that choose to denigrate our flag and country. Perhaps the league will become the GFL (Global Football League)
To show how disconnected I've been from the NFL, I don't even remember them playing three games at all -- let alone five (they're now 2-3).
Pete Rozelle must be turning over in his grave.
Pete was a former PR man and knew how to sell the NFL to the masses. Now the NFL is just spitting on its core fans. Rozelle would have never let this happen.
Oh well, life goes on.......without the NFL.
No body will throw this guy a Coke
Not a single game this year. Many years had club seats.
Gun range is open if I get feeling like a sportsman.
Walked out of a sports bar when the Nationsl Felons Keague came on.
Eff them and their illiterate players.
I predict the NFL will be a husk of its former self in 5 years
Baseball Playoffs setting Records
Maybe they’ll blame it on the weather!
Not a whisper among players kneeling during the national anthem in pro baseball. coincidence? I don’t think. They got a hold of this fast. I will make prediction that Godell and his boys will be out next year. And you won’t see a whisper of this again in the NFL
When times are troubled, people look for assurance in comedies and family type of entertainment. The numbers for the NFL should be going up if the people running the games were smart. Instead, they change rules, making older fans feel left out, and younger fans just have better games to play on the X box. I for one do not like the FG length extra point. The moving up of the kickoffs, or the touchback going out to the 25. There hasn’t been a single return for a TD in all of football this year and that is one of the best plays to watch for 97 years.
Is it estrogen month for the NFL this month?
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