Ouch! NFL TV Ratings Drop Again As Angry Fans Exercise Their Own Rights

Hot Air

As a disappointed and likely apocryphal Hollywood producer once said about a box-office flop, “If people don’t want to come, you can’t stop them.”

. . . "Despite the always insightful, candid commentary of Jon Gruden, this week’s Monday Night game on ESPN lost audience again. It was actually a pretty good game, by all accounts. After the 29-20 win, Kansas City remained the only unbeaten team at 4-0, while Washington fell to 2-2.

"This game though drew 13% fewer viewers than last week. And the drop was worse — 16% — in the key demo that ad buyers covet.

"The game drew 11.9 million viewers, down almost two million from last week.

"Perhaps even more disturbing for the 32 billionaire team owners, another sponsor pulled its ads over the protest controversy.

"Said Steve Kalafer, a mega-car-dealer and baseball team owner in New Jersey:

The National Football League and its owners have shown their fans and marketing partners that they do not have a comprehensive policy to ensure that players stand and show respect for America and our flag during the playing of the national anthem. We have cancelled all of our NFL advertising (for 2017)…As the NFL parses the important nationwide issues of ‘social justice’ and ‘freedom of speech,’ it is clear that a firm direction by them is not forthcoming.

. . . "Reaction against protests by the multi-millionaire players has been emotional and nationwide with President Trump weighing in. We wrote here Monday about a Georgia high school football team that had its own surprising patriotic response to the pro protests." . . .