The NFL is blaming its horrible ratings on the election
Reuters/Carlo Allegri
Every single one of the NFL's primetime offerings (Sunday, Monday, and Thursday Night Football) is down double-digits, according to Sports Illustrated. Overall, NFL viewership is down 11% this year.
The NFL wrote that the drop in primetime was likely because of "unprecedented interest in the Presidential election." The letter went on to reference the 2000 election as another period of time when NFL ratings went down.
The NFL is not the only one to make the connection. In an interview with Sports Business Daily, Mike Mulvihill, a senior VP at Fox Sports, said the current season reminded him of fall of 2000, a year which included the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush. 2000 was the only year during the decade 2000-2010 where the NFL saw a downtick overall, Sports Illustrated notes.
One thing the NFL said was not affecting ratings was fan backlash against players protesting police brutality by not standing during the national anthem. "In fact, our own data shows that the perception of the NFL and its players is actually up in 2016," the NFL wrote.
Alternative theories
There are a few other theories on what might be affecting ratings this year, however, that have nothing to do with Donald Trump.
In a meeting with analysts at Pacific Crest, CBS, one of the NFL's TV partners, cited three reasons:
- Small sample sizes (there haven't been enough games yet)
- Injuries
- Unfavorable matchups (for instance, NBC's last "Sunday Night Football" had a Steelers-Chiefs matchup that was down 26% from last year, but last year's game was Saints-Cowboys, and the Cowboys are the NFL's biggest TV draw)
Lastly, there is a far more troubling explanation: people are losing gradually losing interest in live sports, and big TV "spectacles" in general.
NBC had a disastrous TV showing at the Olympics, which saw a sharp viewership dip for the first time since 2000. NBC's Olympics primetime broadcast was down 15% versus 2012. The damage was even greater among younger people. Among 18- to 49-year-olds, there was a 25% drop for the bulk of the games, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
NOW WATCH: NFL POWER RANKINGS: Week 4
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas